Creativity is the Key

Sunday afternoon I was very proud of myself.  I was going to get dinner put together early so I would have time to do other things.  (nap, laundry, unpack, or a nap)

Since we just came back from vacation, we are out of a lot of stuff, but we have staples in the house.  (ie chicken)  Poached chicken can be used in so many different recipes I decided to get ahead for this week and double what I poach.  So I have my chicken going and realize that the little red light on the stove is off.  Uh oh.  That is a bad sign.  No red light means that the breaker has been tripped.  I go out to the garage and flip the breaker.  I should be able to go back in, turn on the eye & start cooking again.  One problem, nothing turned back on.  I call Hopson, my in-house handyman, to figure out what is going on.  I mean the man installed a fan in the ceiling when we first got married FTL.  Not that impressive unless you take into account he had to wire it too.  (Hopson is a CPA, but likes to play an electrical engineer on TV.)  I was impressed.  The resident handyman couldn't figure out the problem or fix it either.  OK, I have 2 pounds of chicken sitting in a boiler waiting to be poached & no other way to cook them.  Until I remember...

During Thanksgiving and Christmas we have to use the grill to cook & keep food warm.  (I have a very small oven.)   I decided I would cook on the grill.  I'm cooking with gas, which is better anyway, right? 

It was not as easy as I had hoped.  I had a hard time getting the temperature just right.  It was either too hot or too cold. So my chicken and noodles go from doing nothing to boiling over.  I just laughed.  (It was either that or cry.)  My next problem was how to make the pesto.  No eyes working, so for this I used the microwave.  It turned out ok, a little messy in my microwave though.  I didn't realize how much I cook on my stove top.  Yikes!

I decided to make a chicken noodle pesto dish.  It is similar to my chicken pesto rolls, but you add a layer of lasagna noodles and no corn flakes. 

The electrician came out today to look at the stove top; we decided that calling him first would be wise since the breaker kept tripping.  Our electrician said it was not in the electrical system.  I have scheduled the appliance people to come out, but they won't be here until Friday morning.  It looks like the fam is going to be eating a lot of grilled meat or stuff cooked in the crock pot.   The selfish part of me really wants a new cook top.  5-6 gas eyes just makes me salivate.  I could be a cooking machine.  Or at least a more efficient one.  :)

Until we find out what is wrong, I will be happy I have a home and a kitchen I can semi-cook in.  It's all in how you look at it I guess.  My life is good. 

I wanted to wish a very happy birthday to my sweet Elizabeth! Today is her 11th birthday.  I can't believe she's that old.  What a sweet girl she is growing up to be.  She is how I wish I was all the time.  Today would have also been my dad's 63rd birthday.  He has been in heaven for almost 19 years, and I still miss him.  I know he would have fallen in love with E.  Her birth story is funny, I'll have to share it sometime. 

Y'all pray for me as I try to be creative in my kitchen!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley