Easy Peas Recipes

I’ve talked to a few of my friends lately about my new cooking blog, easypeas.recipes. One of the comments I hear is, “Some of your recipes are so complex.” Another I hear is, “This recipe is going to take too long to make. I’m not that patient.” However, the comment I hear most often is, “That recipe sounds delicious – I wish that I could make it.”

Since I consider my self a teacher, it pains me to hear that someone doesn’t feel confident enough to cook one of my recipes. After all, to me, the recipes seem pretty clear and straight-forward. To others, that may not be the case. I need to remember that we all are on different paths on our cooking journeys (I also have much to learn!). The goal of easypeas.recipes is to “build kitchen confidence.” When my readers struggle with the confidence to tackle a recipe, it makes me sad. I ask myself, “What did I leave out? Where did I go wrong?” So, when I hear a disparaged subscriber, these are the steps I take.

Check the Recipe for Accuracy.
Teachers are never done learning. All of us are prone to mistakes. Going back to square one is the first thing I do when I’m unsure of something I wrote. I never assume that the problem is the other person.
Proofreading a blog post or recipe is always necessary. After proofreading a second and third time, it’s still possible to miss a mistake. I could have been unclear. The recipe might be too wordy. In my head, what I wrote could make perfect sense. But, not everyone may agree. Whenever we write anything that is meant to be read, it should be universally understandable, and in precise, clear language.
I don’t post anything until I have read it through at least twice, then read it out loud, editing as needed. Sometimes, I will even send it to a friend to edit before I post, because two heads are better than one.
In a nutshell: don’t “brain spill” a post and right away hit “Publish.” You will most likely need to edit it or risk confusing the reader.

2. Rethink the Skill Level of the Recipe.
My skill level in the kitchen (although, I’m no Julia Child or James Beard), is different than another person’s. Tasks that naturally take me less time may take others longer. A recipe just may be more time-intensive and that can be troubling for a lot of people. Bouillabaisse takes a while to put together, and that doesn’t bother me. If I’ve planned ahead for the time to create it, then I’m fine with it. Others with less experience and confidence may simply look at the recipe for Bouillabaisse and right away, say, “Ah, it sounds divine – but, no thanks! It’s too complex!”
The techniques and tools used in a recipe can also intimidate cooks. Regarding the Bouillabaisse recipe, I don’t mind fileting a fish. I don’t see a problem with making stock from scratch. But again, I need to keep the reader in mind – they may not have the confidence to attempt a multi-step recipe or build a new set of skills. That is why I label my recipes by tier (Easy, Intermediate, Advanced). Again though, what is “easy” to me might be “intermediate” to another. If someone is having trouble with a recipe, I may have mislabeled it because I misjudged its difficulty.

3. Simplify the Advanced Recipes for Busy Modern Cooks.
This one is sometimes difficult for me. As a teacher, I would like to encourage cooks to step outside their comfort zone. We learn best by doing. But, I don’t want to set up a cook for failure either. Jumping into a more advanced recipe without some experience can be frustrating. I don’t want cooks be discouraged, either. So, I like to include easier recipes that introduce ingredients and techniques needed for more complex recipes.
Let’s look at the recipes for pho on the Recipes page. I purposefully placed three different skill levels of pho recipes together on the page: Easy Chicken Pho is the first because it is the easiest. Easy Chicken Pho is like a “starter pho” that leads to Beef Brisket Pho and finally Pho With Various Cuts of Beef. Personally, if I had never made pho before, the recipe for Pho With Various Cuts of Beef would probably make me close the cookbook. But, Easy Chicken Pho is easy enough that I just may take out my slow cooker!

4. Break Up the Ingredients and Steps
I can’t help but use Bouillabaisse as an example here, too. The ingredient list and the steps are long. I wanted to make the recipe for this rich, savory seafood dish easy to follow. I broke up the ingredients and steps for the fish broth and for the stew itself. (The caveat for the reader is to read through the entire recipe before starting it.) My hope is that cooks will be more encouraged to cook Bouillabaisse if the recipe looks less ominous.

As teachers, we have a responsibility to our students and as bloggers, we have a responsibility to our readers. If we want them to love learning, we should make it as enjoyable as we can. Any complex idea needs to be broken down into smaller, easy to understand steps. Then, our readers can move from readers to doers, with confidence.