Recipe Smecipe

Today I made a Rustic Strawberry Tart.  As I prepared it, I thought about how there are two kinds of people in the world:  the kind who use recipes to bake and the kind who don't.


The Kiwi Flatmate is a member of the latter category.  When she bakes, she is particularly proud of the fact that she does not use a recipe.  She's much more daring than I am.  My strict adherence to recipes started several years ago after I tried to invent "Thanksgiving in a Skillet."  Ground turkey blended with potatoes, cranberry sauce, and green beans not only looks pink and gross, but doesn't taste good either.  Since that incident, going crazy in the kitchen for me means adding pecans when they aren't called for.  Wait.  Instead of going crazy, would that be going nuts?


The Jamerican shares my view.  "I don't think I've ever baked something without using a recipe," she said.  "I sometimes stray from the recipe, but I don't want to go in trying to make a cake and end up with a pie."


So is the Kiwi Flatmate any good at baking, you might wonder?  This is an official challenge to her.  One kiwi-lime pie please.  No recipes.  Just you, the ingredients, and the kitchen.  Go.