Name: mbd
City: Austin, TX
Resolution: Read the ENTIRE Recipe
Read for mbd's great story about this worthy goal...
My resolution: I am forever torturing my boyfriend (and often myself) with dinners that happen way too late. In my enthusiasm for trying out a new recipe, which usually stems from looking at a beautiful photograph and assessing the ingredient list, I neglect to consider all the steps needed to actually plate. My most recent example was in trying the Semolina Sesame Seed Twist from Beth Hensperger's 'The Bread Bible.' Being new to bread making, I failed to see the time implications associated with doughs requiring a sponge. We were up until midnight waiting for our wonderful loaves to come out of the oven! But, it was worth the wait!
Thanks, mbd! Readers, can you relate?
(Image: mbd via The Kitchn's submission form)
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Bacsac Bacsquare 04...
Apartment Therapy's Sofa Shopping Guide
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
Oh yes! For Christmas I made ciabatta from one of my cookbooks. I was used to the double rise but the recipe actually called for a THIRD rise which I didn't realize until I was just about ready to pop the whole thing in the oven. I'm not an expert at bread making so I'm not sure if that's normal or not. Anyways, Christmas dinner was a little late but well worth it.
Yes! I once made a bean soup that I neglected to read required being simmered for 2 hours. By the time dinner was ready we were full from snacking all evening. It was delicious the next day though.
Ha! I once made duck a l'orange from one of Julia Child's books. I attempted it on a week night, as an inexperienced cook with an ill-equipped kitchen. What could possibly go wrong? Well, despite almost singing my eyelashes off (long story), it turned out just fine. But we ate around 10 pm or so, and the duck was all I managed--nary a leaf of lettuce, a green bean or a potato was prepared to go with it.
Oh this is a problem of mine too! Or I read through the ingredients quickly, get what I need from the store, and end up missing something once I get in the kitchen to actually make it. I need to focus on the recipes while I'm reading them instead of skimming!!
Oh my gosh, you are so not alone on this one! I have done this various times. It frequently goes something like this "Wait, I have to preheat the oven and roast this vegetable for 45 minutes before I can even start on the rest of the recipe? Well crap." And somehow it's usually on an evening where I've gotten home late from work. Go figure! :)
Thank goodness for your comments! I do this so often and kick myself every time. Good to know its not just me :-)