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Thursday, October 05, 2006

Cookinggal Gets Critiqued



Eight.

That was the highest rating Frank had bestowed upon a dish of mine until this week. It was for the pizza I made two weeks ago. An eight was unprecedented so I knew that meant it was really good.

“How chauvinistic/Harvard President/1950’s of your husband to rate your food, Cookinggal!” (is what some might say).

But since I’m trying to figure out what’s good and what’s bad, I WANT him to rate them. Plus, Frank is very quantitative so that’s the best way to get his true opinion.

So if pizza was an eight, what’s a really low score?

Farmhouse Chicken: Four



It involved baby carrots and I thought they’d soften when I cooked them but they were still hard and a little tasteless. So after Frank’s first bite he said, “It’s all right. Maybe a five.” He said the carrots were kinda throwing him off.

A five? That’s a tough one. Does that mean I should make it again or I shouldn’t?

He finished his first helping and then got up to get more. Ha. It couldn’t be that bad, I thought.

But then as he took the last bite of his second helping he looked up and said guiltily, “Um, this may be a four.”

“That’s not fair!” I said. “You said that because your last bite was full of carrots!”

Last night’s Jambalaya got a seven. (Spiciness always brings up the ratings. I could add Cayenne pepper to a piece of cardboard and it would probably at least get a three.)

But on Tuesday I received my highest rating yet—a perfect 10. What exotic dish earned the coveted reward? A filet mignon? Lemon-glazed salmon served over a bed of wild rice? An Asian-inspired wok concoction?

No. Chocolate Chip Cookies. And they weren’t even from scratch. They were the kind that you just drop the dough on the baking sheet and bake. Oh, and I’m not talking about the tube with the dough that you roll up into little balls yourself. No, this is the kind that has pre-cut cookies. It’s one step away from Chips Ahoy.

I made them for the painters who were painting the exterior of our house. I told Frank that I made them cookies and he said, “You gave them YOUR cookies?” (I don’t have a strong background in baking.) I told him that I followed Cul de Sac Carrie’s advice and took them out of the oven right before they were finished baking and let them continue to bake on the baking sheet.

The painters gobbled up the “galletas” in minutes. I knew I had a hit! Luckily I saved three for Frank. When he tried them that evening he kept oohing and ahing and saying, “YOU made these?!” Yes, I took the pre-cut cookie dough pieces out of the bag, placed them on the baking sheet and put them in the oven. Brilliant!

Frank said with his mouth full, “I give these a ten! A ten!”

What an honor. I have so many people to thank. First, the Pillsbury Dough Boy for providing the dough and directions, Cul de Sac Carrie for her baking-savvy tip, the tres hombres who sampled them first (way to be my guinea pigs, muchachos) and of course, my very supportive and very outspoken husband.

He’s lucky he liked my cookies. Otherwise I would have made him suffer with a little farmhouse chicken (extra carrots included).

9 comments:

Jessi said...

Good job! Oooh, I was gonna comment on your friend Poco Cocoa's blog about her FAB chocolate chip cookies. I'm always on the hunt for the best and she's found it!

Justin LOVES these cookies and they are easy to make. I'm sure you can handle them.

Writinggal said...

Well, if they're as good as her pizza, I'll have to try it!

Anonymous said...

I get my food critiqued too. I'll have to try those cookies. I ventured out with pumpkin pancakes and sweet potato pancakes this past weekend.
I made that pizza and really liked it. Goose took off the veggies though.
By the way, I meant to ask you what you think about the Houston "socialite" on the Bachelor.

Writinggal said...

Here is a link to the cookies Jessi was referring to:

http://www.poco-cocoa.com/?postid=34

That's funny that Goose took the veggies off the vegetable pizza!

That socialite is ridonculous. She's a Paris Hilton wannabe. Yikes--she's not your friend, is she? :)

Anonymous said...

I too am frightened by the Houston Socialite!

Oh, and I think your parfaits totally deserve a 9 or 10! Those were the best!

Anonymous said...

not my friend at all..i wonder what school in houston she went to. i think she is like 23 yrs old.
cant wait to try the cookies..and now the parfaits too!

Writinggal said...

Thanks about the parfaits! I made those prior to the rating system being implemented so I'll have to make them again.

I hope Erica doesn't get kicked off. She might have to fly coach all the back to Houston.

Anonymous said...

It sure was tempting to ask for a cookie the other day and then Frank would have only gotten 2!!
ha ha.

Writinggal said...

Oh, I should have offered you one since you gave me that tip!