The good news is that Friday night while Connie played bridge, I finally got the little guest room put together. My last task was the dressing table. It was originally Mom's. Then, it became mine when I was a kid. I don't use it any more since I long ago gave up on the whole eye shadow, mascara, blush routine. It is now a repository for some of my favorite things. An angel that was my grandmother's. A powder box that my great-grandmother painted. A hat pin holder from our former neighbors Ruth and Leo. A toasting cup from the cruise I took with my family and Trish, my wonderful friend since 5th grade. It was to celebrate our 50th birthdays. Yes, she's a bit older. No, I don't let her forget that. A carved rabbit I got down in Madison, IN on a lovely vacation probably fifteen years ago. An angel my mom brought me from a trip she took with her buddies, the Cruise Girls. Lots of wonderful memories. I loved being able to unwrap each piece and put it back in place and think about the people who mean so much to me.
Saturday was moving day. Time to clear out the storage unit. No, you don't want to see the photos of me dancing on the table in celebration. Bills's old desk came to the house. Bill and Trish were married for many years. I was in their wedding. She was in my first wedding. Sadly, he left many years ago. Then, several years ago he died of a stroke. He was way too young and I miss him to this day. But, I now have his old desk in my sitting room to use. We'll move the computer that was on the big lummox of a desk in the big guest room into the sitting room and I'll have a place to blog while Connie's in the family room listening to his beloved Red Sox at full blast.
A couple of weeks ago, I was really hungry for pot roast. I know. It's a fall and winter dish. Maybe it's because my friend the Mom Chef started writing about fall and apple season. Or, maybe it's because the temps started falling into the 50's overnight on occasion. Over the weekend, I browned the pot roast. Then one weeknight, I cooked it in the pressure cooker. Hmmm. Not something I'd recommend doing. It was lovely and tender. But, the gravy was thin. It just didn't have the flavor of a pot roast that's been baked low and slow for several hours. I think everyone likes their mom's pot roast and chocolate chip cookies the best. For me, since I've found my friend Liz's pot roast, it's been a toss-up. This time, Liz's won.
What to do with the leftovers? They needed to be eaten last weekend. Something over noodles. You can call it beef and noodles. Or stew. Or stroganoff without the sour cream. Whatever you call it, it was wonderful. I took the leftover beef and cubed it. Then, the leftover "gravy" (remember, it was thin thanks to the pressure cooker) was turned into a real gravy. Carrots and peas were added along with some mushrooms. Voila!
One of our meals was a miserable failure. We love eggplant in almost any dish. And, I love potatoes. I'd found a Greek vegetable dish calling for potatoes, rice, eggplant and some other veggies. It was cooked with tomato juice. We both gave it a two out of five and put the rest of it down the disposal. And, the recipe went in the trash.
I'm starting to look forward to Labor Day weekend. Cassoulet or beef wellington? I'd like to try and make one of them. Both require a LOT of work and some time and I really will need to spend a day making cat food and should spend two whole days in the office. And, there's a lot more to do in the house and yard. So much for wishful thinking!
Hope you've had a delightful weekend :-)
1 comment:
Hey, don't blame me for your winter dish during summer thing. :) I think I could eat pot roast any time (but yes, low and slow in the oven). It reminds me of home and my mom so it's comfort food to me, not winter food.
Glad that the guest room is back together and life is beginning to feel more normal.
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