Lentil Disaster!

So, I had all these lentils and wanted to make something fabulous. I thought lentil soup was too boring, so I went for a fancy sounding recipe "Onion and Lentil Croquettes". Sometimes I need to do be overly ambitious just to put me in my place. Beginner recipes only from now on.

So, the first problem I encountered was when I decided to triple the recipe. My thought is that I should make loads of extra whenever I cook, and freeze it, so that I always have "convenience" foods on hand. Going from frozen pizzas to cooking every single night may not be realistic so it is a good idea to have freshly made dishes with fantastic ingredients, frozen and ready to make a quick dinner any time. But, in this case, making so much made it very challenging to cook. My stovetop looks like it is a stovetop for ants. There is only 1 large burner, and I am pretty sure that it is unusually close to the other burners because fitting a large pot next to a pan is nearly impossible and quite frustrating. Not to mention that my front small burner smokes every time I turn it on (cannot figure it out) so I can't use that one.

Besides the tiny stovetop, everything was going quite well, but then time became my quickening threat. I had finished cooking the main part of the recipe and thought I was almost done, when I looked at the clock (7pm) and then looked at the rest of the recipe, which was not almost done, and then proceeded to allow a creative variety of nasty phrases come out of my mouth. I am pretty sure that my daughter will grow up associating swearing with the smell of home cooking. So, Luke went and got some sandwiches from the deli (a feeling of utter defeat washing over me) and I wrapped up the food to finish the next day.

The next day:

Advanced recipe books assume that the reader knows a thing or two. Like, how hot the stove needs to be and how much oil is needed for frying. Thank God I had just watched a video on Jamie Oliver's iPhone app that taught how to stir fry (never use olive oil for frying, it smokes). But, after I had burned a whole set, then I realized they weren't getting cooked evenly throughout. Luke tried to help me, but I just gave up. But, the stuff tastes good, actually, and it calls to be served with ketchup, so I have been treating it like meatloaf (similar consistency) and it will get eaten.

Lessons learned: only try recipes taught by friends, from Jamie Oliver's iPhone app (is as simplified as it gets), and the Martha Stewart magazine that looks delicious! Try more advanced recipes later! Also, thrift stores are a great resource for cooking gear, as well as Ross. My kitchen is almost functioning!