Revenge Is Sweet (and Chocolaty)

In my younger days I earned a maybe deserved reputation amongst my siblings as a bad cook. There were Incidents. The time I made tuna noodle casserole and forgot the tuna. The time I swear I told my brother to take the steaks out of the oven and he didn't until they were pure carbon. And the time I messed up the pudding at Thanksgiving.

I was in charge of making the pudding filling for the chocolate pie. I was using a Jell-O package of chocolate pudding. You know the kind: heat milk, add mix, stir until thick. Do not ask me how I did this, but I burned it. But there must be chocolate pie on Thanksgiving! So I ran to the store to buy a new package of pudding mix, and I decided to play it safe with the instant kind. Which, ew. Instant pudding tastes instant. There was much hilarity over Kristin's inability to make Jell-O pudding. I don't think I've made pudding of any kind since then. It was a blow to my confidence.

But being the designated kitchen wench for the last several years and making 3 meals a day, every single day, mostly from scratch, has made some of those bad memories fade. I'm a good cook now. I know this, but some things from our childhood leave scars, man. However, I mustered all my courage and attempted pudding again today. From scratch. It was delicious.

Take that, Jell-O. Who needs you when I've got "Joy of Cooking"?

*It is clear from the above photo that I should stick to eating the food, not styling it. Who am I to argue with photographic evidence?