In diagnostic pathology we want tests to be precise, accurate, reliable, reproducible, sensitive, and specific. In life, I’m a bit like that too. For cooking though, I’m pretty much close enough is good enough.
Why I don’t bake
Baking though requires precision. Baking is more like a chemistry experiment. Getting the right answer means being precise with measurements, timing, and understanding your oven like it’s the back of your hand.
I haven’t baked in anger since I left Brisbane in 1995 to live in Darwin. Ever since leaving Brisbane I’ve never had a lot of confidence in the ovens in the places I’ve lived in.
This week I’ve been eating more carbs. I’ve been having some fun with grilled cheese sandwiches. On Friday while working from home I had a Vegemite scroll and salami. On Saturday, I cooked a salami and jam grilled cheese sandwich.
Happy birthday Dad
My father turned 90 this week. We held a virtual party with my brothers and all the grandchildren. We used Facebook Messenger video group which worked well. We all had to buy a pastry and have a candle in it.
What have I watched this week?
Sopranos
I’m now into season 3 of The Sopranos and enjoying a classic TV show from the turn of the century. I wonder how close it is to what life is like in Italian American organised crime.
Seinfield
I’ve started watching Seinfeld on Stan. Some of the shows are painfully funny like Fawlty Towers painful.
What have I listened to this week?
NEJM Journal Watch podcast
It’s been helpful to keep up to date on the developments of COVID-19. The NEJM podcast is free to listen to and learn some medicine.
What have I eaten and photographed this week?
Photographs
This is a gallery of photographs. Click on one image and scroll through the rest of them.
Sous vide Pork scotch fillet with oven-cooked (burnt) vegetables. 
Steamed eggs with wilted spinach and melted Coon™ Tasty cheese. Mandolin and safety glove 
Slow cooker beef cheeks and fennel salad with gravy. 
Slow cooker beef cheeks and fennel salad with gravy. Happy 90th birthday Dad. Apple turnover with a birthday candle. Happy 90th birthday Dad. Apple turnover with a birthday candle. 
Turkish bread roll with Lurpak butter, jam, salami, Coon™ mozzarella and Colby cheeses and avocado. sandwich. Diagonal cut. 
Turkish bread roll with Lurpak butter, jam, salami, Coon™ mozzarella and Colby cheeses and avocado. sandwich. Diagonal cut. 
Steamed egg, melted Coon™, with wilted spinach and a black Nespresso coffee. 
Oven-cooked speck and kale sprouts dressed with balsamic glaze. 
Queensland XXXX Maroons Beanie and Scarf 
Cheesy Vegemite Toastie with salami, red onion, tomato, and mozzarella and Colby cheeses with a crispy mayonnaise lubricated crust. 
Cheesy Vegemite Toastie with salami, red onion, tomato, and mozzarella and Colby cheeses with a crispy mayonnaise lubricated crust. 
Steamed egg with wilted spinach and a Nespresso coffee with condensed milk. 
Slow cooker beef and gravy with cheese, avocado, red onion, and cherry tomatos on mayonnaise lubricated Turkish bread. 
Slow cooker beef and gravy with cheese, avocado, red onion, and cherry tomatos on mayonnaise lubricated Turkish bread. 
It’s a large cappuccino day 
Leftover beef with cheese and cherry tomatoes plus a Pink Lady downed with a Bundaberg Lemon Lime and Bitters. 
Oven-cooked chicken wings and corn with mushrooms and leftover beef gravy. 
Leftover slow cooker beef with cheese and cherry tomatoes plus a Pink Lady. 
Oven-cooked chicken wings with crispy kale sprouts and avocado. 
Slow cooker beef with cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a Pink Lady. 
Pan-fried crispy skin salmon and oven cooked cauliflower and broccoli with lime juice. 
Coffee
Yummy Lummy this week
On Saturday it was cold and miserable so I cooked barbecue sauce slow cooker beef cheeks.
Final thoughts
- Is close enough good enough for you?
- Do you like to get everything correct?
- Do you like baking?
I love baking, but it is definitely an experiment. Each time I make something, it is generally different! You asked a good question. I thought I subscribed to the good enough theory, but after thinking it over, I don’t. If the cookies are the wrong size or too messy, I get annoyed. In some of the other things, I often cover mistakes with a slathering of frosting or ice cream. As the kid says, ice cream erases a lot of mistakes! Covering a brownie or cake or even cookies with ice cream makes a world of difference. Although, I don’t eat them! lol
I am thinking, however, that grilled cheese is a good idea for tomorrow’s dinner. I have solid cheeses and shredded ones and some sliced meats and the kid would love the onion on it. Good idea!! I’ve also served toasted french bread covered in tiny shrimp and melted cheese with tomato soup.
It’s hard to go past a good grilled cheese sandwich Kris. It’s a pity they’re not low carb.
YES! I made them for dinner and the kid wondered why the addition of an onion wasn’t normal. It is, for him, now!
Oh Gary, I loooooove Seinfeld. Loved it in the 90s, and still love it now. Hubster and I watch it roughly each year, around November and December. Not a huge fan of cooking or baking, but I do make biscuits and muffins for the kids pretty frequently. My efforts are not precise, I never slice the excess off the flour in a measuring cup with a knife. And I never exactly measure the butter, etc. Near enough is good enough. 🙂
I could easily just stop watching free to air TV. I may be able to get rid of the antennae for the TV. Streaming is so good and I can watch shows like Master Chef and the footy on a tablet. Life is so much better in the 21st century.
Yeah, we haven’t watched free to air since Netflix arrived in Aus. 2017? Love it! Joined prime last year too.
I just love toasted sandwiches and have finally found a vegan cheese that will boil up bubbly under the grill; had some yesterday actually!
That sounds great Sue. I think it’s fabulous there are now options for almost everyone.