My Cooking experience 3/20/01

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

As a working mom, I’d like to say that I make sure that I provide a good, home cooked, nutritious meal daily for my son. I’d like to say so, but it’d be a lie.

The truth is that I am up about 5:30 am, get ready for work, wake the son, wait for him to get ready, drive into town around 6:45, drop him off at school (yes, he drives, we only have one car, but even if we had two, we live 20 miles out), work until at least 5 pm, sometimes have to stop and do grocery shopping, so rarely am I home before 7 pm. and am often too tired to do much more than boil water for spaghettti.

But last night, dammit, I decided I wanted to cook. Meatloaf, mashed taters, green beans, the real deal. So, stopped at the grocery store on the way home, got home around 7.

Now, in order to start cooking this meatloaf, I had to have space to prepare it. which meant I had to move some dishes. but the sink was full, so I had to do the dishes. but the dish drainer was full, so I had to empty it first.

But in order to empty the dish drainer and put the dishes away, I had to move the stacks of recyclables out of the way. In order to do that, I had to take them out to the porch, but… there was no more room for them out on the porch.

At this point, I relied on the time honored tradition of motherhood and yelled BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN (my teenaged son). So we packed up the recylcables into my car. then put the dishes away. then washed the dishes. then started on the meat loaf.

Set the oven to preheat, while I started getting all the stuff together. “what’s that smell???” open up the oven. Some rodent had built a nest inside our oven. I guess I should have picked up on the sign in front of it saying “spacious self cleaning 4 bedroom, utilities/heat included”

It was a good meatloaf, tho’.

(parenthetically for those who wondered: no, there were no mouse babies in the nest that I could discern, yes, my son does help out around the house, notably with laundry, carrying stuff to and from the car, reaching tall things, sometimes will put dishes away etc. My SO who also lives there is currently on crutches, and works nights, so he’s temporarily off the hook for this one, too).

2

Oh, wring, LMAO - how long had it been since you used your oven?

3

You named your son Been?

And what time did you finally eat dinner?

4

[sheepishly stated] I guess it has been a while since the pilot light was on…

His name is “Ben”. When I named him, I didn’t look forward enough years to realize that hollering a single syllable name is difficult and unsatisfying, so, we elongate the middle sound (much like the sarcastic version of “Mooooo-uuuum” which comes out as having 2 - 3 syllables).

Dinner was served at the fashionable hour of 9:15 pm.

5

I’m with magdalene. Just how long had it been since someone in your house used the oven? :slight_smile:

6

Since **I ** used it? ummmm quite a while. But, seems to me that my SO had some frozen pot pies a few days ago. When he came in this morning and saw the giant measuring cup with torn newspapers and other (? ?? :eek: ) stuff in it, he looked at it, then looked at me and said ‘ok, I give up’ So I told him my sad tale of woe.

Got to the part about the oven, he repeats it. "IN the oven? " yep. He opens the oven door. “INSIDE here?” (What, am I speaking Italian suddenly??) yes.

Then he goes on and mentions “gee, I thought I’d smelled burning paper a few days ago…”

SMACK

7

Mmmmm, rodentloaf. What’d ya do with the leftovers? I love cold meatloaf sandwiches.

8

Funny you should mention…

I used to make meatloaf mainly so I’d have some for sandwiches. Then, of course, my son hit puberty. Now, in order to insure that I have sufficient quantities for the next day, in this household of three, I use 2 pounds of ground beef. Yes. I use either a 10 in pie plate or the 11 x 13 pan to bake it in (and it fills it, too). Did I mention that he’s 6/1, weighs 165??? want me to e-mail ya some?

9

wring, that’s just rich! :smiley:

I can’t imagine what I’d do in such a situation.

mmmmmmmmmm. taters.

10

I’ve been thinking about it for days, and this does it. I’ll be posting a meatloaf recipe (sans rodents) over in the recipe thread for this week’s entry.

I’m glad for you wring, that you took the time to make a nice dinner. Remember to make fried mashed potato patties with the leftover spuds. Either that or a shepherd’s pie, which would be about one serving for your son. (I’ll have to post that recipe too.)

Thanks for a good laugh after a hard day. I hope your clan is well.

11

awww Zenster that’s sweet. And I’ll always think of it as mine… :smiley: