I'm pouting.
Have you ever been left so completely bereft by the lack of a kitchen appliance, you were stopped in your tracks?
I’m not talking cheese grater here..I mean something big. Maybe the garbage disposal. Maybe the refrigerator. At my house, for the last two weeks, we have been sans stove.
As a food blogger, losing your stove is almost worse than being on a diet. Seriously. Its like not having a computer..can you even CALL yourself a food blogger when you don’t have computer. Why even wake up?
“We have to order the part,” they warned.
At first, we figured we would just grill. Alot. And eat out. Alot.
So we threw open the lid to the grill and convened around the flame. Chicken thighs. Whole Chicken. Chicken Breasts. Whole Fish. Lamb. Steak. All with a round about of marinades. We grilled vegetables. Asparagus. Corn. Artichokes. We grilled fruit. Pineapple. Pears. At first, we felt at one with the grill. Reconnected to the summer and out little back yard. But then. The romance flamed out. Don’t get me wrong. I love my grill but woman can not live on grill alone. Maybe man can. But a woman needs a little romance, some finesse to soften up the sheer brute of the grill.
Then we ran out of propane.
“The part has been ordered,” they promised.
Salads. Kale. Mixed Greens. Caesar. Exuberant with the summer’s colors and farmer’s market bounty. Alive with wonder and full of fiber, we nodded to one another “Yes, yes. Why DON’T we do salads like this more often?” Eventually though, the freshness wore off. We craved food that warms the gullet and fills the belly.
Then we ate out. I’ve been known to say that any meal that someone else cooks me is the best meal. Eat out every night and you will begin to see, that is simply not the case. Sushi. Indian. Hawaiian. Thai. Vietnamese. Burgers. Pizza. Sushi again. Nepalese. The wallet was wearing thin, as was my patience with snotty hostesses, ambivalent waiters and soul-less chefs.
“Nope, the part still hasn’t arrived. Maybe get a hotplate?” They suggested.
A HOT PLATE! I didn’t even resort to a hotplate in college. Excuse me, but I am a cook, not a Ramen Noodle fanatic. I am a foodie, not plate scraper. You clearly do not understand, a dinner isn’t a dinner unless all four burners are blazing.
See where I am going here? My patience is wearing thin. My hunger is starting to claw out of my belly and into my psyche. Even my normally easy-going husband has just about had it. Foodie Rudy (aka dog) is starting to wonder if the kitchen will ever warrant a nose-to-the-ground-for-overboards again.
The stove is the alter in my kitchen. I want a stir-fry. I want to make my super fantastic tomato sauce. I want to make my killer-food-truck-worthy-spicy shrimp. I want Jamie Oliver spicy cod. I have local, organic veal just ready for a lasagna that would make an Italian mother weep. Temptations abound from my favorite food bloggers: Tellicherry Pepper Chicken from Weavethousandflavors.com, Har Gow from Adesinamedia.com. Its been two and a half weeks waiting, yearning for this replacement part that will once again make my heart and blog (and stomach) happy again.
I have decided to pout. I know its self indulgent. It would be MUCH better to self indulge with a killer pasta cream sauce.
“Lady, really. There is nothing we can do until the part arrives. Would you like to order a new stove?”
Will it get here sooner?
Until then, I leave you with one question. What would YOU make if you didn’t have a stove? What’s your fave no-cook recipe?
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I have just moved into a house with a kitchen after living in a warehouse for 5 years without any kitchen. We had a plug in portable hot plate, slow cooker, and a year ago we got a convection microwave. I made alot of stuff in the slow cooker (crock pot) steamed puddings are great, slow cooked chicken, osso bucco, baked beans, chilli etc. (I also learnt to cook a mean cake in the BBQ.)
@Alice – That is AWESOME! Now you make we wish I had a slow cooker/crock pot. A cake on the BBQ. I think you have just TAKEN the cake!
Dear Tara – By para 6, I was laughing so hard I think I peed a little (okay, tmi)!
I know exactly what you mean – so I have a little story for you. Hurricane Isabella – no power for 3 weeks AND no more propane left in the entire city! By the end of the first week we drove 2-1/2 hours to get a propane tank. My advice to you? Buy a grill with a stove attached – that’s what we did!
First dish on that effin grill was PAELLA! I mean it best tasting paella I ever put in my mouth! Half grilled and finished on the stove!
We ate with hands and washed down with beer
We also drove to a nice hotel for 1 night in the middle of the 3 weeks for showers and a warm bed. Did I mention that the power died so we had no hot water or heat or stove in the middle of a Virginia winter????
Never before did candle light grow old…quick!
Fun times
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
I also went with out a stove for several weeks. “We have to order the part” comes hand in hand when you live on a remote island. I love to cook, I am no chef. I don’t own a microwave, no food processor. Suppose I’m a purist. I have a great set of knifes and the best set cooking pot & pans. We grilled alot. We ate lots of raw food, salads and fruit/vegetables. Fruit soup became popular. I learned how to make pizza on the grill, grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids on the grill too. It forced me to get creative…must say, I enjoyed it.
@Devaki – You JUST described my worst fear. I always worry about being out of propane in case of an emergency. I think your advice is sound!
@Dania – I think you DO understand the part ordering and island life…your right, it forces us to get creative..AND be grateful for what we DO have!
Dearest Tara, Couldn’t let this day pass without a message to you. Have had you vividly on my mind.
Hoping and wishing that you and your husband are enjoying the festivities of this glorious liberty day! It is so special. I love ya and hope you do not take offense of my leave from frequent postings and comments. I’m truly in the weeds and working hard.
Love always,
Penelope
Funny, I can half sympathize. Since, the heat is unbearable in my apartment sans air conditioner, the oven stays off. The downside, I want to bake so bad, but the heat… I can’t take it any more!
@Sanura – Its funny you say that…I can’t bring myself to cook in this heat!