Epic FAIL

10/2/09 9:56 PM

Today was a day of epic fail for food.

I found a recipe that looked good last night, for a tuna melt thingy. You toast two slices of bread, then you mix tuna, mayonnaise, corn, and cheddar cheese together, then you butter the toast, top it with the tuna mix, and stick it in the grill (part of a UK oven a bit like a broiler but not as hot and separate from the main oven) until golden and bubbly.

Well, while I was waiting for the bread to toast in the grill, I took my eyes off it for ten seconds while I shredded the cheese. When I looked back…


The white side of my toast was still soft and fluffy. The black side… not so much. Those slices got put away and fed to the ducks in the Avon River later (they enjoyed it!) and I tried again. The tuna melt thing was delicious.

Later, I decided that I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, maybe take them to the vergers. I went out and bought chocolate chips, assuming Sally would have everything else I needed.

Boy, was I wrong.

She doesn’t bake very often, so she had no baking soda (bicarbonate of soda, as the Brits insist on calling it). Her brown sugar was ancient, and her vanilla… she didn’t think she had any, but it wasn’t important, she claimed.

Digging through cupboards, we did find two bottles of vanilla. One expired in 2003, the other in 1997.

Nevertheless, I managed to make a half batch of cookies. If I had to rate them, on a scale of 1-10, I’d put them at a 3. Edible, but pretty much crap.

Sally thought they were delicious, though, just like a British chocolate chip cookie should taste like. The vergers would love them, she said.

I must buy myself some fresh ingredients tomorrow and try again. England needs to be introduced to REAL American chocolate chip cookies.

I did have one epic win when it came to food today.

Peeled an orange and kept the peel all in one piece. Go me!

It was quite warm last night and today, so all of the snow is melting. What does this mean?


The river is quite high. It’s at the top of the banks, lapping up against those houses. I live three houses in, from behind the POV of those pictures, so I don’t think there’s any danger.

To conclude… spire pictures!