POD "Baby Brain"

Baby Brain: a pregnancy induced brain fog. :) Did I think it actually existed? No. Do I still feel that way? No. Oh, IT EXISTS. It's a phenomenon that strikes poor helpless pregnant souls when they least expect it. Like, "Oh, so exciting, I'm pregnant... What do you mean I left the burner on?"

I've had a few forgetful moments since those two glorious lines appeared. I've forgotten where I was driving, forgotten to pick up the key ingredient behind my whole trip to the grocery store, and forgotten to call or write friends back. BUT my worst mindslips have been in the kitchen. OUCH. The kitchen USED to be my pride and joy. I could COOK. I could cook pretty good and half the time I didn't need a recipe.

As you know, my Christmas cooking was just short of a disaster, but I managed to write it all off because I wasn't feeling well and sort of "rushed" through things. Now that I'm feeling better, what's my excuse eh?

My cooking is bad. No, seriously, it's lacking that pizzazz that it used to have! Matt says it's okay, but he's just trying to avoid something being thrown at him. :)Anyway, I think I'm going to stick to recipes from here on out in the pregnancy. You can't go wrong with a recipe right? RIGHT? Unless of course you're like MEEEEEEEE (PREGNANT) and you somehow manage to forget to add the most vital ingredient every time you cook! SIGH. As the POD today, I give you exhibit A:
What is this, you ask? Is it some sort of toasted trail mix? I mean, it certaintly DOESN'T look like a BAR. The recipe is called "Magic cookie bars." But after a crappy dinner (I searched for the garlic salt for 10 minutes, asking Matt where he put it away incorrectly, only to find that I had already taken it out. Whoops.) I decided to REDEEM myself (in my own mind) with oh-so-easy throw in the pan cookie bars. I threw it all in the pan, waited the 30 minutes for it to cook and I triumphantly used a butter knife to cut out a nice, warm, gooey bar. But it wasn't gooey and it wasn't a bar. I almost started to cry thinking... how could I have screwed THIS up? Maybe it needs to cook longer? Maybe my oven isn't working? ANNNNND then I saw it. See if you can spot it in the picture. No joke, this is where it sat the WHOLE time. The KEY ingredient that gives the gooey bars it's gooeyness and pulls the whole thing together. Literally. Sigh. Despite the gaping hole I'd already created at the corner, I added the condensed milk and put it back in the oven for another eternity (aka 25 minutes). Is it pretty? No. But it's edible and I'm grateful that my baby brain didn't completely foil me. THIS TIME anyway.