Sunday, September 8, 2013

Sunday Sundry - 9-8-13


It feels like a good time for a rambly, Sunday Sundry post.  It’s been one of those days.  I am bothered recently again by my stupid burning mouth syndrome, which mostly affects the front part of my tongue.  You know the part that tastes everything?  It waxes and wanes, this annoying malady, but today it’s parked like a hoopty on blocks in the front yard, and I just want to make it go away.  Eating sounds like a good idea (constantly is not good, though), but it doesn’t really work except as a temporary signal disruption.  Thankfully, when I do eat, things taste normal.  It’s just all those other hours without distraction that are annoying.

Okay, rant over.

How about I tell you about a Pinterest recipe fail.  Friends, I had such high hopes for a little single-serving “healthy” red velvet cake idea, made with beet puree.  Oh yeah, I know you’re craving it already at the mere mention of beets, right?  Well, we eat things like zucchini cake and carrot cake and banana bread, so why not a little puree of beet, just to make life interesting?  

(Roasted beets from Dad's garden)
Hint:  It wasn’t the beets that made this a flop.

I have already deleted the pin, and I won't be linking to the recipe page.  I’m sure its creator is probably a very nice, culinarily accomplished person, and it isn’t her fault the recipe bombed. 
 
However, I’m not ready to say it’s entirely my bad either.  I mean, I had all the ingredients and followed directions.  It looked good on paper (aside from leaving me to wonder in which universe the carb count was considered healthy, but I digress).  

I might have taken a clue from the recipe’s emphasis on being “egg-free, sugar-free, and low fat.”  As it turns out, it would have benefitted from precisely every single one of those deficiencies.  Also, one teaspoon of baking powder?  In a single serving?  I should have known better. 

This next photo was taken pre-taste test.  A foodie photographer I am not (obviously), but I gave it the old college try.  And apparently chose the most unappetizing plate we had in the house.  Oh, the irony.

And then I tried the cake.  It tasted like…baking powder.  Dry, cardboard-y, somewhat chocolate flavored baking powder with a hint of beet.  Mm-mm-UGH.

Honestly, the best thing about it was the melted square of Ghiradelli that I drizzled on top, the runoff of which I dragged each morsel through in desperation.  I so very much wanted this cake to taste good, and hoped with every disconcerting mouthful (and there were far too many) that it might—what?—grow on me? 

Not a chance.  Thus was the fate of this failure.  Destiny: Dustbin.  

If I need a veggie cake fix, I’ll be sticking with this one, which I have made an embarrassingly frequent number of times and can recommend wholeheartedly.  Caveat:  I do add one egg and halve the sugar.

In other news, I quilted and bound the improv baby quilt yesterday.  Photos tomorrow, weather cooperating.  I’m listening, while I sew, to the audiobook version of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macguire.  Kevin the Quilter recommended it, and so far it is proving to be quite entertaining!  Maybe one day I will see the stage production, but for now I'm glad to be discovering the back story.

That’s about it for today, my pretties!

9 comments:

Karen said...

Not a beet fan so doubted the ingredients from the get go :). Betting measurement of baking powder is 1/4. I have run into that same problem with online recipes, the baking powder measurement, or salt can make you go !?

Want to see your quilt!

Larri said...

Sorry about your mouth. As for the Red Velvet Beet Cake, um, thanks for trying it so I didn't have to give it a taste. ;) At least you don't have to try it again. Happy Monday morning!

Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

Sorry to hear you took up time and good ingredients with this :( It's awkward that it's not really acceptable to leave bad feedback but I've read a few posts where projects/recipes on pinterest have been disastrous.

Pam said...

Have you ever tried Essential Oils? Whenever we have a mouth sore of any variety, we put DoTerra Frankincense oil on it. I stress the DoTerra part because of the purity of the product. Send me your address and I'll mail you a little sample of it to try. Would love to help your mouth feel better!
pam

Allison said...

I have no experience with Burning mouth syndrome, but if eating helps, I'm wondering if sucking a lollypop or chewing gum would help also, without all the calories of eating nonstop 24/7

hope you get some relief soon

Shay said...

Im so gratified to know that someone else makes bad recipes from Pinterest...at least I'm not the only one !

I seriously had to chuckle at your commentary though ...oh I hear ya sister.

Sometimes the bin is the best place for baking fails.

Julie said...

If you are wanting a yummy Beetroot cake recipe try this one:

http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/food/recipes/chocolate-beetroot-cake/

I have made it many times - everyone seems to love it and no-one can guess what the unusual ingredient is.

I blogged about it here.

Have a great weekend

Julie said...

Oops forgot to add the blog link:

http://justjulielou.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/rainy-day-cooking.html

Elizabeth said...

I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. I mean, a chocolate beet cake sounds like a great way to combine food groups. I'm so sorry it was a disaster. I find myself eating things that aren't good either, just hoping that the next bite will taste good.

I'll have to look into finding "Wicked" on audio. Gregory Macguire also wrote "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister," which I have not read, but is also from the perspective of the story's villain. Just goes to show that there is more than one side to a story.

xo -E