Sometimes recipes just don’t work. As a food blogger it isn’t enough for my recipes to taste good they also have to look good. Today I want to share some of my epic failures. Some of these foods tasted great (to me) but looked awful.
Why am I sharing my failures?
We live in a society where achievements are judged by comparison. I’m guilty of it myself but I work hard to let comparison encourage improvement, not condemnation.
My everyday achievements will never measure up to someone else’s highlight reel. As a blogger, I typically only show my highlight real. I don’t intentionally try to mislead anyone but I don’t think you’d come back if I only posted my epic failures.
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
To be clear, this casserole tasted pretty good. I ate several pans while I was testing recipes but it never looked pretty. Sometimes pretty is important.
Fiesta Mac
I’m not giving up on Fiesta Mac yet. I’ll make it again eventually and hopefully snag a beautiful photograph. It’s really easy and taste delicious so I should put it on my to do list for Back to School month.
Gluten-Free Pancakes with Peach Topping
I know, these look revolting. They were edible. My kids loved them but they are weird. I have a new (and better) recipe now. I’ll share a beautiful picture of them one day.
Strawberry Swirl Oat Bars
Go ahead and say it with me. WOW. I have nothing else to add.
It Takes Time to Improve
Let me assure you there were many more. Most pictures that were really bad got deleted soon after (my Enchilada Casserole). Thankfully most of these were taken a long time ago. My photography has improved a lot over the years but my older recipes still have unattractive pictures.
If you saw any of these pictures on Pinterest you would not pin them, it’s ok to admit it. The food I’ve made that tastes bad, yes that happens sometimes, does not get a picture.
I hope I’ve encouraged you today. Life isn’t Pinterest Perfect. It doesn’t need to be.
Thanks for the morning laugh (and the transparency!) 😉
That is awesome! I thought the first two recipes looked good 🙂
Facebook is the same way. My aunt thinks I am the coolest, most creative mother. She doesn’t realize that I don’t post about losing my temper, feeding them frozen pizza etc. We all need this reminder.
Martha, I probably would have posted them during my first year of blogging but now I have certain ideas in my head about how they are supposed to look. I may try them again this fall.
I know exactly what you mean about facebook. I’ve really rethought what I share over the last year. It’s a great way for our family to have glimpses into our lives but I think it can turn into something ugly fast.
Actually I thought the first three looked and sounded pretty good. Hmmm that may say something about how my dishes look. Anyway would love to have the hash brown recipe. I really thought it looked great! Thanks for sharing…it did give me a chuckle this morning.
I’ll attempt them again this fall. I’ve had a few emails asking for those recipes. I avoid the oven during August. 🙂
I loved this post! You’re right, life doesn’t need to be perfect, it’s a beautiful mess! I also want to thank you for this wonderful blog! I found it a few months ago and have been making lots of your delicious recipes for my family. You are an encouragement and blessing to us!