MEGA Roast Frustration

Dear followers and readers, bear with me, I just HAVE to vent this right away!

Here goes:


This is the moment where I could SCREAM in frustration!

I am supposed to cook a roast, the meat is ready seasoned.
Hubby is blissfully walking the dog.

I get down on my knees in front of the oven. Push the knob down on "PILOT" and hold the lighter right in front of the pilot valve in the depth of the oven.
Nothing happens.
Start all over again.
Turn and push the knob on "PILOT". Hold a flame in front of the pilot valve.
NOTHING.
Try another time and again, and again.

OK. Try the top burners. YEP the ignite easy.
Try again in the baking oven. NOTHING! %*##!

Well, there is another possibility to get the roast done. The outside BBQ grill.

Open the gas line. Turn the knob to "PILOT" and PUSH. Repeatedly push the "Ignitor" button.
You probably guess by now what happened: right :     NOTHING.
I tried again, I can smell the propane.
But the darn thing doesn't ignite.
I go inside and fetch the lighter and hold the flame right in front of the pilot valve. Turn the knob to "Pilot" and push. Hold it down.
Nothing, nothing, %*## NOTHING!!!

I COULD CRY OF FRUSTRATION.

Finally,  J.P. comes back from his walk.
Bends down to the oven, and ignites it. Takes his bike and rides over to the neighbour.

$*&#@)(#!!!!

Well, the roast is in the oven now. Some days are just worse than others. Sigh.

Hot leftover "stoup" à lá Chef!

What a better way to fight a chilly night with a good hot soup. The midday temperatures reached up to whooping 52 °F (11 °C).
With clear blue sky, bright sunshine and a brisk north-easterly wind it resembled more an early day in March on the East Coast than a day in the Californian desert.
After a long walk with Molly Hubby took over in the cooking department.

The "Chef" pondering...

"Let's see what we have here", he mumbled and raided the refrigerator. Out came all the leftovers, bacon, onion, potatoes, cooked vegetables and a cold, grilled pork chop.

He chopped and brazed and tasted.
The final product was a delicious and warming "stoup" (soup/stew).

a variation of various ingredients...

Now all blinds are down, a hot cocoa in place and it is time for a good novel.

Voilá!

What's was in it:

onion, minced

bacon, cubed

green and yellow squash, sliced

broccoli, cooked, flowers,

carrots, cooked, sliced

potatoes, cooked, cubed

pork chop, grilled, cold, cubed

instant beef broth

sour cream

salt, pepper

Sauté onion and bacon, add everything into a casserole and fill up with broth. Simmer until warm, add a clad of sour cream and season with salt and pepper.

Spinach soup

Some days ago our Norwegian friend mentioned over the phone that his wife made an extraordinary spinach soup, That must have had an influence on hubby because today he came back from shopping groceries with a bunch of fresh spinach. We will have spinach soup today he announced!

OK. - Well I choose a spinach/potatoe variation that was done in about 30 minutes.
Additionally, and while I wasn't sure a mere soup would be enough, we had boiled potatoes, carrots and grilled pork chops.
No leftovers today.

Tasty spinach soup with boiled egg

Directions: ( for 2)

1 bunch of spinach (or 2 pkg of frozen spinach)
1 small onion, minced
1 big potato
1 tblsp bacon pieces (optional)
1 tblsp oil
1 wedge garlic, minced (optional)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup of cream, or sour cream
parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
salt, pepper (to taste)
balsamic vinegar (to taste, about 1 or 2 tblsp)

Rinse and chop the spinach. Peel and cube the potato. Mince garlic and onion.
Heat oil in a casserole and sauté onion, garlic, bacon bits and potato cubes for about 3 minutes. Fill up with vegetable stock and add the spinach leafs. Cook on low until the spinach is done (about 10-15 min). Add cream or sour cream and season with salt, pepper and vinegar. Take a mixer and purée the soup.
Serves with slices of cooked eggs (optional).

Precision work for cookies

Hubby was in the mood for his yearly Christmas cookies. Working on a recipe with the European "grams" he was in for precision work.

We had a good laugh as we looked at this photo.
Read the whole story here.

Yep, 250 grams!

For story and photos of last years cookies go here.