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Post by erin elizabeth on Oct 2, 2016 9:27:38 GMT -5
Feeling down this morning and thought y'all might understand. Big dinner party last night. Every year I pick a theme and people at my church bid on it at our silent auction. The winners get to come to my house and the money goes to the church. Anyway, last night was it. I picked the theme Bird and Bubbles (after the restaurant in Brooklyn). I found their fried chicken recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray and you could keep it in the oven for 3 hours prior to serving--perfect! I rarely try things out before making them for the big day, but I made this recipe twice. First time was amazing! Second time was not as great, but still good. Last night for the big day it was just soggy. No idea why. Everyone, of course, was quite nice about it. No one left any food on their plates--so it was fine. But I just felt everything was off--the sparkling wine I bought for the chicken was just OK. The peach cobbler I made was too gelatinous. Two of the ladies were lactose-intolerant so they could not eat the pimento cheese I made as an appetizer. Thank goodness I had some spiced pecans! I guess it was just a down year. At least the vanilla ice cream I made was on point and we had enough to drink!  Already thinking about themes for next year...onward. |
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cafelatte
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Post by cafelatte on Oct 2, 2016 9:57:09 GMT -5
Don't be too hard on yourself. We are generally more critical of ourselves than others are, especially when we know what we served could have been better. Like you said, nobody left food on their plates, so unless they "fed it to the dog" or stuffed it in their pockets (aka Elaine with mutton on Seinfeld), they ate it because they liked it. As I get older, I am appreciative more of when someone else does the cooking.
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Post by wallycat on Oct 2, 2016 10:20:22 GMT -5
Even if it was not ideal, this was for a charity and your generosity as well as those who bid on your auction item, are to be admired and appreciated. Since we are all human, there is no doubt we will continue to have less than perfect outcomes...and that is OK.
As an aside, people with allergies or food "issues" who dine out are aware that there will always be something they cannot eat...but being among people with the same joy for food and the goal of this particular event--I am sure that went over perfectly!
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gobluem82
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Post by gobluem82 on Oct 2, 2016 15:10:56 GMT -5
We've all that those "not perfect" dinners. A number of years ago, I invited people over to watch a football game and made white chicken chili...but the beans stayed rock-hard, even after several hours. We ended up ordering pizza. And there are many other similar stories!
I agree with others' responses that we, especially those of us who really take pride in our cooking, are much more critical of ourselves than other people will ever be. A fun, welcoming atmosphere will be remembered long after the food is eaten. Kudos to you for doing such a good deed for your church.
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Post by soupandstew on Oct 2, 2016 17:16:02 GMT -5
We've all that those "not perfect" dinners. A number of years ago, I invited people over to watch a football game and made white chicken chili...but the beans stayed rock-hard, even after several hours. We ended up ordering pizza. And there are many other similar stories! I agree with others' responses that we, especially those of us who really take pride in our cooking, are much more critical of ourselves than other people will ever be. A fun, welcoming atmosphere will be remembered long after the food is eaten. Kudos to you for doing such a good deed for your church. Amen to all of the above! Looking back on dinners, holiday gatherings, etc. I don't remember the food-I remember the warmth and love. |
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Post by beth on Oct 3, 2016 16:56:32 GMT -5
I think there is an unwritten rule that the chances of something not turning out as well, whether you make it for the first time or the fiftieth, are directly proportional, if not exponentially proportional, to the degree to which you want to impress others with your eforts. And if you get stressed about cleaning, decorating and other details before hand -- double or tripple that. So yes, all of us who care about pleasing and impressing others have been there. And we are our own harshest critics. But you offered to cook and they didn't. Bet they have hit and miss nights at home and with their take out too. So it goes. I think its great that you did this for a fundraiser and hope everyone enjoyed getting together knowing they supported that cause.
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Post by swedishcook on Oct 7, 2016 13:38:45 GMT -5
erin elizabeth, look at your avatar! Your answer is there  Sorry it didn't turn out as you had hoped. This is the perfect place to vent your disappointment. Lots of good advice and sensible comments posted above and I agree with it all. I have copied what Beth wrote about chances for something not turning out well. Should print it, frame it and hang it in my kitchen. Would have helped me when preparing my favorite creamy potato gratin for a dinner party. Only, something was wrong with the potatoes. After long time in the oven they barely softened and didn't absorb all the creamy goodness. When I served, some of the floating, buttery liquid spilled onto the carpet and the stain never came out. So I found out about annatto that's turning some cheese orange or yellow. We installed new carpet before selling that house in -98. Editing to add that nothing spilled on any of our guests. |
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Post by beth on Oct 8, 2016 21:02:23 GMT -5
SWeedish, sorry about your potatoes (my DH would still have loved them) and about the carpet. Did you try Oxyclean? I'd try a litle dawn in warm water to break down the oils and then try the ocyclean. I have gotten a bottle of ink out of new carpet (so I didn't have to kill my kids after putting new carpet in just before we sold the house and moved) and something my dog puked that looked almost like tar. I don't give up easy. Hoep you find something that works.
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Post by swedishcook on Oct 9, 2016 15:47:30 GMT -5
Thank you Beth for your kind advice! Ink and sick dogs - shudder.
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