Munchies Monday - November 9, 2009
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Let’s do things a little differently in this edition of Munchies Monday. Let’s talk about FOOD FEARS. Not icky foods that strike terror in our hearts (cauliflower is my arch nemesis). Not sugary/fattening foods that we don’t even want NEAR us because we’re certain that they’ll FORCE us to overindulge and gain fifty pounds in five seconds. (A friend of mine - let’s call her “Amy” - who was on a strict diet to go from a size six to a size two flipped out when her coworker brought in a birthday cake for their boss and set it down next to Amy. I think Amy had a few problems beyond her daily caloric intake, but who am I to judge?) I’m talking about foods that you’re afraid to try making because you’re certain that you will FAIL MISERABLY.
My Food Fears are as follows:
- pie crust (actually, anything that requires using a rolling pin scares me)
- bread (of almost any type - quick breads, yeast breads, rolls, etc.)
- mulit-course dinners (I greatly prefer the approach of dumping meat, veggies, and a starch in a casserole and calling it done; that way I don’t have to worry about my potatoes getting soggy and cold while the roast takes too long in the oven)
Now, a couple of months ago I started tackling my Fear of Baking Bread Without the Assistance of a Bread-Baking-Machine by trying a couple of batter bread recipes. When I achieved batter-bread-SUCCESS!, I decided to move on to the big time: real, kneaded, yeast breads. Yesterday I made a loaf of Walnut-Oatmeal bread (recipe courtesy of my trusty Good Housekeeping Step by Step Cookbook), and though the texture could’ve used some work (I think I didn’t knead it long enough) I’m super proud of myself for taking the plunge. Also, it occurred to me that a round loaf of “artisan bread” from my local grocery store’s bakery would have cost about $4, whereas the loaf I made probably cost about 1/4 of that. What a bargain - especially since I had so much fun making it 
Now I guess the next challenge is pastry. It might take me several weeks, though, to work up the courage for that one.
So tell me, peeps: What are your Food Fears? Don’t hold back because you think your answers are to simple or silly!
Anika Said,
November 9, 2009 @ 5:24 pm
I used to be afraid to cook tofu, but I tackled that one with amazing success.
Pie crusts are nothing, trust me. You’ll have one rolled and baking with no problems, I’m sure.
Multi-course dinners rely heavily on courses that work well together for ease-of-cooking. It’s all about timing, which can be a pain in the ass, but you get used to it. Though the all-in-one crockpotting approach sure is nice.
Smoochagator Said,
November 12, 2009 @ 7:43 am
I still haven’t tackled tofu. I wanted to when I was a vegetarian, and was similarly intimidated. Now that I am no longer a veg (and I’m married to someone who would likely never touch tofu even if his life depended on it) I no longer feel compelled to try. (Wait, my husband DOES eat tofu - in miso soup. Now that’s something I’d like to make sometime because it’s AWESOME.)
I’ve made some multi-course dinners with varying levels of success. If I can’t make a crockpot full of goodness (it would be just WRONG, I think, to make turkey casserole for Christmas dinner) I’m a big fan of dishes I can make ahead of time.
Maybe I’ll try pie crusts sometime soon. Maybe.