I'll Have Whine with Mine

Do you remember the old commercial that showed a harried wife/mother who has been juggling work outside the home with responsibilities within the home who had the crying child in the background, the hungry husband in the foreground, and a pile of dirty laundry someplace in between? It ended with "Calgon, take me away!" Remember???? Well, if you don't, I do and, brother, do I ever need some Calgon today!

It has been one of those days. Actually, it has been one of those weeks and it's only Wednesday.

Before I get any further into my whining, I have to apologize to you. The recipes at the back of Gail's Galley usually relate, at least minimally, to the story at the front. Not today! The way this week is going, if I actually tried cooking something new this week, I would either set myself on fire, the house on fire, or poison the diners. So, for our mutual protection, I will amuse you with one of my old standbys.

Let me tell you how this whinefest started. On Sunday, my husband and I were doing some photography. Because of the shot and the camera angle required to get it, it required a lot of get down on my knees, get up and rearrange stuff, get down on my knees, get up and rearrange stuff, etc. This went on for about 4 hours. Now, if I had been raised Catholic, instead of Protestant, I may have been used to this. But, my body simply wasn't ready. I woke up Monday morning with such pain in my thighs that I knew somehow during the night my husband had dragged me from bed, laid me in front of the truck, and run me over for a couple of hours. If this wasn't bad enough, we realized that the settings on the camera were wrong and that we would have to do this all over again. ARG!!!

I know how Monday started. But, I can't really tell you how it ended because I spent it in a TV-induced coma. It was a holiday and I had intended to use it tending to the garden, but since that would involve getting down on my knees you can imagine how enthused I was about that. Needless to say, it didn't happen and I'm just lucky that there isn't a Society to Prevent Cruelty to Plants, because they would be outside now picketing my house. ARG!!!

Tuesday starts off okay. I'm still sore, but at least I can move about. I get to work and it is just one of those days when nothing goes right. I survive work and finally hobble home to find that the cat has left me a present that I won't describe and the dog has decided that his butt had too much hair and gnawed a bald spot on it. ARG!!!

As I start to cook dinner, I take out my favorite knife to find that someone must have been using it to saw through who knows what because it is so dull it would be an effort to slice through soft butter. I "butcher" two porkchops, pop them into the broiler, put pasta on to boil and then remember that the husband will not be home for dinner. As the pasta boils over, I burn the sauce. The resulting meal was a fitting conclusion to the day. ARG!!!

Today is Wednesday. It starts off with oversleeping and rushing to miss my train to work. I finally get to work with minutes to spare before the first of my 3 back-to-back meetings. Each meeting runs over into the next. At quarter after 5, I dash out to miss my train home. Finally, I arrive home at quarter to 7 to find that the husband has been home, but had to dash to a meeting, and didn't have time to walk the dog. ARG!!!

At this point, I admit defeat. After I eat, I am going upstairs and melt into a hot bath. Oh, if you wonder what I am eating tonight, it's the sandwich I made Monday night to take to work on Tuesday and forgot to take yesterday and today. But, thanks for letting me have a little whine with it!

One Skillet Beef and Vegetable Dinner
Serves 6.

1 pound top round steak -- sliced into 1/8" thick strips
1/2 medium green pepper -- sliced into 1/4" strips
1/2 medium red pepper -- sliced into 1/4" strips
1/2 medium onion -- thinly sliced
4 medium mushrooms -- quartered
1 clove garlic -- minced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt - to taste
pepper - to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meat and cook until nicely browned (about 10 minutes). Push meat to the sides of the skillet. Add peppers, onion, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and brown sugar. Pour mixture into skillet and stir to coat meat and vegetables. Simmer until liquid thickens into a sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over buttered noodles.

Buttered Noodles
Serves 6.

12 ounces dried egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter -- softened
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Add noodles. Cook according to directions on package. Drain when cooked. Immediately stir in butter, garlic powder, and parsley.