Tuesday Cooking: Bean Sprout Blunder

Dave has guitar lessons on Monday nights now, which means that I get to cook dinner once a week. (Usually, he makes something delicious and well presented.)I've taken to this new challenge because, as you may know, I'm obsessed with the Barefoot Contessa and I have a slight crush on Naked Chef Jamie Oliver (I even wrote him into my new book yesterday, but that will probably get cut). Anyway! I've decided to chronicle my (mis)adventures in the kitchen here on Tuesdays. So let's get started: Last night, I attempted to make the dish you see above, Soy Bean Sprouts with Shiitake Mushrooms. I even bought some shrimp to add to it, because I'm not a vegetarian. Isn't it pretty? Yeah, well, when I made it, it ended up like this: On the plus side: The shrimp, which I "steeped" (after looking up that word online), was perfectly done. The bad news: Those are not soy bean sprouts. This is a major ingredient malfunction, people! I had the wrong kind of sprouts for a dish called "Soy Bean Sprouts with Shiitake Mushrooms"! Luckily, I got the mushrooms right. But still, it was a mess. Those regular sprouts are crunchy and do not have the lovely tails of their soy bean sisters. Dave ate dinner dutifully and said my technique was flawless. I just need to work on getting the ingredients right. There's always next week! Oh, also, I made guacamole. This I can do: Have you ever had a kitchen (mis)adventure? Tell me. It'll make me feel better. Happy Tuesday!