Every household struggles with vegetables that we just don’t care to eat. In our house, James and I go to battle over eggplant. Despite my many successful attempts to make tasty dishes with eggplant, he still seems to only remember the one time I made steamed eggplant that tasted like a dry sponge. The Misunderstood Eggplant, anyone?

But taste aside, the eggplant is a beautiful vegetable. With its deep purple skin and plump, wonderfully round shape, how could someone not love eggplant? Other vegetables are not so lucky. Aside from having a legacy of being fed to the dog (Lima beans, any one?), some vegetables also have to contend with being a bit ugly. In order to get on your plate, these poor vegetables have to rise about their reputations and try to impress.

Writers from the Burlington Free Press have written a series of articles entitled “Ode to Ugly Vegetables” focusing on both notorious and lesser known ugly vegetables (and why you should be eating them, despite their appearances!). Current vegetables in this series:

Brussels Sprouts

Kohlrabi

Celery Root (Celeriac)

Turnips & Rutabagas

Honestly, I have never tried any these are vegetables, although I have long wanted to roast some turnips with other winter root vegetables. Reading these articles makes me want to give these unpopular and unpretty vegetables a chance! Each article contains an amusing anecdote about the vegetable, along with preparation tips and/or recipes.

These vegetables might not be Sweet, but they are certainly savory. Give them a chance! Like mom said, how do you know if you don’t life it if you’ve never tried it?

You can also check out more interesting food articles on in the Burlington Free Press Savorvore section.

Last year, for the holidays, I started the small but substantial category called The Gift of Food, focusing on food-based gifts for the holidays. This year I am adding to that category with some more holiday gift-giving ideas.

For starters, here is a link from MyRecipes.com with suggestions for Giving the Gift of Wine. Then check out these tips on Wine Giving Etiquette from the San Fransisco Chronicle, along with some unique ideas on Gifts for the Wine Lover from Riverfront Times, including reading materials and wine gadgets.

From Food & Wine magazine, here is a Holiday Wine Problem Solver with links for great wines for roasting, hosting, and other holiday fun. Do you know someone who isn’t a wine lover, but enjoys a quality liquor? This article from the Burlington Free Press on Liquors for Holiday Gifts will help.

Not interested in giving wine but want some fun cocktails for holiday parties? This slideshow from myrecipes.com highlights 20 Terrific Holiday Cocktails. Looking for some non-alcoholic beverages? Try this Warm Winter Ciders and Brews slide show.

Here are some other helpful links:

5 Wine Rules Made to be Broken

Wine on a Budget

5 Tips for Giving Wine This Holiday Season

Jazz Up Your Gift-Giving with Offbeat Food Baskets

Spice Up Your Holiday Wine

*Please drink responsibly – drinking and driving is not Sweet at all*

Recently, I watched an old episode of Iron Chef America. It was an episode I saw back when I first started cooking, but with new eyes I had a completely different impression. The secret ingredient was turkey (Thanksgiving Special, of course) and the Iron Chef had prepared 5 turkey-stuffing-cranberry dishes in 5 different ways to represent America: the Northeast, Florida, Deep South, North Pacific, and Southwest. When I first viewed it, I thought it was genius. This time, I remarked at how wasteful it was that he only used turkey breast for each dish, discarding the rest of the turkey.

The thought gave me pause, as I had never before criticized a Food Network Star of such atrocities (okay, maybe a couple digs on Rachel Ray). The more I thought about it, however, the truer the words range in my ears. How wasteful. How indulgent. How negligent. Yes, it is a cooking competition, but wasn’t there something to be said for sustainability? Responsible cooking? Earth-friendly fare? Or does being a top chef mean that you can bend those rules and through caution to the wind, all for the sake of a beautiful and delicious dish?

In a completely separate event, one of my husband’s co-workers made a proclamation against “refined sugar” and how bad it was to consume, along with some baking “tips” for avoiding refined sugar. Note: Baking is a chemical process and rather precise, therefore substituting ingredients doesn’t work “just like that,” it is actually a gamble to swap out an ingredient as integral to the process as sugar.

Normally, I would just overlook it as hippy dippy nonsense, but I had recently sent my husband to his office with my freshly baked muffins. Wait. Was this a commentary on my baking? My mentality is that if you don’t like it, don’t eat it. James thought I took the comment out of context, but I was angry and  insulted. How ungrateful to eat my food then complain about it!

Then I realized the events were not that dissimilar. Granted, I was commenting on a TV personality and not someone I know personally, but I digress. We all have different standards when it comes to frugality, sustainability, food waste, recycling, and social responsibility. I can’t say that my level of responsibility is any greater than the average consumer. I try to pay a fair price, avoid food waste, and produce a somewhat healthy product, but I know I could do more. Maybe I am in no position to judge the Iron Chef, just as I feel no one is in the position to judge me (lest he cook his own hippy dippy muffins).

If we are all cooking good food that people enjoy, does it matter?

After discovering the oven rack was set in the wrong position, I was sure the problem of lackluster cookie batches was solved. The experience, however, must have rattled my confidence more than I realized, because I was reluctant to test another batch of cookies. Though I had intentions of making another batch of cookies, I continued to delay the actual act of making cookies. For several weeks, I shunned baking altogether, which is rather difficult during the holidays!

Finally, I dedicated an evening to baking. I started with two new muffin recipes and each one went off without a hitch. It was very empowering to be in control in the kitchen, especially while baking. New recipes are always a bit of a gamble, but I was pleased to see that the small risk of a new recipe had paid off with a reward of delicious muffins. I was ready to tackle the chocolate chip cookies yet again.

The eggs and butter were sufficiently warmed to room temperature, the remaining ingredients were appropriately lined up on the counter, and the oven was steadily preheating to the correct temperature. It was an odd feeling of déjà vu. I was here before, poised for success, and disaster had struck. That would not deter me. I would plow through this recipe and continue moving forward.

In measuring the dry ingredients, however, I absentmindedly added the sugar to the flour and baking soda. In chocolate chip cookies, sugar is considered a “wet” ingredient that is beat with the butter and eggs. I scrambled to transfer the sugar to the “wet” bowl without also transferring the flour mixture as well. While I was able to marginally accomplish the task, I stared at the two bowls and debated throwing the whole mess in the trash and starting again.

I paused. Allowing a minor misstep to ruin an entire recipe was not really my style. I had overcome obstacles in the kitchen before, why was I now giving up because of a small error? This was not the kind of baker I wanted to be, unable to adapt or improvise. Instead, I pushed on and completed the recipe without giving it a second thought. I scooped the dough onto the cookie sheets and popped each batch into the oven.

It was as if the dough understood, because each batch looked like chocolate chip cookies are suppose to look. Each batch tasted like chocolate chip cookies are suppose to taste. The kitchen smelled the way a kitchen should smell when one is baking chocolate chip cookies. At last! I had conquered chocolate chip cookies even in the face of adversity! With delight, I served up a warm cookie to James, who agreed they just might have been the best chocolate chip cookies ever baked.

This concludes the 3-part series, but more baking adventures are yet to come!

To be honest, I had never attempted chocolate chip cookies before, though I have made chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, which is basically the same thing. I’ve successfully made cookies with interesting twists, like Peppery-Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chai Spice Cookies. Perhaps I was just not meant to make plain old chocolate chip cookies? Maybe it was not enough of a challenge? Did the stove know I was not living up to my baking potential?

That must have been it! So, the next week, I decided to whip up a batch of my personal favorites: Peppery-Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies. I do not make these often, because I am usually the only one who will eat them. But they are gloriously delicious and surely I could successfully churn out a batch of these cookies, which I have made several times. I was meticulous in my measurements and ensured all my ingredients were of the correct quantity and quality. I stirred the batter as little as possible. I waiting patiently to as the oven heated to the proper temperature, then checked and re-checked the recipe for the correct setting.

With all the confidence in the world, I slide my first cookie sheet of balled dough into the oven. What is truly awesome about my new oven is that for the first time ever, I have a window and an oven light, so I can check on the status of my baked goods without opening the door. I literally sat in front of the oven, watching the cookies. As I watched, a creeping sensation of dread began to invade my stomach – these cookies were quickly sharing the same fate as the chocolate chip disasters!

Yet again, I retrieved a sheet full of flat, crumbling cookies. I was stumped. Had I lost my touch? But I had been baking muffins with little to no incident, so why were the cookies any different. Mystified, I peered into the oven as I watched yet another batch of cookies go south. My new, beautiful oven…how could you betray me so? With your glorious flat cooktop and oven window and seven rack positions…wait a minute. There are seven rack positions? I recounted. Yup, seven.

The baking rack was in the wrong spot! Donning my oven mitts, I quickly changed the oven rack position. The current batch of cookies were already goners, so I hastily prepared another. I placed the cookie sheet in the new corrected position. Deciding not to tempt fate, I turned away and busied myself with some dishes while watching the minutes on the timer tick away. Finally, after 4 minutes, I couldn’t take the suspense. I flicked on the oven light and held my breath as I peered inside to find…the cookies were rising!

Yes, after all of that, it was the rack position. The rest of my cookies came out picture perfect. On top of that, my muffins also puffed up beautifully. A couple muffin recipes had given me minor problems, and now I knew the culprit. My confidence restored, I began baking with gusto. Batch after batch of muffins and cookies came out just as they should, warm with a picture-perfect chemical reaction and full of deliciousness. Was I ready then to take on my nemesis again? Could I conquer the chocolate chip cookie recipe?

Part 3: The Finale coming soon…