Alright, here’s my take on tackling some recipes from Donna Hay’s “Party Food” cookbook. Let me walk you through my kitchen adventures!
So, I grabbed Donna Hay’s “Party Food” – beautiful pictures, right? Looked easy enough. I was planning a small get-together, nothing fancy, just some friends over for drinks and nibbles. Figured this book would be perfect.
First up: the mini pizzas. Seemed simple enough. I started by making the dough. Followed the recipe to a T. Mixed the flour, yeast, water, the whole shebang. Then I kneaded it… and kneaded it… and kneaded it some more. Honestly, my arms were burning! I’m pretty sure my dough was tougher than it should have been.
Anyway, I let it rise like the recipe said. It doubled in size, looked legit. Then came the fun part: rolling it out and cutting out the mini pizzas. This is where things started going sideways a little. My mini pizzas were… not mini. More like small pizzas. And definitely not uniform. Oh well, rustic charm, right?
Toppings! I went with a classic tomato and mozzarella. Spread the sauce (store-bought, no time for homemade!), slapped on the cheese, and popped them in the oven. The smell was amazing, though. That’s always a good sign.
They came out… well, they were edible. The dough was a bit chewy (told ya!), but the toppings were good. My friends ate them, so that’s a win, I guess. Next time, I’m buying pre-made dough. Seriously.
Next, I decided to try the parmesan shortbread. Sounded fancy. And like something I couldn’t possibly screw up. Famous last words.
I creamed the butter and parmesan together. It looked kinda weird, but I kept going. Added the flour. The recipe said to mix until just combined. I think I overmixed it. The dough was… dense. Very dense.
Rolled it out (with considerable effort, given the density). Cut out little shapes with a cookie cutter. They looked cute, I’ll give them that.
Into the oven they went. And… they spread. A lot. My cute little shapes turned into flat, misshapen parmesan crisps. They tasted okay, though. Salty, cheesy. But definitely not shortbread. More like parmesan crackers.
Finally, for something sweet, I attempted the chocolate brownies. Brownies are foolproof, right? RIGHT?
Melted the chocolate and butter together. That part was easy. Added the sugar, eggs, flour. Mixed it all up. The batter looked amazing. Rich, dark, chocolatey. This was going to be a success! Or so I thought.
Poured the batter into the pan. Baked them. The aroma filled my apartment. It was heavenly.
Took them out of the oven. They looked perfect. Fudgy, gooey. Let them cool (impatiently). Cut them into squares.
And… they were dry. Dry brownies. How is that even possible? I think I overbaked them. Or maybe I didn’t use enough butter. Or maybe the chocolate was wrong. I don’t know! All I know is, they were dry. Disappointing.
So, yeah, my Donna Hay “Party Food” experiment was a mixed bag. Some wins, some epic fails. The mini pizzas were okay, the parmesan shortbread was a disaster, and the brownies were… well, dry. But hey, I tried! And that’s what matters, right?
- Lesson learned: Don’t be fooled by pretty pictures. Some recipes are trickier than they look.
- Next time: I’m sticking to simpler recipes. Or ordering pizza.
Overall, would I recommend this cookbook? Sure, the pictures are gorgeous and maybe you’ll have better luck than me. Just be prepared for some kitchen mishaps along the way. Happy cooking (and maybe ordering takeout)!