This is why I don’t like baking… with cooking you can ad lib. Baking… not so much! There’s a big difference between baking powder and baking soda. A teaspoon of this and a teaspoon of that could be waaaayyyy different than a teaspoon and a tablespoon. Sure, the same could be said when cooking. But, with cooking you go by flavor and taste. Baking is more of directions and science. This is why I don’t like baking…
I defrosted a meatloaf I had gotten on sale at Whole Foods (we aren’t really meatloaf people and we really aren’t pre-made meatloaf people but it was Whole Foods, it was on sale, and we never tried it before, so figured why not) but C didn’t want meat so it would have to wait until tomorrow. So… thinking cap on and we didn’t have much. I roasted some frozen broccoli the night before just to use up and have on hand. Frozen broccoli obviously isn’t AS good as fresh. But, it still is pretty good. We also had some spaghetti squash we had gotten at Costco. Okay… I immediately thought of our broccoli “meatballs” http://theflaggeship.com/best-meatballs-ever/and “spaghetti”. But, I knew there really wasn’t that much broccoli.
How about some chickpeas to add some volume? We had just used the last of the parmesan cheese too. Crazy, right? We are rarely ever out of staples like that! A big part of these meatballs is the cheese! I had some shredded Mexican Blend though. It was shredded pretty fine and would have to suffice. I added some basil, oregano, and parsley along with salt and pepper, and the usual mixture. The chickpeas helped hold the meatballs together nicely.
This is why I don’t like baking…
Hmm….I might be on to something. This is why I don’t like baking… with cooking I was able to throw together what we had on hand. And you know what… they came out pretty freaking delicious! I have a pretty good palate and can fairly easily combine complimentary flavors. That is why I like cooking and that is also why I don’t like baking.
Cheers!