As I've been writing my posts, I realized I needed to come up with a rating system for the "Assessment" portion that was a little more standardized.
Read: I couldn't remember what "excellent" meant from one post to the next and was tired of flipping back & forth between the stupid posts already!
So I came up with a less-than-scientific rating system that will be implemented from here on forward. You also get to sample my artistic skills. I'm pretty sure I'm one step from cutting off an ear and sending it to my husband at work.
Mess
NADA
No prep work,
minimal equipment and I don’t have to scrub cabinets, stove and dishes. (see representation of me doing a happy dance with a glass of wine to the right)
EH
Minimal prep
work, minimal equipment and I may have to wipe up a spill or two but nothing
significant. (here I am shrugging my shoulders with the "whatever look" on my face.
SIGH
Lots of prep
or lots of equipment and the pug clean-up crew may have to visit my floor (see how sad I look with my head drooping and my frownie-face )
YIKES
Lots of prep,
lots of equipment and I will be calling the hazmat crew to deal with the house
in the morning. (as you can tell by my picture, I'm a mess. Imagine a lot of babbling & sobbing too)
Prep Work
ALL FINGERS STILL HERE
No,
chopping, washing, grating, etc… It’s measure, mix and go baby!
SLIGHT BLOOD LOSS
Only easy
veggies, like onions, need to be chopped and no precision is required
LOSS OF FINGER POSSIBLE
Lots of
chopping including removing seeds and/or fancy or petite cuts.
WARN THE ER
What the…
you want me to chop the entire produce department? Oh lord, there are herbs to be chopped too.
Ease of Recipe
COOK IT IN MY SLEEP
You either
have all the ingredients in your cabinet or can find everything in the grocery
store, you already have all the equipment, every technique you need to use you
learned in 7th grade Home Economics.
THE BASICS
The
ingredients are pretty straightforward and you don’t need any specialized
equipment, but you may have to call your favorite chef/baker to find out what crème
fraiche is.
MORE THAN I BARGAINED FOR
I have to
ask someone where the ingredients are and possibly buy a new pan, and some of
the techniques need to be googled, but I’m still somewhat sane when done.
USES TEARS AS SEASONING
I have to go
to the ends of the earth to find ingredients and possibly take a second
mortgage on the house to buy the required equipment. After googling the techniques, I still can’t
figure it out and about half way through seriously contemplate whether or not I
should order a pizza.
Overall
BLEECH
A culinary disaster
that I was unwilling to try and suckered my husband into eating to tell me what I
already know.
NOT BAD
It was edible
but not memorable. I have too many
recipes to get through to ever make this again.
YUMMY
We ate it
and argued over the leftovers. Although
it isn’t in the regular rotation, on occasion a request is made for it.
SORRY HONEY, NO LEFTOVERS
Not only did we devour it, I strategically hide
the leftovers so they were MINE… ALL MINE!
When I don’t feel like experimenting or trying anything new, this is one
of the go-to recipes.
