new least favorite.

"I hate with a bitter hatred the names of lentils haricots -- those pretentious cheats of the appetite, those tabulated humbugs, those certified aridites calling themselves human food!"
George Robert Gissing, English novelist (1857-1903)

I couldn't agree more. Don't think I haven't tried lentils - I shudder at the name - for I have! What possessed me to buy them in bulk at Henry's, I'll never know, but I ended up with 2 cups of dry lentils in my possession that I cooked in different recipes over the last couple of months. I've had cold lentil salad, lentil soup, and most recently, rosemary-scented lentils and sausage. This was a promising undertaking; hot, sweet Italian sausage, rosemary leaves, onions, carrots, garlic, all mixed in with those strange, flat beans. Browning the sausage and simmering the vegetables in broth along with the lentils, the spicy, herb-y smell made my mouth water. But, when it came time for me to taste my finished product, I'm going to be completely honest with you.

It looked like poop.

I couldn't even eat more than one serving! It was mind over matter all the way. The savoriness (is that a word?) of the sausage was not enough to save the earthy mush from bringing a frown to my face with every bite. I had to dump out half of my lunch at work. The worst part is, I still have 2 tupperwares full of the stuff at home! I hate being wasteful - especially after the Turkey Enchilada Pie disaster - but I just can't bring myself to eat it.

So, lesson learned: I don't do lentils. Here's hoping the tuna & artichoke melts I made for lunch will make my lentil fiasco a distant, unpleasant memory.

EDIT: The melts were fabulous! Definitely keeping them in the permanent recipe collection of awesomeness.