Not Quite Put Together Right

I took the photo of these massive caterpillars in the island nation of Dominica (not to be confused with the more civilized Dominican Republic.) The bright clownish coloring of these voracious beasts caught my attention and one wonders if the orange speckled feet and red head were left over from some other project-- and Mother Nature added them as an afterthought.

I was still wondering why the chocolate Bavarian cream was so runny as I opened the ‘fridge door to set it in to chill. My answer sat on the shelf in front of me- I had forgotten to add the egg yolks that I had separated earlier. I was in the middle of the recipe when a long-time friend called and I finished it up while chatting to her on the phone so there was a reason for my oversight but that didn’t change the outcome- the dessert was NOT going to set up. SOOO- quickly settling on a solution, I mixed a little more Knox gelatin, sugar & milk, added the egg yolks and stirred just until it came to a boil, then cooled the pan in a bowl of ice water until it began to thicken and folded it into the cream mixture where it should have been in the first place. It’s not how the thing was supposed to be put together but I have my fingers crossed it will set up in time for dessert.

It’s not the first time I have had left over ingredients (just ask my kids about the muffins without the sugar or the pudding cake without the flour.) I have had ample experience trying to multi-task as I fix dinner or being distracted (phone, doorbell, kids, the parrot, grandkids, a flooded basement, dogs. . .) and leaving out an ingredient. I took a machine embroidery class once and the instructor stated not to worry- there were no mistakes- only new stitches. Not always true in cooking-- or in life.

HOWEVER, my abundant experience has left taught me some principles- adapt and seek for creative solutions. It may not turn out as a the grand Bavarian cream I imagined but it may still be edible and be interesting enough to have an appeal as were the garish caterpillars. I used summers when mornings were not as rushed to teach my children to cook. When the pancakes turned out flat as tortillas, we reviewed the ingredients and discovered the child had forgotten the baking soda. Not wanting the potential discouragement to cut short their cooking career, I announced that she had made ‘crepes’ (sort of) and we rolled them around some strawberries from the freezer and topped them with Cool whip and the flat pancakes became an elegant breakfast! The sugarless muffins became edible with a layer of homemade jam. When the yeast was too old, we chewed on “unleavened bread” and talked about the Israelites’ flight out of Egypt. The peanut butter cookies without the peanut butter became dog biscuits. I am far from perfect in putting life together and getting what I expected but I don’t waste time anymore wishing I hadn’t made the mistake or left out an ingredient. Instead, I focus on salvaging what I can, adding the ingredient late if possible and doing the best with what IS instead of what it could have been.