orichalcum

So, I dislike this holiday. It's never good, and it''s February. But the snow has stopped, the sun is out, and I have cute baby pictures of nigh-6-month-old Mac to share, so, um, have as happy a day as possible. :)

If there were more than half an idea here, this would be a Grumble column.

So, you know who drives me crazy? The posters on recipe websites, especially Epicurious.com, who post about their feelings on the recipe, based on all the huge fundamental changes they've made to it.

Today, for instance, I was treated to the information on a recipe for "chocolate griddle cakes with chocolate sauce" that these were "good with peanut butter, because I'm not really a chocolate fan." Why the heck did you make _chocolate_ pancakes with _chocolate_ sauce if you don't like the main ingredient???

Another commenter on the same recipe: "Although I love chocolate, I omitted the sauce and served with berries. I also substituted applesauce for the oil. We loved these!"

Well, it's good to know that the recipe tastes good when made completely differently. That gives me a lot of helpful info. Also, the person commenting on how to make them smaller so as to count calories. Dude, you're eating chocolate ganache for breakfast. If you're counting calories, you've missed the boat.

On a recipe for balsamic-roasted acorn squash with hot chiles and honey, a commenter suggests:
"I wouldn't make it the same way, but I modified it: Crush a garlic clove into some a small amount of olive oil and let sit for a few minutes, then brush the squash lightly with the oil, dust with salt and pepper, and bake." Yeah, not so much on the balsamic, the hot chiles, or the honey. Someone else suggests "cumin, orange, and pecan butter."

"I'm rating this three forks because the marinade is fabulous for roasted vegetables...I had never fixed this kind of squash before, and probably won't again. It didn't go over great with my family."