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Tuesday, March 14, 2000

Little Things

The sun was warm but the breeze was very cold. A good day for a walk; that is what I had planned. My Doctor's appointment was scheduled for 8:10 a.m. this morning. My plan was to leave early and walk the mile into "The Village" for my appointment. However, I was operating under the assumption that the appointment started at 8:30 a.m. When I realized my mistake, I had only 15 minutes left to get myself to the Doctor's office. Walking was clearly out of the question. I submitted myself to the ways of the domestic vehicle and drove to the office, arriving in plenty of time. It proved to be the best thing to have done after all; I needed to drive several miles to get a prescription filled.

I spent the rest of the day packing up some of my computer equipment to ship to the manufacturer; it is still under warranty and died completely yesterday. Luckily I have spare components kicking around and so remain functional until the components are shipped back.

My second project today was to try out a new recipe in the crockpot. I belong to a "crockpot list" and our cuisine has benefited tremendously as a result. The crockpot is a wonderful home appliance that gets a great deal of use here. They are designed to accommodate the forgetful chef; this describes me. I often fill the crockpot up with ingredients and forget about it until Attila says he is hungry. Then we lift the lid and ladle the food onto our plates. It is my answer to fast food.

Today's recipe was Tamale Casserole:

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion , chopped
28 ounces whole tomatoes , canned
1 cup corn meal
1 can whole kernel corn
2 eggs
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. chili powder

Spray crockery with nonstick cooking spray.
Brown beef, add and saute onions. Puree tomatoes in blender. When onions are slightly brown, add tomatoes. Stirring well, add corn meal very, very slowly. Stir constantly to prevent lumping. Add meat and corn. Beat eggs lightly and add with spices. Pour into crockery. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

In addition, I baked two loaves of Fresh Orange Walnut Bread. This recipe calls for whole fresh oranges and once baked it quickly disappears. In fact, the first loaf is half-gone already; Attila arrived home from work in the mood for a snack.

Another quiet day has ended. I have been thinking about Gracie in hospital today and feeling very lucky to have spent my day puttering about in my own home. The medication I am taking is making me very drowsy so I will close for now.