It must be hard filling 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a particular type of programming. Which is probably why Syfy Channel hardly has any science fiction on it anymore. And when you try your damnedest to stick to a limited topic, you’re bound to come up with some pretty odd iterations on the theme. Which is why, I suspect, “Sweet Genius” exists on the Food Network.

Televised cooking competitions are a dime a dozen. This summer alone, we’re looking at “MasterChef,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Chopped,” “The Next Food Network Star,” “Top Chef,” “24 Hour Restaurant Battle” and others. So it’s not like audiences are starved for the fun but familiar offerings of “The Great Food Truck Race.” But it is on Food Network. What else are they gonna serve up? Cooking shows and cooking competitions pretty much cover the full menu over there. At least this one gets us out of the kitchen.

It was a cold and snowy Sunday morning when I first went to Cecilia’s. The air smelled like piñon smoke. Inside, it was still chilly sitting by the old brick wall at the south end of the dining room. I noticed a wood stove at the other end, so I switched seats. There was a woman sitting next to the stove sorting a big sack of pinto beans.