...And I'm back!

It's been about a month since I've started cooking and trying to eat better, and overall it's been a very positive experience. I've tried several new foods and even more new preparations of foods I thought I already knew pretty well, but were apparently even more wonderful than I knew. I also discovered that excitement is a great thing, but not when it causes you to bite off more than you can chew.

And this past week I learned that old habits die hard, and sometimes you hit a snag, no matter how excited you are. I won't go so far as to say that I completely abandoned the project this week (I didn't order take out even once!) but I do admit that I let a cold get the best of me and didn't push myself to make a list and go food shopping, which caused me to eat out more that I'd have liked.

But I'm back now, and that's what matters. Every diet or eating makeover kick I've ever tried in the past has always failed because once I'd make a mistake, I'd abandon the project. Not this time, though. Today I'm admitting I'm human, getting over myself, and I'm getting back on the horse.

And so, without further ado, I bring you kitchen disaster number two: Kumquats.

***NEW FOOD ALERT***

I'd never had a kumquat before today, although I've always loved the name. For some reason, I'd always assumed that they looked like extra-furry kiwis, but they're actually more like miniature oranges, with (edible) rinds, (not so eatable) seeds, and little sections you can pull apart (if you're so inclined and have precision fingers). Please don't be fooled by my picture - kumquats are to oranges what cherry tomatoes are to beefsteaks. I felt like I was eating the natural version of a warhead sucking candy - it was sour to the point that I almost spit it out. Even so, I wanted to enjoy my purchase, so I soldiered on and looked up recipes that would make them more palatable.

I found this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kumquats/Detail.aspx

Before you dive right in and try it, though, I have to warn you that 30 minutes may be too long to leave them on the heat and you should definitely keep a close eye on them after they hit the 20 minute mark (you'll see why in a minute). Once the fruit is soft, feel free to add your other ingredients--it's ok if it's not a full half hour. I also suggest slicing them and removing the seeds, as the seeds are quite pungent.

I'm giving you this warning because I waited for the timer to go off and look what happened to my pot:

Ew.

All of the liquid cooked off and I was left with a gooey mess. In the name of experimentation, I tried adding my sugar and spices anyway (along with a little bit of water) and mixing it all together......but I definitely wouldn't recommend this "fix." It looked ok (I guess) but it tasted like a mess. I tried to spread it on bread to give it the benefit of the doubt, but even freshly baked sourdough couldn't rescue this culinary disaster.

Trying to salvage my marmalade....

It looks much better than it tastes....

I want to note that the fact that this recipe wasn't a success for me does not mean that this isn't a good recipe, just that it didn't work out in my kitchen tonight. I still have half a container of kumquats left, so maybe in a few days I'll try it again if I'm feeling adventurous. Or I'll just accept that as much as I love their name, I don't like kumquats.