“Eh, it’s edible.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah…we’ve all heard this phrase.  We may have even used this phrase.  But, goodness!  This phrase is so vague.  If someone ask you if you liked the food you just ate, that they prepared, shouldn’t you at least give them an honest opinion.  Not, “Eh, it’s edible.”  Did that tell me what you did like about the meal?  Did that tell you what you didn’t like about it?  What did that tell me?  Frankly, I can tell you honestly if a meal was good or bad and what I would do different to it next time.  I consider it being a good spouse, friend, daughter, etc.  If you ask, you better be prepared for the answer.  But, if I ask….I want a full disclosure….

With that being said, yes, dinner was not so hot last night.  I spent 30 minutes approximately dicing green bell peppers, cayenne peppers, chili peppers, yellow onion, green onion, peeling and chopping garlic cloves…granted I was able to release some frustration.  Instead of a vegetable casserole, I attempted to use the peppers as my green bean, squash, or broccoli.  Did not go so well.  I lost all of the natural flavors of the peppers, onions and garlic.  That to me is one of the best flavor combinations, and I missed that sorely last night. 

Then, I decided to do something new with Brussel Sprouts.  I have been exploring this little green, not-so-desired vegetable, attempting to give it a chance.  I have par-boiled them and then sautéed them in some butter with sliced onion and garlic cloves (turned out amazing).  To be a bit healthier, I’ve oven roasted them to a nice crispness on the outside and soft on the inside, using some EVOO and Adobo seasoning.  Last night, I attempted to do the oven-roasting without the EVOO and with some smoked paprika and a little sea salt.  Definitely missed the EVOO to soften them up more and cook them in the oven.  They turned out crunchy in the center and just felt wilted in your mouth on the outside.  After last night, I thought I would give up on the little guys.  But, I think I will buy another bunch next grocery trip and see where that leads me.

So, I saved the best for last.  I mean let’s face it.  After reading the above, anything would be better, right?  I had this beautiful Ham Steak from Smithfield’s.  Oh, so succulent and flavorful!  I decided to make a glaze for it.  My over-achieving brain thought of doing something with Tequila for a glaze.  The one recipe I found combined coffee, tequila, brown sugar, ground mustard, and apple cider vinegar.  Well, people do make red-eye gravy here.  So, why wouldn’t it work?  I combined everything like a good  little cook, and began the reduction process on the stove.  The smell of all the ingredients together was repulsive.  It was literally not smelling appetizing in the least little bit.  I tried to stand it, but couldn’t.  Shortly thereafter, down the drain it went.  Yes, even the wasted tequila.  Wait….there’s more.  I did say I saved the best for last.  I was wanting something slightly sweet and spicy for the glaze now.  So I threw together 3 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of Sriracha, and 1/4 cup of Light Daisy Sour Cream.  Do a dollop, do do a dollop…you know you want to sing that song when hearing about Daisy.  Granted this came out super spicy and delectably sweet.  It had a wonderful flavor and the sour cream gave a nod to cool the Sriracha down a bit.  It helped the sprouts out a bit as well. 

So find below the “edible” meal from last night.  But, if you take anything from this post this morning, do remember that we all have failures in the kitchen.  Although, we shouldn’t look at them as failures.  We should look at them as learning experiences.  What did I learn, you may ask?  It’s ok to experiment with recipes, but don’t expect a classic southern vegetable casserole to be able to be substituted with any old vegetable.  Don’t forget to use EVOO when oven roasting a vegetable!  Last, but not least of course, as good as I found the glaze for the ham to be, the hub thought it was too spicy.  Note to self, go easy on the spice for the not so spicy palate……..