Tag: food

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Forgetfulness

As a child, when I didn’t do something my parents had asked me to do, my answer as to why I didn’t do as I was told was inevitably “I forgot.” I drove my parents crazy. They must have heard me say “I forgot” about a million times.

The “I forgot” excuse has followed me into adulthood, only now I mutter it to myself surrounded by a few swear words. Wednesday morning, I checked my calendar and saw that I had written “egg casserole”. In the Tuesday night box. I was supposed to make an egg casserole for the Wednesday morning MOPS meeting on Tuesday night. @#!%! I forgot! &%@#!

My usual egg casserole is supposed to sit in the refrigerator overnight to let the butter, eggs and milk soak into the bread, so it can be at its yummiest the next day. I scrambled (scrambled…get it? I needed to make an egg casserole? Egg casser…. Oh, never mind.) Ahem…I scrambled to find an egg casserole recipe online that did not require the overnight soaking. I then dressed myself, dressed the girls, got them strapped into their car seats, and headed for the Jewel by 7:30 a.m. I know! I can scarcely believe it myself! The recipe I found needed 20 minutes to bake, so I thought if I got back home by 8:00 I could mix it up, put it in the oven, still have time to put on make-up and get back in the car by 9:00 to drop Lily off at preschool before heading over to my 9:30 MOPS meeting. But on the drive home at 7:50, THERE WAS A TRAIN! A super-duper, long, slow, freight train!

I made it home by 8. As I pulled into the garage, I remembered that I forgot to buy white bread. I had to use multi-grain bread in the casserole. Not bad, but not as tasty, either. If you’re going to throw eggs, milk and ham into a casserole, why try to make it “healthy” with whole grain bread?

Lily was on time for preschool, and I had a fully-cooked egg casserole ready for MOPS. I just can’t see me being less forgetful as I grow older…can you?

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Why Didn’t I Think of That Sooner?

I always buy two pounds of ground beef at a time. I used to stick one pound in the freezer, and then never remember to thaw it until it was time to cook dinner. Browning a pound of frozen beef just isn’t fun. I hate getting it in the pan, scraping it off as it slowly cooks, and trying to chop it into pieces with my plastic spatula.

I have non-stick cookware, so I have to use a flimsy plastic spatula. Don’t tell me about teflon; I already worry I’m poisoning my family with it! We received all our teflon pots and pans for our wedding six years ago, and I don’t think Ed will let me switch to stainless steel yet. Especially with the way the economy is going. Plus, then I’d have to learn how to really cook. Non-stick cookware has saved dinner several times.

Last week, I changed my routine. I browned one pound first, drained it, and stuck it in the freezer, ready to go. Then, I browned the second pound and made…what did I make with it? Tacos, I think. No, it was sloppy joes. This is what happens when I blog at night to post for the next day. Less distractions from the children, but my brain doesn’t work right. Oh, who am I kidding, my brain never works right, which is why I may have future posts with the same title! This method of browning the beef before I put it in the freezer may seem obvious to you, but I had an “ah-ha moment.”

For dinner tonight, I made Tater Tot casserole. I didn’t have to brown the beef first! All I did was thaw it a little in the microwave, and put my casserole together. Not only was the casserole easier to assemble, but I had less dishes to clean up afterwards. Now, why didn’t I think of that sooner?