Why?

I am very picky about the recipes that make it into my recipe book. They have to be tried and tested. I have taken to writing all potential recipes in a journal and having my husband, TC, family, and friends rate the dishes. These are the chronicles of those trial runs. 

As for the way we eat, TC is trying to stay away from high-acid foods like pineapple and tomatoes. I get terrible heartburn from gluten. We eat meat, but we don't like to eat meat too often. My trial run recipes will reflect those things.

My dad gave me the best piece of cooking advice several years ago. I told him I didn't know how to cook meat, and he said,

Cook it until it's burned, then next time, don't cook it as long. 

I laughed, but that joke stuck with me. What I took from that was that you don't always make it right the first time, and that's fine. Next time you will know what not to do. If you don't like the way a recipe tastes, change it. 

Scoring System

I encourage everyone to rate the dishes I make 1-5. 1 is "basically inedible", and 5 is "Lick your plate clean" 

If you make one of these recipes and have your own rating, please leave a comment! I welcome any ideas, substitutions, and stories about your cooking/baking adventures. 

Pots and Pans

I use cast iron and stainless steel for my pots and pans. They are my favorites. 
For utensils, I use metal utensils, stainless steel. They have served me well, and I don't see me replacing them any time soon.