I have GOT to stop falling asleep when I'm putting the kids to bed. For one thing, it makes it really hard to go back to sleep when I wake up at 11:30 and I've had a two hour nap. For another, I end up missing dessert.
I got myself a bowl of ice cream, turned on the laptop, and found the best news. Hooray for Susan! Hooray for totally being a fighter and beating the odds! Hooray for never giving up!
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I am in a cooking slump. Does this ever happen to you? Yesterday I made a roast in the crock pot and I thought, "Hey, crock pots simmer forever, rice simmers forever, why not put the rice in the crock pot?" and I did and it was greasy and horrible. Whole grains aside, I think I may need to switch back to Minute Rice. This brown rice stuff is just complicated. Maybe I will invest in a dedicated rice cooker. I really don't want any more kitchen appliances, but I screw rice up on the stove, I screw it up in the crock pot, I'm not sure what else to do. And you can use some of those rice cookers to steam things, too, so it wouldn't just be for rice, right? We don't eat enough rice to necessitate a dedicated appliance. Can you make Rice A Roni in a rice cooker?
Then tonight I made fish from some frozen salmon fillets that were terrible. I tried to redeem myself by making an Alessi rice mix, but I used the burner that the oven vents through, and my rice ended up tasting fishy. Ugh.
Maybe I need to just give up rice in general. Or cooking. I always have a hard time transitioning from winter cooking (casseroles, soups, stews) to summer cooking (burgers on the grill, hot dogs on the grill, steaks on the grill, salads, pasta salads, etc.). It's a real attitude shift for me, and it changes the way I shop. Right now my pantry is set up for winter cooking instead of summer cooking, which is a bit of a problem when it's 75 and gorgeous outside.
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I think I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome. My right hand has been numb for a while, since like January, off and on, and it seems to be getting worse. I really noticed it when we were painting the kitchen - my hand went so numb that I had trouble holding the paint brush. I looked up a little info on it today while I was avoiding the big horrible ICE project at work. What I read seems consistent with what's going on. I need to look tomorrow for some exercises I can do, because I don't have time for surgery.
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I sent off the big annoying ICE project today. I wrote to our auditor, "Remember in college when you could turn in an assignment really early and get feedback from the professor, then polish it up and get a really good grade? That's what this is. It is my very rough draft. Please do not fine me, put me in jail, or call me names based on the attached ICE. Take a look at it, give me extra credit for getting it in two and a half months early*, and give me a chance to fix it before we start talking about whether I look better in horizontal or vertical stripes."
* Yeah, two and a half months early, because I haven't ever gotten this thing in on time, so it seemed like the thing to do, and now it won't be hanging over my head all summer. Yay.
Maybe that's why I was so sleepy - the stress let-down of having the stupid ICE done.
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I didn't win the haiku contest. Bummer.
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I'm sure there were a hundred other things I wanted to tell you today, but I sure can't think of any of them now. Don't expect much from me over the next couple of days, because Claire has discovered the slide at the park, and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous.
Oh, she just woke up. Night night!!
6 comments:
I make lots of fabulous rice things - stop by next time your around here and I'll give you some rice cooking lessons.
Aunt Kathryn
I have a vegetable steamer that I received as a wedding present. It has a separate bowl to steam rice too. Works really well and the vegetables are a big hit. Steamed broccoli takes about 12 minutes and is sooo good. You can also steam corn on the cob, carrots, and really almost any veggie. Easy to clean and stores well in the cabinet even. It's my favorite kitchen gadget...right up there with my bread machine! 7 years ago it was around $30 or $40. I think it would be great with all those veggies you will have from your garden! Another bonus: your house doesn't get all hot in the summer from cooking on the stove. Grill outside, steam inside. Was I successful in selling this product? I started to sound a little like an infomercial, huh?
Buy the rice cooker! We use ours at least once a week between rice and steaming. Nothing better than making your own applesauce! The chunkier the better in my house!
Michelle posted as I was posting - but she brings up a good point about your new veggie garden!
Three words for you my friend...
instant brown rice
I love it and it's easy peasy. It cooks in a fraction of the time of regular brown rice. :)
Have you tried the new microwaveable rice from Minute Rice? There is brown and white. I don't know how much rice you eat, but it comes in a 2-serving pack and takes about 2 minutes for both in the nuker.
I've tried the brown. It's not bad, but not as good as rice I make on the stove. It is very quick and convenient. I have a coupon if you want to try it :)
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