Lessons in Failure

This week I'm taking a break from sharing recipes because I want to discuss developing recipes, particularly the failures that teach. I have quite a few recipes written and ready to share. Almost every time I make one of the recipes I've already written, I find some small tweak that makes it a little better. This is why I'm often reluctant to share a recipe. I don't think a recipe is ever "perfect" for everyone. I have better recipes and even the best-for-the-time-being recipes. It's not unusual for my husband and other taste testers to disagree about whether or not a particular recipe works or could be better.

 Let's talk a bit about failure.... 

 Cooking involves failure. There I said it. Many of the recipes I decide to share have undergone numerous attempts and therefore failures before I share them. Now, I have two choices with each of these failures. I can give up or I can learn from what went wrong. Sometimes a recipe just never works, but I never give up after the first failure. I learn from it and adjust it until I have something that works or I run out of ideas for fixing it. Even then, I generally keep a copy of the recipe, so I can revisit it at a later date.

 During the summer I made a strawberry cupcake recipe so many times I think my taste testers were getting sick of trying them! I was determined to figure out how to achieve the flavor I wanted before the strawberry season was over. I finally got them there, or at least as close as I could get it.

 Earlier this week I tested several recipes. Most turned out shareable. One needs a huge amount of work, and I'm not sure is really doable for the way we eat but might work as an occasional indulgence if I can figure out how to fix what didn't work. The last one needs a couple of tweaks, but for the most part is pretty much ready to share.

 This is the process of cooking, and particularly in creating one's own recipes. I started creating recipes many years ago because I couldn't find ingredients listed or because I didn't like some ingredient listed or because I just wanted to see how something would taste if I substituted one ingredient for another. This process has lead to nights of ordering in, going out to eat, or throwing together something quick last minute. A time or two it's lead to me eating popcorn and fruit for dinner, but that's quite rare. It's also lead to recipes that we've grown to love and shared with others.
I'm writing this because I know there are people who feel intimidated by cooking. I want you to know that every cook has had a failed recipe. Every big name chef has had a failed recipe. Every person who has ever cooked has had a failed recipe. The only way to learn to cook is to keep trying even when failure hits.

 Food rarely looks like it does on television. And that's okay.

 I try to use the healthiest ingredients I can find that will also work with the flavor profile, so I hope you will keep that in mind when you try my recipes.

 Keep trying. Learn from your mistakes. Experiment with what you like. Find ways to change recipes to fit your needs. I never share my recipes with the idea that those who make them will like everything I do.

But, please, when you try them, experiment. Find a way to make them fit your tastes, your lifestyle, your needs. And when you do, you have created a new recipe.

 It's not unusual for me to research a number of versions of something I want to make before finalizing a recipe. I research what works for others and then put my own spin on it. That's what creative cooking is all about!

 If you want to be able to repeat your results, keep a notebook or laptop nearby to make notes as your fix a recipe.

 So as we move into 2019, I will keep sharing my recipes. I will keep sharing what works for me and my household when it comes to eating an oil-free, whole food, plant-based diet that is healthy. Also, expect the occasional indulgence thrown in as I share adaptations of desserts and other treats that will always qualify as plant-based and oil free but might from time to time include ingredients that push the limits a tiny bit while still being as nutritious as possible.

 While I likely won't share my failures - I mean who wants to make a failure - I want to be clear that I do have failures in the kitchen that I do my best to learn from and turn into eventual successes, even if those successes come in the form of learning what not to do.

 Thank you to all who have joined me this year as I began this journey into sharing my recipes here. I appreciate all of you and hope we can continue to cook together and eat healthy for years to come!

 May your 2019 be filled with plant-based healthy food aiding your journey to prosperity and happiness!

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