TV – No Glamor Here

For those of you who read regularly, you will notice there are not many pictures in this post like I usually post.

I love to post photos.

I love to TAKE photos.

But today, I wouldn’t want you to see what happened.

Today, I am writing a post to de-glam what most people think the world of TV is.

Here is how my life prepares for a 5-7 minute segment on TV each week….

Weekend before: Come up with a recipe for next Wednesday’s show. Buy the groceries, cook the recipe, which takes twice as long as normal, due to the fact that I take one or more pictures of each step. Then I complete it, take it outside to my patio table, where the light is great, do some photo styling, all the way keeping flies at bay and dragging my table around to find that perfect light spot. Then I go inside and clean up a huge mess. Because when you’re snapping photos and trying to get the food looking its best, there is no real time to clean as you go, although sometimes I try. Mr. Wonderful regularly tries to stay out of the kitchen while I blog cook, on account of…it makes him nervously insane. Mr. Wonderful is a clean-as-you-go kind of guy and he just doesn’t get my insanity.

Sunday through Tuesday: Rarely do I use pictures straight from my memory card, so early on, I spend time editing my photos to touch up light and color so they look nice and pretty for you the reader. Aren’t you glad I do this? PLEASE say yes…so I don’t feel like I’ve wasted 4,392 hours of my life.

Next up, I type up my blog post.  Many times, my pictures have proven so valuable to me in recalling just what I put in a recipe, because I am one of those “add a pinch of this and a dollop of that” fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of cook.  Which is why I don’t bake much, because it’s SO precise!

When I finish, I proof read the post, and usually more than once, cuz my blogging program didn’t come with an editor.  I’ve always been a speed reader, so this part stinks for me. Often I’ll read a post 3 times and still  find a typo later…of course AFTER I’ve published it!

Then, using my blog post, I type up the handy dandy printable recipe at the end using a recipe plugin so that you, my dear readers can have a clear and easy way to print!

Tuesday: Often on Tuesday, I have to make a “finished product” because a 5-7 minute segment is just not enough time to finish…well, much.  As I make this, I categorically make a double of all ingredients and put it in glass bowls with lids I bought to transport food to the TV station, because there is no food sous chef preparing all my ingredients on local TV either!

Non-perishable stuff goes on the kitchen table in a giant rectangular tote and perishable stuff goes in the refrigerator. This also means I  I have a copy of the printable recipe at this point and I highlight all the ingredients I need to pull out the morning of the show. I do this because one time I forgot an essential ingredient in a recipe and had to wing it without it on-air!

Not good I tell ya. Not good at all.

I also shower and wash, dry and straighten my hair the night before, because of having to get up at 5:15. and I’ll do just about anything to keep from getting up earlier.

Wednesday morning: Kicking my annoying alarm clock across the room at 5:15 a.m.,  and dragging myself out of bed, I head out to the kitchen, where I prep any last-minute ingredients, like chopped herbs or sliced strawberries that need to be finished.

Also, anything hot needs to be put back in the oven so as a “finished product”, it looks bubbly, hot and appetizing.

Then I (well, usually Mr. Wonderful) load my stuff into the car, including heavy appliances like my stand mixer or food processor. Mr. W. bought me a really cool high-sided wagon that makes this much easier to get the stuff into the station, especially if he can’t go.  BIG THANKS to my dear husband for almost always going with me. He’s my rock.

Now, this is the plan each and every week, really it is.

But things happen, like this weekend, for example.  We had a busy weekend and I didn’t get my recipe made until Monday after work, which meant I didn’t get the post done until Tuesday after work.  So I guess you see how THAT stress went?

And this morning? After being PERFECTLY prepared, I got halfway to the station and realized my Strawberry Crumb Cake was still in the oven…

Back home.

I decided to go back and get it, but then, after doing so, decided I’d never make it, so I arrived at the studio mere moments before I went on. The other on-air personalities furiously helped me to rip off lids and arrange bowls and we were perfectly winging it on air (although I was severely rattled inside).  Joleen, Emily and Lucas, BLESS YOU for helping me and not sending for a straight jacket today!

When we got to the stand mixer part and making the cake batter… it wouldn’t work.

Someone hadn’t plugged it in (not me) in the chaos. I’m sure I had my best doe eyes caught in the headlights.

So if you happened to watch my segment this morning, I must say to you.

I’m sorry, so very, very sorry.

It was just one of those days.

Have I de-glamorized TV life enough for you?

If I’ve made this sound horrible and awful, know this…I love each and every minute of the creativity I get to use every week. When I drive away from the TV station each week, I usually have a great sense of elation and excitement over how much fun I’ve had and the joy I hear from people thanking me for the recipe. I love cooking and creating and I love that I get to show people how to do so themselves. When someone tells me “I made your Potato Salad recipe and it was so good!”, I feel great joy and when someone says “it wasn’t as hard as I thought” about cooking a meal for their family to me, I get a really big smile.  This is why I love comments so much here on the blog (leave me one!).

Like anything else, good things come to those who WORK.

If you see me, give me a hug for this morning would ya?

And on to next week we go!