To Continue or Not to Continue, That's the Question...

I'm going to be real right now, some real talk.  I'm having more than a difficult time continuing on with this project.  It's always on my mind, but when I finally have the time to cook, I feel too tired to do so or life gets in the way.  I made a commitment to do this project and to complete it, but it's not looking so hot right now.  I have a huge social studies unit plan (5-8 lessons within the unit) to complete, and I haven't even selected a topic yet.  My garage (aka the laundry room) still looks like a topographic map with mountains of clothing screaming to be washed.  Every room in my house (no joke) is in need of some serious cleaning.  My kitchen is still a disaster from last night's cooking. I'm not going to lie; I feel more than a little overwhelmed.  It's humbling and humiliating to admit that I "may" have taken on a project that I'm not capable of  completing at this time in my life with all of the other stuff my family and I have going on.  I got the word out about my project to help motivate me to complete it, and now public humiliation isn't even enough to keep me on track.  I'm only human, blah, blah, blah....

I'm a big believer in signs, and I'm looking for one right now.  One that will tell me it's worth it to keep my life in this constant state of chaos for a project that I created myself and am pressuring myself with every second of the day.  I don't want to be a failure or a loser; that's the last thing in this world that I want.  Maybe I should have chosen a cookbook with less recipes?  Maybe I still can?  The Barefoot Contessa cookbooks look wonderful and have 200 or so recipes, down to earth, real recipes for real people.  Maybe I should continue with one of Ina's cookbooks?  I could still keep my September 1, 2010 deadline and not be so stressed.  A few hundred recipes is way more realistic in one year than over a thousand.  What do you think?

By the way, here are my gingerbread cookie pumpkins...

Gingerbread cookies

MELISSA

Recipe Failed!

Last night I was in such a horrible mood that I went to bed at 9:00 pm, and obviously, I didn't cook a single thing.  I'm having a little bit of trouble getting back into the swing of things. It turns out that cooking new recipes every night is not so easy.  Imagine that. 

I went grocery shopping today, bought tons of butter, lots of molasses, some corn syrup, and more flour, but I somehow forgot to buy brown sugar, dark brown sugar and buttermilk, the three ingredients I really needed.  I hate it when that happens.

Anyway, I attempted to make butter crescents, a VERY buttery roll, but I failed miserably.  The yeast did not interact correctly with the milk and sugar, and I did not have another packet of yeast.  I must also report that I sadly wasted 2 sticks of butter in the process.  Not a good night for me.  Better luck tomorrow....


MELISSA

I'm Back!!!!

Hey, guess who's back?  Yup, Project Melissa & Martha is back on!  I have to admit that last week was glorious, not having to worry about cooking and buying pounds of butter on a daily basis was a relief.  However, I can't let myself down, and I am bound and determined to finish what I've started.  Let the cooking begin once again...

Tonight I made fruit crumb bars with granny smith apples.  It's like apple crisp but in bar form.  It called for (no shock here) almost an entire pound of butter.  The apple filling smelled so good while it was sauteeing; the smell of butter, brown sugar, apples and cinnamon should be bottled into perfume form.  I did have a little problem with sauteeing the apples and had to put a portion of the filling down the garbage disposal because it burnt just a tad.  I'll report back as to how it tastes tomorrow.

Fruit crumb bars

Off to fold clothes before bedtime...Goodnight!

MELISSA

My Apologies...

Hello!  Just got home after a very long day, and the last thing I feel like doing is baking or cooking something at 9:40 pm.  Sorry!  I always feel like a failure when I can't cook, but hey, at least I'm being honest!  Tomorrow is another day!  Carpe diem!

MELISSA

Pancakes & Syrup

It was one of those days when everything I tried to use was almost gone.  All of the sudden we were low on everything: dish detergent, laundry detergent, butter, milk, bread, you name it.  I hate that.  Don't you?  You go to the grocery store, and the next day it becomes more than obvious that you clearly didn't check things out closely enough to get the things you really needed.  Blah, blah, blah - I'll stop venting now.

Tonight I made one recipe, yeast-raised pancakes.  These bad boys took almost 2 hours to rise once the batter was completed, and they didn't smell very good.  By themselves, they didn't taste very good, but amazingly they were quite delicious when paired with tons of syrup and whipped cream.  I even put chocolate chips on top of the whipped cream for the kiddos.  It was more like dessert than dinner.

Yeast-raised pancakes

Anna & the pancakes

Shamus & the pancakes

I'm realizing more and more as this project continues how much easier my life would be with a KitchenAid mixer and that Williams-Sonoma shopping spree I keep fantasizing about.  Anyone have one they would like to sell to me for a reasonable price?  Know of anyone else who may have one to sell?  I'm totally serious because I can barely mix things with my hand-held, circa 1999, mixer.  Send me an email at projectmelissamartha@yahoo.com.  Goodnight!

MELISSA

One Month Down!!!!

It's official; Project Melissa & Martha celebrates one month of recipes today! Well, actually yesterday, since it's now 12:25 am and 31 days, but those are just minor details.  It's been quite the month, and although at times it felt like there was no way I could continue, here I am.  I didn't cook everyday, but I did end up making around 70 recipes which is nothing to be ashamed of.  Here's to 11 more months!!!!

Tonight I made almond crescent cookies and baked potatoes with roasted garlic.  The almond crescents were delicious, and as my friend Susan pointed out, they are the perfect cookies to make at Christmas and hand out as gifts.  Martha's baked potatoes are baked in the oven for over an hour, and Melissa's baked potatoes are nuked in the microwave for about 8 minutes.  In keeping with the spirit of the cookbook, I made them Martha's way.  The roasted garlic was actually kind of sweet and buttery.  I baked 2 heads of garlic in the oven for around 45 minutes with a little olive oil drizzled over the tops that I cut off just so the cloves were exposed.  I added the garlic to the baked potato, and it was very tasty.  I forgot to take pictures of the baked potatoes, but I think you have an idea what they look like anyway. Here are some pics...

Almond crescents

Roasted garlic

I want to thank Lou for gifting me with a huge bottle of beautiful EVOO and a jar of pesto.  It was very thoughtful of him, and I really appreciate the gesture.  I definitely use tons of olive oil!  So, thanks, Lou! 

MELISSA