Let’s play a game *UPDATED*

The name of the game is:

Guess That Kitchen Disaster

Here’s how to play:

1. Look at the photo below.
2. Go ahead and laugh… “it” was a pretty dumb thing to do.
3. Leave a comment, letting me know what exactly you think “it” was.
4. Go on your merry way, content in the knowledge that you didn’t have as much KitchenFail as Anne did in the month of May. Check back in a few days for The Answer.

Hint: “It” happened as a direct result of my absent-mindedness and general state of distraction as I prepared food for my niece’s first birthday party. My mom swooped in during my time of crisis and was cool-headed enough to avert further disaster. She was also cool-headed enough to take photos for posterity.

Reassurance: No, I didn’t serve that at the party (Hi, Mark).

Empty Threat: If you happened to have heard the story, please don’t give it away in the comments. Or else.

UPDATED TO ADD:

Whole wheat pita dough, in a tupperware, heated to 500 degrees. It was in the second oven, rising, when we decided we’d better fire both ovens up to get more pita baked in time for the birthday party.

I noticed smoke pouring out of the oven, threw open the oven door, and it took me a full minute to realize what I was gawking at. It looked like a plastic volcano, erupting all over the place.

My mom had the presence of mind to clear a path to the back door, grab the rack with oven mitts and hustle the whole mess onto the patio to cool off.

My favorite part? My brother’s offhand remark when he noticed it sitting out there a few hours later: “We’re not eating whatever that is, are we? Because there are flies on it.”

No, Mark. We’re not going to eat it.

Incidentally, the whole wheat pita was delicious. I used this recipe, except I used all whole wheat flour, and I added about 2 tablespoons of wheat gluten. I made 6 times the recipe (in three separate batches). One batch got melted into the Ooze of Doom, and the other two batches were more than enough for the party.

Recap - Dinner Prep

So there is this Healthy Minds and Bodies Group that I attend… participate in… ok ok, I created it and I do most of the talking… but other people come so it is fun anyway

We met recently… last month… the month before last and I’m only now getting around to recapping it.

The original intent was to do some cooking demos. Fast things like chopping onions, cooking whole wheat couscous, cooking lentils, etc. However, instead it turned into a lively discussion about how to get dinner on the table and what gadgets we use to do it.

Get Dinner Done

The biggest tips here revolve around planning in advance. Your dinner prep will go much more smoothly if you know what you’re making ahead of time.

Grocery shop with specific meals in mind, and start thinking at least the night before the meal about how you’re going to get it on the table. This is so important with healthy cooking because you may need to start some beans soaking, cook the brown rice ahead of time, or get some veggies chopped.

I hate running to the grocery store for just a few items, so I tend to shop twice a month at costco, and then 3 times a month at a regular grocery store for fresh stuff. I keep plenty of dried/food storage type stuff on hand, so ideally I never have to worry about those. I plan meals like salads for the few days immediately after a grocery store run, then dishes that use onions, potatoes, canned tomatoes, frozen veggies, etc. for later in the week when the fresh stuff is used up. The same goes for fresh fruit. I make a conscious effort to eat the time-sensitive stuff first (berries, pineapple, melon) and save things that keep better to tide me over until the next trip (oranges, grapefruit, apples, green bananas, red pears) .

Full circle

Daughter

Mackenzie is currently hollering because Mean Mom is making her take a nap.

If she had her way, she wouldn’t nap at all. Naps are terrible because she has to be alone in a room with her eyes closed. These strict conditions prevent her from cooing at people and playing with toys.

Nevertheless, she must nap 3 times a day, minimum. House Rules.

Mother

I am currently yawning because I can’t take a nap.

If I had my way, I’d nap several times a day. Naps are lovely because I get to be alone in a room with my eyes closed. I don’t have to coo at anybody or play with “toys” (computers, vacuums,…).

Nevertheless, I am prevented from napping most days due to silly House Rules such as “We must eat meals and wear clean clothes”.

And so it goes…

Poor Mackenzie has several more years of enforced napping on her hands, snuggling up with a blanket in the quiet, warm afternoons. It’s tough duty, dontcha know. She’ll protest it every day and I’ll look on in envy.

Now I know why MY mom told ME with such confidence that “Sometimes life is not fair.”

Overalls - *Updated*

Mackenzie and I went to a barbecue on Friday night. (We brought veggie kebabs with onion, mushroom, fresh pineapple, bell peppers, and zucchini marinaded in garlic, fresh minced ginger, and soy sauce. So yummy.) (Please ignore my daughter’s purple foot. She has circulation like her mama.)

My dad, characteristically, took a zillion photos. And, uncharacteristically, put quite a few online for me!