Never make a new recipe for a guest

Sherri T.

I wish these had been the words of my mother. At some point along the way, I wish that she had passed along this sage advice. Maybe I would have listened (or maybe not).

These words are, instead, my own wise words. My very own note to self. Too bad I never adhere to it.

Unfortunately, I learned this important lesson the hard way. It all started when I decided to make a peach pie for some new friends. Who does that? Who even makes peach pie? Who makes peach pie for guests without ever having tried it before? Apparently me.

While the gesture was viewed as lovely, the pie certainly was not. It looked more like thick peach stew with small bits of crust floating on top.

Soon after this fiasco came the “light and fluffy” (promised in the recipe) poppy seed cake. The poppy seeds were definitely there. The light and fluffy definitely were not.

The poppy seeds had sunk to the bottom of the pan and formed a hard layer, like the grains of sand on a beach. Actually, more like the pieces of gravel on a driveway.

The result created great entertainment for the guests but was definitely not the greatest of desserts.

The final straw came when I tried to make “No Fail Chocolate Cake.” (The use of cruel recipe titles should be outlawed.)

The cake was doing just fine until it decided, entirely on its own, to continue rising. It simply wouldn’t stop. It just kept growing until it overflowed the pan and created a sticky mess at the bottom of the oven. Insult to injury.

The lesson? I should stop baking. It’s really not my business.

Yet truth be told, I have continued to make new recipes for guests. Here’s why.

When friends and family are invited to our home, most typically don’t care what is “served.” They know that an effort was made to prepare something special for them. They know that it was a labor of love, even though they may not love the labor.

Perhaps most significant, it was made with care: the vital and heartfelt ingredient in any recipe.