Sunday, January 25, 2009

Cooking Battles, or Why Pumpkin Should Never Be in a Soup

So, I’ve said before that I’ve never been a natural cook. But, a few cooking successes over the holidays made me think that maybe, just maybe, I might be getting the hang of this cooking thing. For Christmas, we made a ham, and I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be truly delicious. In fact, I just talked to my dad on the phone, and he lamented that the ham they made recently wasn’t as good as the ham we had together on Christmas. (I really have no idea how the ham turned out so well, but I’ve embraced my good fortune and/or cooking fluke just the same.) And then, on a whim, I made my first-ever batch of cabbage soup before the holidays. Husband raved about it, saying it reminded him of the soup his mother and late grandmother used to make. I thought maybe he was just saying that to be polite, but when he gobbled up seconds and thirds, I knew it was the truth. I made it for my parents when they visited, and they loved it, too. My mom bragged about the soup to my uncle, and then he called and asked me for the recipe! Let me just say that no one has ever asked me, the girl who consistently has pots boiling over on her stove, for a recipe. So I continued on with my cooking, now with new confidence. I became bolder, taking risks with more complicated recipes. And my streak of cooking successes came screeching to a halt with a recipe called “Pumpkin Soup.” Oh, you’ve never heard of it? There’s good reason. Pumpkin can go nicely in a pie, or maybe even in a bread. But never, ever in a soup. Husband and I each took a spoonful of the orange soup at the same time. I couldn’t help but laugh right away because it was awful, and I knew that Husband was probably trying to think of something diplomatic to say to avoid hurting my feelings. I told him that he didn’t have to eat any more. He soldiered on, insisting it wasn’t that bad. He even added a little sugar to it to make it palatable. I, however, gave up after the second spoonful, and I ended up making hot dogs for the both of us. The pumpkin soup went down the drain, and maybe so did a little of my confidence. But just like anything else, I know that sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Cooking can be a gamble. I think I’ll place my bets on another ham, and skip the pumpkin soup altogether.

11 comments:

Rebecca said...

My mom's favorite soup is Sweet Potatoe. It's pretty gross. I think it tastes like baby food. Just like pumpkins, there are some things that just shouldn't be in soup.

Anonymous said...

I would've ruined the other dishes you made months earlier! I'm terrible and seem to burn everything. I cook my daughter's grilled cheese sandwiches on one of the lowest settings on our burners, otherwise it's crispy charred.
My husband and I agreed years ago that if he would cook, I would clean up. This works out great, because I love to have things cleaned up just so... and he is a fantastic cook!

Kristen M. said...

My last cooking disaster about a month ago was ground turkey meatloaf that looked and (I'm imagining) tasted like cat food. Not my proudest cooking moment. My sweet husband dutifully ate his serving.

Lindsey said...

Cooking is a gamble, you are so right! I have learned this the hard way too! Back up plan is takeout at our house, haha!

Joanne said...

We've all had those recipes that went right down the drain. :(

I'm not that much of a cook either, but I keep trying, and have stumbled across a few simple recipes that I've tried and now are staples in our diet!

Angela said...

Oh, one meal that didn't turn out to well is still success! It sounds like you do have what it takes to cook well... cabbage soup sounds really yummy!

Anonymous said...

I loved this story! Just when we think things are going well in the cooking department, something happens to humble us all over again! lol I've always felt like that with squash, too. I try and like it because everyone says how good it is, and I don't mind it, but I would never rave about it like some people do!
Cindy H
Pots Boiling Over?

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! Ohhh this is so my scenario too!

I'm trying my hardest to become Betty Crocker as well, with my husband being my brave guinea pig! ;-)

Vypergirl said...

You know I saw this recipe and almost tried to make it and now I am soooo glad I didn't!

Anonymous said...

I made butternut squash soup this week and it was delicious.

I know your cooking escapades will continue to go uppity-up-up. But maybe steer clear of the pumpkin soup. ;o)

xox

Anonymous said...

So where is the cabbage soup recipe??