It’s time for another round of behind the scenes! For part 1, see this post.
Once again, I’m showcasing all of the flops, disasters, forgotten, and so-so recipes I’ve made since July. Only the best recipes get posted on the blog, but I think it’s fun to give you a sneak peek of what didn’t make the cut!
And show you some of the flops that I had to eat until I was blue in the face. I’m telling you I don’t want to see a sweet potato or spaghetti squash for a very long time…
Speaking of squash, I made a sweet cinnamon & Sucanat flavoured spaghetti squash.
I thought I was going to LOVE this change up from the usual savoury squash. It tasted good and all, but something was off and I got sick of it real fast. Butternut or acorn squash and a lightly sweet topping works, but somehow it just didn’t work with spaghetti squash…
Sure was pretty, though!
I’m guessing this was a brownie flop?
I really don’t remember! This was the only picture on my camera…no finished product. Suspicious…
I tried to replicate my Project Food Blog S’more in a jar, yet again.
Still didn’t turn out how I remembered it! I lost the recipe and haven’t been able to replicate it since last Fall.
Homemade Vanilla Bean almond milk!
It tasted pretty decent, but I didn’t find that it was much cheaper than buying it from the store. And the leftover almond pulp just stressed me out…
I made a navy bean based pasta sauce that was a huge flop.
Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but it was just bland no matter what spices and seasonings I added to it.
Navy beans are tricky to get right…
I tried an all natural, oil-free, and no sugar added granola bar recipe that I found on Pinterest, but I wasn’t a fan…It was pretty mushy and tasteless.
I made a gorgeous two-tier carrot cake…until it crumbled!
But love is all you need, clearly.
They are holding hands, right? bahah
I made a peach and cilantro pesto.
The pesto tasted great, but once on pasta it just tasted bland and boring.
Watermelon smoothies!
Just watermelon, ice, and almond milk.
Crock Pot Blueberry Pie steel-cut oatmeal.
I didn’t post this because I prefer the make-ahead steel cut oatmeal. Mainly because I really don’t like cleaning the crock pot! The oats just get all stuck on (even when I grease it) and it’s not a fun cleaning job. Or maybe I don’t know the trick?
I made s’more granola bars, based off my chocolate chunk toffee bars. I didn’t like them more than the original recipe, so I figured there was no point in posting. The toffee bars are the best! So far…
I made nut-butter crusted potato chips, but they didn’t turn out.
Stick with the nut butter parsnip fries, for sure.
I made that cinnamon sweet potato coconut soup that I told you about…
Nothing to write home about.
I also tried this magic trick for instant oatmeal. You pour boiling water over the oats and leave it in the jar for 15 mins. Sadly, it didn’t work for me after 4-5 trials using different amounts of oats.
Update: I did hear from a couple of you that you need to fill the oats half way up the jar. I tried this a couple times, but maybe I should give it another shot!
I made a vanilla cake batter smoothie. I prefer the chocolate one!
I roasted cherry tomatoes…
and made a roasted cherry & lentil wrap. The dressing I made for it was a bit off, so I didn’t post it.
Click “continue” for the other half of the post…lots more pictures to come!
Eric likes taking pictures of the moon…lol.
I bought a new kind of wheatgrass powder from Whole Foods.
These espresso beans are addicting, but a bit hard on my stomach!
I made ANOTHER sweet potato soup. I’m stubborn.
Second time is not a charm.
I made crispy pan-fried tofu which tasted pretty good, but I was reminded why I don’t eat soy. (I get stomach pains from soy)
Really good Cinnamon Bun oatmeal…lost but not forgotten.
I made roasted red pepper pasta sauce. I had such high hopes for this!
I wasn’t sold on it. It just wasn’t thick and creamy like I wanted it to be.
So I made another.
Close but no cigar.
I made Carrot Cake Granola Bars.
Eric said, “It’s a crime against humanity that you didn’t post this recipe.”
I think he liked them. ;) I loved these as well, but will need to work on the recipe a bit more.
I made Peach oats.
A bit tart.
I made tropical coconut milk pineapple oatmeal. It was quite good!
Pumpkin Butter Swirl Oats….also very good.
I shot my new Fall header on a coffee table in the back yard!
And things got a bit crazy, as usual.
So that’s what you haven’t seen since July! Time sure flies.
Any surprises in this post? Any crimes against humanity?
WOW! Everything looks amazing!! :)
I love this behind the scenes post! Of course it would be awesome if meals turned out perfectly 100% of the time but we learn from our experience…and they can provide good laughs for later :). Hope you find that smores in a jar recipe soon!
WOW you sure are a busy bee testing out all these recipes in addition to the ones that make it onto the blog… i admire your creativity and determination :)
Hhahah I love these Ange! It’s nice to know that even pros like you have plenty of flops! I posted a roasted red pepper based sauce today that could be used on pasta I think – I poured it all over baked chicken but I’m going to try it with some noodles in the next couple of days. PS – I’ll be looking forward to that carrot cake bar recipe. You know what I’m like with carrots. ;)
Wow– it’s crazy how many meals don’t make the blog– although I have to say, I think some of your “flops” look like real winners!!!
The trick with crock pot oats is to put them in a water bath. I do one cup of oats in a pyrex dish inside my crock pot and then put enough water to cover the dish half way up the side. It works beautifully. You can add toppings in the water as well, except for nuts and stuff like that that you don’t want to be mushy.
Well you may call these flops but I found some good ideas in there…particularly the cinnamon bun oatmeal and pumpkin swirl oats! It’s nice to know it takes a lot of trial and error to get the good stuff :)
Good or bad, I would happily eat ANY of these! Especially those s’mores granola bars!!
i agree with eric… you realllly need to post that recipe :)
I love that you’re always working! Plus, it’s nice knowing that everyone has flops in the kitchen. I burnt butter once – I didn’t even know that was possible!
haha I didn’t either. I’ve heard of browned butter though ;)
I love these behind the scenes posts! It’s so assuring and fun to see that your favorite food blogger is also human! :0) My biggest continuous flop is never remembering how quickly lentils will boil over and leave a nasty smell hanging in the air.
I do that alllll the time
Wowza! Thanks for the recipes that you do post – the ones I have made have turned out great – now I can see why! You only post the recipes that meet your high standard! Thanks Angela.
I enjoyed this post Angela—it takes a lot to share your flops, haha! Makes me feel better about all of mine though! :)
Love seeing that I’m not the only one who screws up recipes sometimes! Even though your food may not taste great, your pictures are still gorgeous! Love the new header, btw!
Thanks Anne :)
cinnamon bun oats sound incredible!
I probably would have posted all of those just because I would have been proud of my ingenuity ;) No, thank you for not posting because I do the same thing- sometimes a recipe just isnt worth other people following if its not quite right!!
PS- I made vegan sweet potato biscuits with chilli and I am SOOO proud of myself, def. going to post that one! I used olive oil as my replacement for butter in the recipe- is there a better alternative when baking vegan?
Earth Balance is a good butter replacer.
Sweet potato biscuits could def. convince me to eat them again!
I feel so much better that you have as many flops as successes! :D
That pan-fried tofu looks amazeballs! I have such a hard time getting a good sear on my tofu…any tips?
I find using 1-2 tbsp oil is key for a good sear…and cooking until browned.
I tried the cornstarch trick but I didnt find it made a difference.
Even your flops look delicious :) And your photos are so great!
oh, angels, your kitchen flops would be my kitchen successes in a heartbeat!! those s’more brownies look fab.
Processed navy beans with diced tomatoes and spinach. Add some Italian type seasonings :) awesome pasta sauce!
ahhh I knew I should have added tomatoes! Great idea
Thought of you a while back when I saw this recipe for nut-pulp hummus: http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/08/waste-not-want-not-raw-nut-pulp-hummus.html
I’ve not tried it, but everything else of hers that I’ve tried has been super delish. And really, what’s not to love about hummus?!
The pics look great but I know what you mean. If it don;t taste right why post?
Please post the carrot cake granola bar recipe (I haven’t tasted them, but I’d likely agree with Eric, so please do share!).
Also, the PB swirl oats and the tropical oats recipes look lovely. Could you do another oatmeal recipe round-up and include these ones… pretty please?
The pan fried tofu looks amazing!! Will you be posting the recipe for this?
wow, you sure do experiment a lot! I love the roasted red pepper sauce, I’ll have to experiment on that one myself!
I love seeing that everything doesn’t magically pop out of the oven or pan picture perfect whilst cartoon bluebirds flitter around your kitchen. Makes it feel like there’s a little hope for the rest of us! ;)
I’ve been eating zucchini in my oatmeal since I saw this on your blog a while back and have been really enjoying it. This morning, however, I branched out and added roasted delicata squash to it instead. Yum! The roasted delicata is really sweet and soft and went perfectly with oatmeal (and some cinnamon and maple syrup). Love your blog. thanks!
Ha ha… I loved seeing all of these “out-takes!” Definitely shows us the life of a food blogger and all the work that gets put into it.
I loved this Ang,
Some great recipes and IDEAS, whoa!
Haha, it makes me feel so much better when a recipe of mine flops, drops, sucks, or looks/taste awful! Thanks. :)
OUR Passions keeps us going, eh!
LOVE all the photos and now I am HUNGRY!
Thanks for sharing, Angela! Its nice to see how hard you work to make your blog so great. It inspires me to work harder on my own :)
I love seeing the behind the scenes photos! :) I hope you post the recipe for those carrot cake granola bars. Having leftover almond pulp would stress me out too.
Haha I loved all these random posts! Everything looks great, even though some didn’t turn out. I get stomach pains from soy too….
I so much appreciate that you never post any recipes that aren’t 100% winners. I love knowing that any recipe I make from your blog is going to be delicious!
goodness! you’ve been busy! and i must say, they all look good to me. I bet they were. I love the nut butter potato chip idea. What if you used peanut flour crusted on them instead?
how did you make the pan fried tofu?!?!? that looks so good!
Just sliced the tofu thin and fried it in 1-2 tbsp olive oil until browned on both sides.
We appreciate all your hard work in preparing recipes to share.
Thank you for the reminder!
I think those carrot cake granola bars need to be posted..asap! My stomach growled!
oh this makes me feel better…I’m still recovering from my unexpected loss of a Pumpkin Upside down cake, almond toffee, and a lemon cake…all in the same weekend… very tragic. However my second lemon cake survived. It feels better knowing that even the best cooks and bakers have bad days…or weekends.
Sometimes I literally have 4-5 flops in a row. Its the most frustrating thing in the world! Those cake flops sound heart breaking…I find cake flops hard to take! lol.
try making the roasted red pepper sauce as a garlic alfredo with roasted red peppers blended with it. its to DIE FOR! If I wasn’t watching my figure :) i probably would have ate the whole 16oz and my weight in angel hair pasta lol.
Oh Angela, I loved this post! You are such a dearheart.
My favorite parts were the randoms you snuck in:
“But all you need is love, clearly” {picture of gnarly, copulating bugs}
and
“Eric likes taking pictures of the moon”
I was seriously laughing out loud.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but one of the reasons I love your blog and come back regularly is I get the feeling that on here, you are just exactly who you are. There is no ego here. Just you being you. You allow yourself to be vulnerable, and your authentic self shines through, and it’s really beautiful.
I’m glad that you understand my sense of humour! I usually just put it in for my own amusement, assuming no one will be laughing with me. Thanks for your kind words!
If these are flops, then my efforts are truly failures. This post is timely. I was just finishing up writing today’s post when I heard this disconcerting crackling sound… I forgot about the beans cooking on the stove. Again! They were so far over done that they turned to paste when I stirred them. ha! Bean dip : ) This wasn’t the intent, but I’ll roll with it.
lol…bean dip.
I forgot about beans on the stove last week and they burned to the bottom of the pot…black beans take on a whole new meaning. Could barely get them off!
I vote that you post the carrot cake granola bars!!!
What a fun post! Although, you mentioned your Fall header in a previous post, but I still see the other one. The one with the onion and garlic and what not. From the picture you posted here the Fall header looks beautiful!
Just press F5 and it will refresh the header :)
yup :) did that work?
Thanks! I can see it now. Looks amazing Angela!
I love the behind the scenes post!
I don’t know if they sell them in Canada, but some company – Reynolds Wrap, I believe? – sells disposable slow cooker liners. I never use my slow cooker without one.
Oh, post the vanilla cake batter recipe for us vanilla people!
Wow they really have something for everything these days! ;)
I still can’t see the header…
Food flops happen. They really stress me out and I’ve got learn not to get so upset about them. Flops are a part of trying new things…a large part!
I hold control + F5…and it refreshes the page
I’m the original poster of that oatmeal in a jar. Just by looking at the picture, I can see that you don’t have enough oats in the jar. Try it again, this time making sure to fill the jar halfway. Really, it works, and it’s so easy!
Even your less-than-successes are impressive though!
Ahhh it’s nice to know I’m not the only one with lots of flops!! xD
It’s so interesting you said that about navy beans! Because the other day I made a roasted pepper/onion/garlic pasta casserole with the beans as part of the sauce, and although it’s good–it was really tough to get the flavors right.