So Much To Try, So Little Time

I follow quite a few vegetarian/vegan sites on facebook and on the web, and I just get SO many recipe ideas it becomes overwhelming.  I want to try them all, but I don't have the time!  If I were to try everything I want to, I'd never leave my kitchen.  If I could earn money doing it, I would.

I just saw a recipe for a sweet potato and kale gratin over at Oh My Veggies that I HAVE to make!  With the winter holidays fast approaching, and just coming off the Thanksgiving meal, I don't want to just repeat the same dishes.  But there are some staples that we have always had with these meals, and sweet potatoes is one of them.  We did the candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, which is the family tradition, but I'm thinking this is the dish I will make for our Christmas meal this year.  You know, to change it up a little.  

Honestly, sweet potatoes have never been a favorite of mine, but that may be because I've really only had them a few different ways.  But I LOVE kale, and I love a good potato gratin, so this may be a new favorite!  I can't wait to give it a try.  I'll post and let you know how it comes out when I do.  

Do you have a vegetable that you are looking to try in new recipes?  I know it's easy for us to get stuck in "the rut" of cooking the same dishes over and over, especially when times are hectic like Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.  I do have to say, that's one of the reasons I enjoy Pinterest.  So many people pinning so many different recipes, it gives me a lot of ideas.  And as I mentioned above, the pages I follow have many delicious recipes to choose from, too.  

Sometimes, a recipe won't look like something I would particularly enjoy, but it will spark the imagination of my inner chef and give me some great ideas to try.  I have actually come up with some of my favorite recipes in this way.  I will see a technique or an ingredient that I haven't tried before and I will start to think of ways I can incorporate it into my meals.  

I know some people need a recipe to follow, but I've always been able to just look through my cupboards and throw something together.  You shouldn't be afraid of failure in the kitchen.  It's just food.  If it doesn't work out, figure out what went wrong and try it a different way next time.  In fact, I don't like to think of them as "failures", I choose to view them as "lessons".  

So here's my challenge to you:  find an ingredient or a technique that you've never tried, and give it a go.  Follow a recipe if you like, but be adventurous.  And let me know how it works out.  I'm going to be trying a new soup this week, and I'll let you know what happens, even if it's an epic fail.  Some lessons are harder learned, but they're worth it.  Happy cooking!