I haven't posted much lately. I've cooked quite a bit, but nothing I felt like writing about, I guess. After last Thursday, when I tried to make Amanda Hesser's Single Girl Salmon for two, and failed to a) make sure the flash-frozen wild salmon Jeff picked up at Trader Joe's was fully defrosted and b)tried to cook both pieces of salmon in a pan that barely fit both, resulting in- well, it wasn't a pretty sight- I was ashamed. I don't take kitchen failure in the strides that I should. I can laugh now about the time I rubbed habanero peppers in my eyes and thought I had blinded myself, but I didn't ruin any food doing that. For years, I'd almost cry just hearing the word manicotti and avoided making any and all stuffed pastas. I even skittled away from lasagna.

I've gotten better, though, and fortunately this is not 1950, so it's not like Jeff says "I slaved away all day and wanted to come home to some lovely salmon, not you stomping your feet and cursing yourself." Instead he took me to Astroburger for a grilled cheese with bacon and knew I'd try again. Sunday I tried the salmon again, and it was perfect. That's progress- instead of abandoning recipes I flub, I keep at them until I get them right. And I'm finding more and more often that the first time I make something, it's great, and then I get lazy and don't pay as much attention the second time, leading to disaster. The third time, though, I get that recipe down. Salmon, I am the boss of you.