MESSING THE KITCHEN

I couldn’t believe the mess I made in my kitchen yesterday. 

It started with a bird I was cooking for soup. It was a small bird, so I chose a small crock pot to slow roast it. I like to cook the bird first, drain off initial juices, and commence again with vegetables and clear broth. However, I was late getting started in the slow-cooker process.

I chose a small crock pot (Pot I) to cook the bird. As it was cooking, I realized time would be insufficient to cook the vegetables by slow means, so I decided to parboil carrots, onion, and celery on the stove (Pot II). When the bird was done, I de-boned it, washed Pot I and put the bird and the cooked vegetables into it, and started to pour in a quart of broth. What was I thinking? Pot I was much too small. So I reached for a larger Crock Pot (Pot III) and carefully poured my soup into it. Ah – I smiled in satisfaction. This was going to work well. I decided the mixture could use some lentils and barley, so I added them. But -- I realized after the fact -- it was already 4:30 and unlikely that the lentils and barley would cook before suppertime. I’d have to think about that.

I made dishwater and washed Pots I and II. 

Meanwhile, even though it was late, I decided to make the “Quick and Easy” dinner rolls using half whole wheat flour. This was experimental since I hadn’t done it before. (We’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, more fiber, and less sugar. It would help if we really wanted to.) The bread making was an experiment and it was late and I was beginning to think the day felt like a nightmare. But recklessly I heeded not my own good sense and plunged on. I could tell that Nellie, ever at my side, was drawing her own conclusions as to my sanity. I managed to pull it together with time for the rolls to rise once. The kitchen looked like a disaster area, but no matter – just some dishes to wash, a counter to clean, the floor to sweep – all of which I did.

Back to the soup: at 6:00, as I was pre-heating the oven to bake the rolls, I realized the soup was just not ready to eat, so I pulled out Pot II again and transferred the soup from Pot III to Pot II so that I could cook it on the stove. I noted a look of wonder in Nellie’s eyes. She was right – Pot II proved too small. Still, it seemed stupid to use the stockpot for this relatively small amount of soup. Then I happened to think of a little steamer pot I bought at a rummage sale. I pulled it out (Pot IV), carefully ladled my soup into it, and brought it to a boil on the stove. Thankfully, the lentils and barley cooked and the soup was delicious – sort of.

I washed Pot II and Pot III and my bread-making mess.

I was very careful not to let frustration get the better of me and throw things. Yes, I admit it – I’m a door-slammer / thrower when I’m frustrated. Although I was outwardly calm, Nellie knew of my state of mind. But when I went to pour my milk, I knocked a glass from the cupboard and it shattered on the counter. Once again I cleaned the counter and swept the floor.

In the end, the soup had too much pepper and the rolls were heavy. We ate it all anyway, saying things like, “I like it spicy” and “the rolls turned out fine.” Then we rewarded ourselves with dessert of rich German chocolate refrigerator cake – almost candy – that Mike received for his birthday. So much for more fiber / less sugar. KW