Friday, March 20, 2009

{cooking mishaps remembered on the FIRST glorious day of spring}

Welcome to Foodie Friday, hosted by Gollum, from Designs by Gollum.

This is my first week of participation, and it just happens to be on the week slated to share cooking mishaps or Foodie Friday Trainwrecks! Oh, I have several of those, ...but a few in particular that my dear husband will never let me forget! :)

My "culinary career," {which I say loosely}, had a very rocky beginning.
My mother was an excellent cook, and often we were served three home-cooked meals a day, including a delicious breakfast. But she did not like or allow, anyone in the kitchen while she was cooking. Too distracting, she would say. I was only permitted in when it was time to set the table and pour the sweet iced tea. So, I unfortunately did not benefit by learning from her.

When I went off to college, my roommates and I tried to cook meals at home, to save money, but they were very feeble attempts! One roommate in particular loved grits, and at the beginning of one fall semester, bought a 25 pound commercial bag of grits. We stored grits in every container imaginable, the refrigerator was full, as well as all the cabinets of our tiny apartment kitchen. That was cheap eating, and it took us a year, but we ate every last gritty little grit. It is a wonder I can stand the sight of grits today.

Soon after college, Kevin and I were married. I had two really embarrassing mishaps very early in my marriage as a new homemaker, that I will unlikely ever live down. The first substantial meal that I served Kevin was Sweet and Sour Chicken out of a Hamburger Helper {Chicken Helper} box, served over instant MASHED POTATOES! I was young and naive, so proud of my meal, setting the table with our fine wedding china, freshly unwrapped from tissue paper and silver boxes. As I waited for him to get home, the mashed potatoes grew soggier and soggier. It was awful! What was I thinking combining mashed potatoes and sweet & sour chicken. {...and all from a cardboard box! LOL!}

My skills didn't improve for quite some time. Not long after that disastrous meal, I left a whole chicken on to boil, while we worked in the yard one Saturday. When we entered the house, the most disgusting, sickening smell filtered through the door. I had left the bag of innards in the chicken. I had no idea they were to be removed before cooking! Fortunately, through much trial and error over the last 16 years, I have greatly improved!

~~~~

To celebrate the First Glorious Day of Spring, I am headed out to tour a few nurseries and have lunch with my Garden Club. ...can't wait! :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! ~Rhonda

29 comments:

Femin Susan said...

Hope you celebrated First Glorious Day of Spring.....

Amelia said...

All cooks have had dishes they prepared that they would like to forget.

Just learn by trial and error.

Enjoy your gardening club escapade.

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

Happy FOODIE FRIDAY to you girl..hey don't feel bad about the innards I did the same thing with my first turkey...great post girl...Have a great weekend ...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

nikkicrumpet said...

I've been enjoying these foodie trainwrecks! It's fun to know I'm not the only disaster in the kitchen! I hope you have a lovely lunch!

onlymehere said...

The first time I cooked a turkey I left the bag and the neck in the turkey! It didn't smell so great either. Gradually I got better. I still don't care much for cooking. I used to like to cook now and again. I think the fact I don't have time is a big issue. I used to make homemade bread and homemade cinnamon rolls, etc. Larry married me and he says that I quit cooking! Sadly, he's right about that for the most part. On a side note. They found Luba today. She's safe but in custody of whichever group has jurisdiction over her. It breaks my heart but at least we know she's safe. I'll update you if I hear any more. She was gone for six days though, and that in and of itself is pretty scary for a 16-year-old. Love the post you did!

Pearl said...

Thanks for sharing your Food-Train-Wrecks... I needed a good chuckle! Your first day of Spring with the Garden Club Ladies sounds wonderful to me... Hope you have a great time, and I look forward to hearing about it!

♥ HAPPY SPRINGTIME ♥

God bless...

~hugs 'n prayers~

Pearl

Suzann said...

Happy Spring!

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Foodie Friday, Rhonda! Great stories!

Happy Spring!!

SmilingSally said...

Now be sure and let your children in the kitchen so they won't make the same mistakes. Of course, they'll make others! lol

Rattlebridge Farm said...

First, I'd like to give you a hearty welcome to Foodie Friday!
Your cooking adventures sound just like mine. My mother was a great cook, but she didn't like anyone in the kitchen. I sure do remember serving Hamburger Helper. lol
A great post, one that evokes so many food memories.

imjacobsmom said...

Grits, grits and more grits - funny. I've never had hamburger helper or chicken helper and by your tale I'm glad I never have! ~ Robyn

Chandy said...

Love your stories! I'm not a grit eater either, but my dh is and he'd love to have more in the house. We tried eating with hamburger helper and I never really liked each one! :-)

Kristi said...

Great stories, they made me laugh! Thanks for sharing!

Susan said...

I like you, Rhonda, had to learn to cook "on the job". All I had ever made prior to marriage was fudge!!
Susan

Cass @ That Old House said...

Don't you just love those early disasters in the kitchen? I'm watching my daughters muddle through them now.

And about your Mom not allowing anyone in her kitchen while she cooked... maybe she had a really good and discreet caterer who sneaked the food in! :-)

Cass

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

These disaster tales are all great! I wonder why the stores even bother putting the bags of innards in the birds -- seems like they cause more disasters than good! I usually just throw all that out - how about everybody else?

Martha said...

Hope you had a lovely lunch and stroll through the garden center.

I love spring!

Michelle said...

Cute stories!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Have a great first weekend of Spring ~ Susan

Angie said...

Awwwww...too bad your mom didn't teach you her skills! I have to force my daughter to come in and learn about cooking..she would rather be shopping! :-) I am having such fun catching up on you...every time I see pictures of your home, I just linger. You have the loveliest home, Rhonda..I just love it! Now..I am gonna wander around here a bit more...!

Kitty Scraps said...

Oh Miz Rhonda,
I'm sitting here chuckling and smiling at your stories, how funny! I've been trying to teach my future DIL to cook but she's not having any of it. Kids! My son never lets me live down the time I burned a grill cheese sandwich but in my defense I was online checking my email *smiles* Thanks for sharing, too funny!

Rue said...

Hi Rhonda :)

You just made me remember my kitchen disaster! One Thanksgiving I decided to follow a recipe that called for me to cook the turkey upside down. Now the turkey itself tasted great, but when it came out all the skin had fallen off and Annie freaked out. She cried and kept yelling... "The turkey's naked!!" We love our turkey skin LOL

I hope you have a great Sunday!!

hugs,
rue

Dawn said...

Thanks for the well wishes Rhonda. Everyone seems to be on the mend over here.. FINALLY!

I loved your cooking stories. I like to consider myself to be a good cook, but every now and then I have a mishap or two LOL!

Your post made me smile.

take care,
Dawn

Shannon said...

That grit story is hilarious!

Bo said...

Hi Rhonda...I'm late for this visit but I'm glad I made it by for a chuckle over your mishaps...
I won't even tell you about the cake I made & served with shards of broken glass in it...oops, I guess I just did...LOL ;-) Bo

Monogram Queen said...

Yay for spring!
I am STILL a mediocre cook, at best.

Tristan said...

LOL..

My grandma & mom have drilled a lot of cooking in my brain...I don't think I've ever had that bad of a mishap..yet..lol!

Hope you had fun with your club!

Judi said...

Oh dear...I can just imagine your first dinners and how excited you were to make a delicious dinner. I guess thats how we all learn along the way..*lol*.
I am sure you both appreciate your cooking better these years..*s*.
thank you for sharing your story.
Have a lovely evening
Judi

Unknown said...

Happy Spring! Loved hearing your cooking stories! :)