Bittersweet Revelations

So, I've had a sneaking suspicion lately, but tonight's events erased any doubt I had--my cooking mojo requires two of my best friends.

I met both KC and Julia in DC during the fall of 2006, when we were all new interns to the city. As my friendships with both ladies blossomed, some clear themes in our interests developed: desire to improve educational and healthcare opportunities in America and abroad, general compassion for humankind, appreciation for beauty in design and nature, love of trashy reality TV, and obsession with producing and consuming good food and booze. That last one is how I spend most of my time with them--impressive, since I currently live 1000 miles from each of them. Each time I visit, plans always revolve around where we'll happy hour and what we'll cook. And when we chat, usually daily, at least 20% of any given conversation will be about a recent meal or recipe we want to try.

So it shouldn't be all that surprising to me, but I think I'm a better cook when I'm with my ladies. Delicious drinks? Check. Look at these watermelon margaritas from a summertime stay with KC. Creamy pastas? No problem. Check out the gluttonous carbfest (parts I and II) hosted at Julia's last month. Pasta and booze? A divine pair in Pioneer Woman's Pasta alla Vodka...when cooked in KC's apartment kitchen.



I made it on my own a few weeks later--it wasn't as good. And when you're talking about the calorie count in these dishes, not as good doesnt cut it. Same goes for most of the homeade mac n cheese dishes I've attempted, and now the rule applies to sweet treats too.


Tonight I decided to make a Lukan Christmas standard--the Pretzel Thingies (they were a more recent addition to the Christmas goodie menu, so I don't think we've given them an official name). Basically, they're idiot-proof baking, and supposed to end up looking like this:






They couldn't be easier--the only actual baking involved is putting them in the oven for a minute to melt enough that for you to smoosh the M&Ms down on the top. Mine ended up looking more like this:

I don't know what happened. Well, actually, I do. I'm pretty sure I seized the chocolate. I've made these a bunch of times over the last 10 years--many times with said friends--and they've never been anything less than as tasty and cute as they're supposed to be.

So, suspicion confirmed. I must be in the company of good friends to be at my culinary best. Not such a bad thing, really.