Hi folks! I hope everyone had a great weekend (and an even better long weekend, if you were lucky enough to have Monday off!).

The weekend was pretty laid back around here. Justin and I met up with some long lost friends for dinner on Saturday and brought Brody to a local park to romp around on Sunday; he met a Great Dane and, true to form, was equal parts horrified and fascinated by him. I think that we need to add a Great Dane to our household because I could watch them play all day long. And the good news is that I’m pretty sure my mom would love watching a Dane and Brody when we go on vacation, so you could say that I’m really doing this for her. You’re welcome, mom.

While Brody galloped around the feet of the GD, Justin and I talked about what to make for dinner; I have been meaning to try out a fall soup recipe lately so I decided to give it a go that night. Butternut squash and apple sounded good so we picked up the ingredients and I got to cooking.

I’m sad to report that it didn’t go great.

I certainly didn’t expect to set off the smoke detectors while roasting a squash, but it happened. Once the smoke had thinned out enough that I could see the oven, things were looking up. I roasted the apples, broke out the immersion blender and was really making strides towards something great, but then a game time decision made by Justin and myself to add some cream threw a wrench in the operation. The second we tasted it after I added the cream, I knew it was a goner. It’s not inedible, but it was definitely better before the addition.

Looks better than it tastes

This was an especially swift kick to the pants because just last weekend I made some Guinness and Beef Stew that also fell flat.

Ditto

Now if you’ve been hanging around TWH for a while, you’re probably already familiar with the Seal of Approval:

When I make something new, I usually ask Justin 3 questions: 1) does he likes it? 2) should I make it again? and 3) should I share the recipe with others? It’s the perfect line of questioning because Justin is too polite to flat-out shoot down something that I’ve made, but he’s also nice enough that he wouldn’t let me share a not-so-great recipe, so by the end of the line of questioning I’ve got my answer. And if the answer is positive, the recipe gets the Seal of Approval.

Two unsuccessful weekend soup recipes in a row urged me to create this number in honor of the expression that flits across Justin’s face when he doesn’t love something that I’ve made but he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings by saying so:

I know that not every recipe is going to be a winner, so I figured that there should be something in place for times when the Seal of Approval just doesn’t cut it.

Other attempts that have deserved the Seal of Polite Disapproval include (but are certainly not limited to):

• Rounds 1 and 2 of Beef Stew
• A salmon and honey mustard number that still makes both of us gag whenever it is mentioned
• Some zucchini muffins that tasted okay but looked like little stone pavers
• Some healthy coconut cookies that looked okay but had the texture of little stone pavers
• Some blueberry bread that wouldn’t cook all the way through no matter how long I baked it
• Some blue cheese burgers that Justin is convinced gave him food poisoning (for the record, other people ate them and they were fine)

Anyways, I hope to have a butternut squash and apple soup recipe to share with you kind folks before the end of the season because I have a feeling it could be a real winner. Fingers crossed!

Are there any recipes disasters out there that you would like to share? Feel free to comment below. I won’t judge. Legally, I probably can’t judge because no matter how many times I try, I still cannot successfully cook rice so I’m in no position to scoff at anyone’s culinary attempts.

Seal picture found here