Hey Friends! How’s it goin?
I don’t have a new recipe for you today because I’ve been having a hell of a time coming up with recipes I want to share. My imagination is still going strong but execution has been a little meh. I’ve had some good, not so good and even great things come out of the kitchen but one thing or another has left me without a recipe I actually I want to share.
But never fear, I’ve still got some pictures of yummy-looking, if not yummy, foods for you too stare at, while I vent about my lack of kitchen prowess for the last week.
What I Ate Wednesday (but didn’t always enjoy)
First up we’ve got the pumpkin-chocolate muffins that failed not once, but twice. This is the recipe I was trying to perfect way back when I went on my pumpkin strike. I’d just gotten some new silicone muffin liners and was excited to try them out but the muffins were a flop. I ended up with gooey muffins that tasted okay, but had the weirdest texture ever. I’m blamed the liners and haven’t used them since.
Then there was last week when I remade these double chocolate chip cookies to update the images but of course, I forgot to add the baking powder and baking soda. They actually tasted pretty good – I had three people tell me they preferred them that way – but by then the cookies were done I hadn’t done a proper photo shoot. Oh well.
My second attempt at a recipe for last week was these still unnamed apple-pear-donut-cake-cookie-fritter things. Taste: amazing. Texture: strange but not bad. Aesthetics: failure. They were flat and weirdly shaped and I couldn’t actually name them so into my belly they went, and the Brown Rice Pudding was born.
And now this week. The final straw that broke this camel ExSloth’s back.
Over the weekend I attempted to make roasted pumpkin and finally knocked cooking with an actual pumpkin off my fall bucket list! The happiness was short lived, though, because I paired the pumpkin with cauliflower rice. I hate cauliflower. But, I picked up the most beautiful purple cauliflower at the farmers’ market two weekends ago because purple is my favourite colour. I had high hopes that the cauliflower would magically taste amazing because it was purple. Cliff Notes Version: My roommates loved it, I thought it was horrible and I’m once again hating on pumpkin by association.
Finally, the recipe that almost made the cut. The taste and texture of these breakfast biscuits were amazing. They literally tasted just like a variation of the buttermilk biscuits my mother used to make and I could. not. stop. eating. them. I even did a full photo shoot before I thought of some changes that might make them rise a little more. So I decided to wait before sharing.
Not pictured are the chocolate breakfast cookies that were soft and chewy but left me craving a sugar injection, and the ah-freaking-mazing brownies that were just begging to be shared. Unfortunately, we ate most of them the night I made them and there wasn’t enough left to take pictures of the next day. I can’t even be mad about that because they were so damn good.
The good news is: I’ve had loads and loads of opportunities to practice my food photography…
What about you?
Any share-worthy stories of recipe failures recently? Do you get discouraged from baking and/or cooking when you have one too many failures in the kitchen? Which one of these do you wish had made the cut?
Share in the comments below!
Get Social with me on:
Facebook – Diary of an Ex-Sloth
Twitter – @ExSloth
Pinterest – @ExSloth
Instagram – @ExSloth
Google+ – +GiselleRochford
Bloglovin – Diary of an ExSloth
Linking up with: WIAW, Thinking out Loud
Too funny! I have not been baking too much lately so not many fails there. But I made spagetti squash my usual way last week and it was terrible! Everything was just off and it did not taste very good.
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment recently posted…Weekly Grocery List for Two
I love that you shared this! We all have our flops now and then. That is the life of a food blogger!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…WIAW: November 12, 2014
I can totally relate! Some weeks it seems like all I have are recipe failures! Just last week I made an orange baked tofu that I expected to turn out amazing, but it just tasted bland. I don’t even know if I want to try to fix it or if I should just give up and move onto something else.
Those breakfast biscuits look like they have some serious potential. Can’t wait for the recipe!
Chelsea @ Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen recently posted…Apple butter granola
So true. :[ I tried making mini Dutch babies the other day, and they basically turned out looking nothing like it. Definitely gonna have to tweak that recipe around [by a lot]. ;_;
Farrah recently posted…Biscoff Twix Popcorn
I REFUSE to ever let my recipes “die”! I always some how save a recipe. Failure is not an option 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Sweet Pumpkin & Bell Pepper Sprouted Black Eyed Peas
There was this one time I tried to make pancakes for my friend.. and burnt them. Followed by waffles… and burnt them, then french toast (burnt). Yeah, that actually happened. It’s because I was using this awfully dense spelt/hemp flour.
Hahahaha
Jo @ Living Mint Green recently posted…I’m in love!
When all else fails, I slather it in almond butter and call it good
But in all seriousness, I know what you mean about getting discouraged over flops. The last one that comes to mind is an oatmeal cookie recipe that I failed at multiple times and had multiple meltdowns over. The way I see it… flops teach you the ins and outs of what works and what doesn’t, and just give you a better outcome in the end. Or at least that’s what I try to tell myself when I’m ready to throw my baking pans out the window…
Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. four foods i won’t eat… and other nonsense .
All of that definitely qualified for yummy looking! Also, I just followed you on social medias and you immediately followed back so way to be on your game! Hahaha. I’m not a huge baker, and I think baking is where most “failures” can occur in the kitchen. Cooking/grilling doesn’t seem to involve as much precision. I can’t think of a kitchen failure I’ve had lately… and with it being soup season now, it’s really hard to mess up soup!
Chris recently posted…I’m Getting Stronger
I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s had recipes fail! They do look good, as a matter of fact. I think I’m going to whip up some muffins.
Leslie recently posted…Stella’s Roo Stew Doggy Dinner
haha yes, happens to me daily! but i still eat it, or turn it into a healthy bite.. it works, yes?
Lindsay recently posted…3 Ways to REINVENT Yourself
I ALWAYS make my failed recipes work, LOL!!!! I will eat anything and everything because I hate wasting food! lol
GiGi Eats recently posted…Mean Girls Is Quite The Holiday Movie
I hate cauliflower too! I thought I was the only one, lol! I made coconut flour pancakes this weekend. I’m pretty good in the kitchen, but pancakes are my kryptonite. The ones I didn’t burn tasted great, but I cannot flip a pancake to save my life. #fail
Ree recently posted…truffles are just so yummy!
I love seeing that a food blogger messes up too! Makes me feel a lot better when my cookies turn into hockey pucks. ha ha
Jen @ Pretty Little Grub recently posted…Amazing race audition & all the peanut butter
Well good to know that about the silicone muffin pans. I really have been wanting to try them out. The breakfast biscuits look really good and I’ve got to hear more about these brownies! 🙂
I mean, I like ugly food, so, disclaimer. But those apple pear donut cake idk what anymore things look pretty good.
Love seeing all the duds. Makes the good recipes even more worth it. 🙂
Kay @ Kay Bueno recently posted…Sweat Republic Surf Set Review
This is fab! So refreshing to know I’m not alone in fails 🙂
Oh Giselle, this made me laugh so much – as I mentioned to you on twitter the first time I read it! And the synchronicity was amazing. I was writing a blog post about my own failures and yours popped up on my Twitter feed. I am truly glad I’m not the only one who has disasters in the kitchen. 😀
I’ve had a lot of failed recipes. Probably more than successful ones:)
Laina Turner recently posted…Gems & Gunshots – a cozy mystery
I used to get so upset over baking fails, but now I just kind of giggle and move on. It has taken me months to make a vegan mugcake that wasn’t super dense or mush, but I finally did it! All the fails are always worth it when something turns out!
Leah recently posted…Coconut Chai Ice Cream
You’re not alone in the failed recipe story!! I’ve botched quite a few recipes…some simultaneously while the smoke alarm is going off…yeah, that was last week:) But it’s all part of the learning experience, right?!
Faith VanderMolen recently posted…Chocolate Oat Milk
This was great. I still want to make those apple fritter cookies… they look delicious to me.
Silicon liners are tricky. You have to bake things a little longer and let them totally cool before taking them out 🙂
Cassie recently posted…Cuban Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burger
I am a bad baker, but a good cook lolzzz
This was great. I still want to make those apple fritter cookies… they look delicious to me.
Help recently posted…Best Types of insurance companies 2024
It sounds like you’ve had quite the culinary adventure recently! Recipe development is a journey filled with both triumphs and trials. It’s refreshing to see the candid side of food
blogging—behind all the perfect pictures and polished recipes, countless experiments don’t always go as planned.
Your experiences with the pumpkin-chocolate muffins, double chocolate chip cookies, apple-pear-donut-cake-cookie-fritter things, roasted pumpkin with cauliflower rice, and breakfast biscuits highlight the persistent effort and creativity involved in the process. Even if some recipes didn’t turn out as expected, it’s clear that your kitchen is a place of constant experimentation and growth.
Here’s to hoping your next recipe development attempts bring more success and fewer frustrations. And don’t give up on pumpkin just yet—it’s such a versatile ingredient! Maybe your next pumpkin recipe will be the one that breaks the curse.
“I love how this post embraces the reality of recipe testing with honesty and humor! It’s refreshing to see the behind-the-scenes challenges that often go unnoticed. It makes the successes even more relatable and inspiring.”
Tech Info Box
Looking to spice up your salsa repertoire Tomatillo avocado salsa is a simple but impressive replacement—or addition—to your typical dips for chips