Messes and Successes

I am not great at a lot of things. I have always wondered (especially when I'm in the middle of a pity party) why God blesses some people with a seemingly endless list of gifts. We all know those people. They are beautiful, athletic, out-going, the center of the party. Their world always looks put together. They have the best clothes. They have the best time!

I am not athletic, musical, artistic. I was sort of a wallflower in middle and high school, preferring my friends to be the standouts. I wanted to fit in with the popular group without having to do anything to  get there.

After we got married, it became one of my jobs to cook supper every night. I was home earlier than Eddie by several hours (school got out at around 2pm) so it was just logical. Prior to this, I didn't have a ton of interest in cooking. I cooked on the weekends when Eddie was in Athens because it was cheaper than eating out every meal.

But I found what I'm not bad at. I hate to say that I'm good at cooking, but I think that I might be.

Until I met a dish called "Shrimp and Grits."

Shrimp and Grits is probably on Eddie's top-ten list of foods he hopes are in Heaven. If we're ever out and Shrimp and Grits is on the menu, he orders it. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's just ok, but he's on a mission to find who does it best.

And it became my goal to be the best.

Let's face it. If you've made Shrimp and Grits before, you know that it's not a beginner's dish. My recipe is not anyway. The grits require water, butter, and chicken broth. The pan in which the shrimp is cooked must be deglazed with white wine. It's just challenging. (And then there's the fact that you need to wear long sleeves and gloves with all of the popping and splattering from the grits and the bacon grease!)

Tonight I set out making this dish for the second time in my life. The first attempt went ok. It wasn't extraordinary. It would not have won any awards. It was ok. Tonight resulted in an epic failure. And by epic failure, I mean that tears, slammed cabinets, and several choice words were involved.

First, I decided to half the grits recipe since it's one that I've made to feed 10 people before. Eddie and I are just two. They don't reheat well. It's still too much, but at least halving would make it better! I measured the correct amount of butter and chicken broth and then went to add the cream and that is where it all began to fall apart. I put the correct amount of cream according to the recipe. Which is obviously double what I needed. After that, I was out of chicken broth and cream. The meltdown began, but I soon thought I might turn it around by using a bouillon cube and half-and-half. I started the bacon in the pan, went to add in my grits, and before I knew it my spoon had melted to the pan. MELTED. I knew that would happen because I've SEEN it happen before, but I have never been the one to actually melt a stupid spoon onto a pan. Obviously, it was all downhill after that. There is absolutely no way to come back from a melted-spoon-and-bacon combination.

It is a little more laughable now than it was twenty minutes ago. I am so glad that I am not being graded on how well I can cook. Or do anything for that matter! The fact that my house needs to be swept, my child is still in his pajamas, and I haven't had a shower today are going to mean nothing in the long run. It is so much more than that.

I am still learning. I am still trying to figure this world around me out. I will always have failures. But I know that the things that matter are my successes. Am I able to feed my family? Yes. Is my child happy and healthy? Yes. Do we usually look clean and presentable? Yes.

Oh, the messes and successes of life!!!

I'm trying to pick myself up while Eddie and James go to the grocery store to replace the ruined items and then run through Chick-fil-A so that we'll have supper tonight.

I WILL have a success later in the week and I will post pictures and a recipe to prove it!

What messes have you learned from?