Skill Pickle

I've been thinking a lot about all the skills that are necessary for making a good meal. Guys only want girlfriends who have good skills. You know, like knife skills, whisking skills, kneading skills.

However, seems like the uber skill is timing. Think about it. Without good timing, your asparagus is done and getting cold while the pork is raw, or your guests are sitting -- stomachs growling -- waiting for a casserole to finish baking. You've got to know when to end a recipe, and I think what's even more tricky is knowing when to start a recipe. That's the worst. Not allocating enough time. At least if you start something too early you can re-heat it later.

It's been a long climb, but I think I've finally managed to get most of my timing down on the cooking. There have been a few awesome meals where I've been able to coordinate it so veggies, starches and meats are all completed at the same time. Strange how that can evoke such a sense of pride. Of course there have been many, oh so many, missteps along the way. Just two weeks ago I burnt a batch of cookies. And right now, I'm stomaching my way through a pot of overcooked tortellini soup. Mmmmm, bloated stuffed pasta (accompanied by mushy broccoli).

You'd think I'd learn. And even with this very endeavor. We TIMED IT PERFECTLY! Or, so we thought...Start practicing and baking in January. Perfect a recipe by March. Submit it in April. Be a millionaire by 2011. But oh, no! Turns out the P-bury bake-off is a bi-annual project. Timing fail! But better too early than too late. We can always re-heat these recipes when the time comes.