Still here...still not unpacked

Okay, I really want to know where I got all the crap that I have.  I think fairies and brownies have been stockpiling stuff in my old basement, and I just moved it, thinking it was mine.

You aren't buying that, are you?  It was worth a shot.

Just a quick update on what's going on, so you won't think I forgot you, the blog, or the idiotic project/task that I set myself.  (Did you forget?  Good!  That means I have more time to work out the particulars.)

I've got the kitchen mostly unpacked, but I seem to be missing an entire box of Fiestaware bowls--think cereal and chili--that I'd dearly love to have back.  I have a feeling they are somewhere in the middle of the mountain of boxes in the garage, and it may take me until I move again to find them.

I've found the odd cookbook or two jammed into a box--you know, the ones that appeared after all the others had been corralled in a box labeled "cookbooks" and sealed?  And, when I flipped one open, the first recipe I saw was for "Turnip Flapjacks."  I guess the old "open it at random and cook the first recipe you see" method is not exactly the best way to do it...especially if I want to eat what I cook!

I'm getting off to an auspicious start of cooking for myself, because it's possible that I've given myself a nice little dose of food poisoning this evening.  I had a couple of nice looking pork chops that I threw on the grill, with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil.  I sauteed up some kale with onions and smoked paprika, and sat down to have myself a nice little feast after a hard day of furniture shopping.  I had 2 or 3 bites of the pork chop and something just seemed a little odd.  I had a couple more bites, and then just decided to go with my gut (ha!) feeling that something was awry.  I looked at the package label, and the sell by date was on the 18th.  Today is the 20th, but they have been under refrigeration the whole time, so I would think they would be okay.  They looked okay when I took them out of the package--no grayish spots or anything--and no off odor that I could smell.  Granted, my head is a little stuffy today, but if they'd been really bad, I'm sure I would have smelled rotting pork chop, don't you?  Even so, I decided I would stop eating the pork chop and just eat the rest of the kale.  I tossed the other one, which had been destined for lunch.  It's probably nothing, but my stomach has just let off a strange gurgling noise, and I'm thinking uh oh...and then again, maybe if you eat just an entire bag of kale for dinner, that might also wreak havoc with your digestive tract.

Which kind of brings up eating for one...when you're dining solo, there's nothing that says you can't eat a can of peas for dinner...or an entire bag of kale.  It's like the Lean Cuisine commercial where all the women talk about consuming the oddest stuff for dinner--a bag of M&Ms, a jar of olives, the bathroom rug, etc.  The one oddball person says she had the equivalent of a 3-course dinner and when her companions stare in disbelief, she says "it's Lean Cuisine!"

It would be easy to just eat Lean Cuisines or other frozen meals...no mess, no fuss, no pots to wash.  And no leftovers, no joy of cooking, no experimentation with ingredients like smoked paprika or fresh sardines (well, I could cheerfully eat a non-stop diet of Lean Cuisine if the other option was fresh sardines, but at least I gave it a whirl!), or techniques like spatchcocking.  And, that's what makes it fun.  Eating is fun and makes you feel good, but the preparation should be fun and make you feel good, too.  It's hard to get excited about peeling the plastic film off half way and cooking on low power for 2 minutes, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes on high, isn't it?  (Although, if my stomach makes that rumbling noise one more time, I'm probably going to wish I zapped that package of Stouffer's mac and cheese languishing in my freezer.)

So, as Gene Kelly said in Singing in the Rain, "Gotta dance!," I guess I "gotta cook," no matter if it's for me or 2 or 10.  But, I'm not eating a whole bag of kale for dinner ever again!

Poodlevania Returns!

The poodles and I have relocated to the Rocket City.  We've got a new house and are starting a new life together.  The Man and I are no more.  It wasn't very pretty at times, it was very sad at times, it certainly wasn't my choice, and it was extremely frustrating not have gotten a say-so in my future.  However, from here on out, I've got the Wii Controller of Destiny firmly tucked in my very own hand, to do with it as I will.

The new house is great...but the best part is the new kitchen!  A kitchen that is NOT the size of a postage stamp.  A kitchen with new counter tops, new cabinets, and new appliances...yes, they are new to me, but they are also only a year or so old, too.  This is heady stuff, I tell you!  The one downside is the lack of a gas range.  I'm not sure if gas is in the neighborhood or not, or if I can even have it at all, so I'll have to investigate saving my pennies for that little venture.  

Right now, the new house is the usual post-move sea of boxes that everyone has, and I occasionally lose the cell phone or a poodle for a little while.  (Until I got an actual house phone, the "misplaced" cell thing was pretty frustrating and scary, since I couldn't call myself to find myself...that was somewhat existential, wasn't it?)

The poodles seemed to be adjusting...the whole situation was rough and confusing for them as well.  The first night we were here, there was no furniture, because the truck didn't show up until the following day.  All I had was a lamp and a queen-size air mattress.  Nothing says "great night's rest" like spending the night on an air mattress with 3 poodles, I tell you.  

The Goldfish is having the worst time of all the poodles.  He's been having some vision issues (cataracts), as well as some cognitive decline...think kind of like the early stages of Alzheimer's...so, he's the one that gets lost the most.  I'm looking for a new vet for the boys, and will take him in for a check-up as soon as I find one.

It is amazing at how fast the Rocket City has grown.  The area where I bought the house used to be considered "waaaaay out in the boonies," but suburban progress is marching steadily my way.  Which is nice, in a way, because I have a brand-new Publix about 8 minutes from my house.  That's a definite plus to the area.

So, I'm going to be pretty busy for the next couple of weeks trying to get things unpacked and placed, so the posting may be a bit infrequent.  I found the pots and pans yesterday evening, so I think I might actually try and cook something for dinner...maybe grill some chicken and make the Campanelle with Tomatoes and Feta pasta...you know, something that I like to eat and eat for days, since I'll have some leftovers.  Cooking for one is a pain sometimes, but at least I can eat all the asparagus I want now.

If nothing else, I'm also going to try and cook at least one recipe from the gazillion cookbooks that I lugged across state lines.  Besides the cookbooks in the cookbook book shelf unit, I found cookbooks in my nightstand slush pile, in the basement, in the bathroom reading basket--practically every room in the house.  I culled some, but seriously...do I really need ALL those cookbooks?  Probably not.  Hence, the Great Cook at Least 1 Recipe from ALL Your Cookbooks Project shall be born...as soon as I can find all the damn cookbooks.

So, when The Project gets going, feel free to come on by for a taste and stay awhile, if you like.  You could also unpack a box or two... : )