Rebecca H. Jamison's Blog, page 25

Why I don't have a cooking blog

The Bad Caramel AppleLast month, I found a recipe for caramel apples.  It looked good, so, even though it broke my rule that all recipes should be quick and easy, I printed it out.  Tonight, I decided to make it.

I followed the recipe exactly--including the part where it said the caramel should reach 335 degrees.  I was wondering why it smelled a little burnt and why it looked much darker than most caramel.  Hmmm.  Finally, before I dipped all the apples in, I decided to check that cooking blog again.  Sure enough, the 335 degrees was a mistake.  It should have said 235 degrees. 

So my family happily ate their uncaramelized apples on sticks.  I could teach Michelle Obama a thing or two about how to help kids avoid obesity.  Just give me a week in the Whitehouse kitchen.

In my defense I was once a pretty good cook.  It's not a coincidence my husband proposed on the same day he tasted my homemade rolls.  Then we got married and had two kids with gluten allergies, so cooking is a lot more complicated now.  (I also had better hair before I got married.  My hair hasn't looked quite right since I lost my favorite round brush on our honeymoon.)

That's why I like writing.  It's so much easier to fix my mistakes. 

I'm making orange rolls for Thanksgiving this year.  We'll see what happens.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's Day.  Why Valentine's Day?  The release date for my book has changed again.  It's coming out on Valentine's Day.  And to think, two weeks ago I was chillaxin' and thinking I had until May. 

So I've been freaking out, trying to make sure the book's as good as I can make it.  I'm probably driving my sweet editor crazy.  Last week, for example, I decided I've used the word "just" too many times.  (I used it so many times that I was starting to sound like Mercer Mayer, the author of Just for You, Just Me and My Dad, etc.) 

Anyway, I definitely won't be celebrating one holiday at a time.  (Anyone know any good romantic Christmas songs?)  But I am determined to take time to be grateful during November.  And here's a  little of what I'm grateful for:


My daughter has turned sixteen.  I'm really proud of her.  She is very independent and hard-working.  And now she can drive, which would be very convenient if I were only brave enough to let her get her license.  She's also very patient with me and my writing eccentricities. 

Sometimes she'll stop in the middle of the conversation and ask, "Mom, are you listening or are you thinking about your novel?"  Last week, we were listening to some music in the car that we don't usually listen to, and she asked, "Can you do your research some other time, Mom?"  She knew I was researching even though I didn't tell her.  My children suffer so much, and I'm grateful they suffer because it makes them better people, right?

What are you grateful for?