They say that you can tell a lot about people by how they handle a disaster. Some cry. Some laugh. Some get mad. Some get flustered. Some rise to the occasion. Some give up, and some know the imporance of asking for help. I had someone tell me once that the difference between a good cook and a great chef is one's ability to successfully handle cooking disasters. Over the years, I've had my share of cooking disasters: oven fires; burned food; the substituted ingredient gone terribly wrong...you get the idea. I'm nowhere near a great chef, but I've made some strides in not letting a kitchen disaster ruin my day, or even my meal for that matter.
There are a couple of reasons why I continue to cook in spite of experiencing cooking disasters. One reason is because there are people in my house who count on me to provide them with sustenance, and they tend to get a little crabby when they're not fed. Another reason is because I truly enjoy cooking, and I believe that with every bad cooking experience, there's something to be learned.
Sometimes in the kitchen, my best laid plans are thwarted because some appliance or other decided to go on strike. Today was one of those days.
I got up early this morning to make Grandma's crescent rolls, but my breadmaker saw fit to stir only the bottom half of the mixture, leaving me with a bunch of flour at the top and an ooey, gooey, sticky mess underneath. It seemed like such a waste to throw out all that dough, so I began salvaging. I kneaded the dough on my own and let it rise, and then rolled out the dough. I thought I had everything under control, right up to the point I realized my oven wasn't working. Uh oh. Now what?!
I decided to cover the rolls with warm, damp dish towels and head off to church, all the while in a complete panic about how I was going to throw together Easter dinner without an oven. I figured I could put the pre-cooked ham in the crock pot once we returned home, but I still needed to work out the potato casserole and the rolls. I had no idea if the rolls would even be salvagable but I had to try. I got home from church and placed frantic calls to my neighbors, MJ and Kat, and they both graciously offered their ovens.
Running between three houses to put Easter dinner together certainly had its challenges, but all things considered, the meal was downright tasty. The crescent rolls weren't perfect but were still edible. The ham was terrific.
So what did I learn from this disaster? Sometimes it pays to walk away from a problem and divert your attention to something else for awhile, even if you don't think you have the time to do so. And sometimes, Easter miracles come in unexpected forms, like neighbors who aren't cooking on Easter Sunday!
