Sunday, November 11, 2012

It's been about a week

since Mrs Skoot broke her wrist and I have (by necessity) taken over the domestic duties.  Luckily we eat simply


Tonight for vegetables it was corn on the cob and broccoli


When I go to the supermarket the menu is determined by what is on sale.   When I went to the store I picked up two packages of pork steaks.   To save a bit of energy we usually make two meals at once.   We will have a normal portion and have enough for another day, and sometimes a lunch too

The pork fillets are sitting on a bed of onions, a drizzle of olive oil and topped with sliced lemons, more onions and a can of soup concentrate, this time it was cream of celery.   Into the oven at 350°F for about an hour


The corn on the cob is husked and steamed in a pot along with the broccoli


It only takes about 20 minutes so we wait a bit so they are ready when the meat is ready


It seems that we are now ready to "plate up" our meal


We don't add any liquid but there is enough generated to have some gravy and the onions are generally caramelized a bit.


We try to have a balanced meal


Since Mrs Skoot can only use one hand for the next 6-7 weeks, I have to do all the cutting (or anything that requires two hands)   I also found out today that even though it is possible for her to drive, we were advised for her not to.  If there were an accident, she would be in a bad situation.


We usually don't use our oven during the Summer when we rely more on our BBQ .  This is our comfort food for cold winter days.  We have had to scrape windshields twice this week, and this morning it was only 1°C.


I only had one casualty.  I had blood all over my finger.  It did look worse than this but I licked the blood off.  I didn't even feel it, must have been when I was cutting the onions with our cleaver


19 comments:

  1. Ahhh! Domestic bliss on the West Coast! It's blissful here too. 19C in Toronto yesterday, high of 17C in Montreal today. I would take the Vespa today but I can't because our offices moved and I am no longer geared for commuting.

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    1. David:

      Not very warm here. Today was a holiday in lieu of Remembrance Day and when we went out it was a cool 5°c. You were very warm in Montreal. Sorry to hear about your office move but I hope you managed to get a corner view, or perhaps a personalized Vespa parking spot, accessed with a personal elevator next door to your personal washroom

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  2. I'm going to have to try that pork dish - looks great!

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    1. Canajun:

      It is very easy to prepare. About 10 minutes or less to rip open the package and cut the onions while your oven is heating up, then set the timer for an hour and wait. I am sure it would be cooked in 45 min or less, but with pork you have to make sure it is cooked. I just use the soup straight from the can, do not add more water. We use cream of celery, cream of broccoli or cream of mushroom, just see what is on sale

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  3. Good thing you know how to cook or you'd both starve. Well I guess there is always take out.

    One of the bestest things about chilly weather is comfort food. all those hot dishes we just don't make in the summer.

    Hope Mrs. Skoot isn't feeling too sore and that it is just an inconvenience and not paining her.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      I don't think we'd starve as we both have "reserves" which could use a bit of trimming. We do have cheap take out here down at the Asian Mall, lots of vegetable options. I have to show you when you come up here. Sometimes it is cheaper than making it yourself.

      We find that if we use our oven we might as well fit other stuff in there or the heat is wasted anyway so it is usually a "fresh" meal and then a "Heat up" meal a day or so later.

      The broken wrist is more of an inconvenience and we have to be careful not to put weight on it for the first couple of weeks to let the healing process take hold. I don't think it hurts anymore but you don't realize all the things you do that require two hands

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  4. "Take out" is reserved for when you run out of pots, pans, dishes and silverware...

    Minimal carbs in that meal, mostly in the corn and canned soup.

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    1. Richard:

      Even though we had a dishwasher since we moved here 32 years ago, we never really used it and the seals rotted. We had it disconnected a couple of years ago with the intention of getting a new one, but it is not a priority. One day we will buy a new one and perhaps start using it. We wash all of our dishes after each meal, by hand. When I say WE, I mean you need two hands . . .

      I like corn and they are very sweet. We don't eat much processed foods but coming home on a work day it is much simpler to use the canned soup.

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    2. I was wondering if it was possible to wash dishes with one hand...

      I'm impressed with your low carb menu. Most would want it served on top of rice or potatoes.

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    3. Richard:

      With certain chinese meals or sauce I wolf down lots of rice, but usually we don't eat a lot of bread, buns or pastries, nor many potatoes, but we do have sweet potatoes or yams. I stopped bringing sandwiches for lunch a long time ago, just to eliminate the bread.

      but I am a sucker for crusty French bread with butter

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  5. ouch that finger... dont you go and hurt yourself too bob, mrs skoot needs you...

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    1. Ms M:

      Thank You. My finger had blood dripping down and I didn't even feel it. I didn't plan on hurting myself either, it just happened . . .

      Funny thing, Last week I just started to almost start walking normally, then Mrs Skoot has this mishap. Oh well, just another life challenge

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  6. I hope that Mrs Skoot's hand is healing soon but it's good that you know your way around in the kitchen. Otherwise eating out might longterm bust your budget. I bet Yvonne like to be spoiled ;-)

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    1. Sonja:

      It's not so much the eating out, it's the expectation of the value you get for the amount you pay, which mostly gives you indigestion. Plus there is the challenge of trying to come up with a menu which I am capable of producing.

      Her hand started to hurt so I told her not to go to work anymore and also somehow I hurt my wrist, I get a jabbing pain when I move it a certain way. Right now we are emptying our fridge and getting rid of all those little containers full of leftovers so we can start fresh.

      New creations starting tomorrow

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  7. Ouch! Another reason not to cook! Careful not to cut a finger off. I hate having a fridge with leftovers in it ... I have a two day rule (unless it gets lost in the abyss and then I donate it to science when I find it again!) Hope Mrs. Skoot is recovering - it is incredible how we take for granted the use of both hands until one is immobilized.

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    1. Karen:

      We do have some very sharp knives and I am usually very careful, but onions are round & they roll. I should have cut a flat spot on the bottom before I started . We use the 3 day rule, and depending on what it is we sometimes stretch it to the 4 day rule.

      We had to throw out 2 salmon filets yesterday because it was too many days, and also some chicken that got lost in the Abyss.

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  8. I just go out to the car a few minutes earlier and let it defrost itself. Listen to some music, or a couple of minutes of news. And always preheat for the Mrs.

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    1. Chris:

      I do the same thing. On vacation to warm places, I start the rental car to get the A/C working too, or I walk and bring the car back to the Hotel, anything to make it easier for Mrs Skoot

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  9. I just ate and yet seem to have found myself feeling a bit hungry after reading through this post :) I enjoy cooking but do very little of it in the summer when our meals are lighter and hopefully faster. Another reason (I tell myself) to find the 'good' in our long cold season.

    College daughter told us last weekend about the ultimate and easy cake. Use your favorite boxed cake mix, don't add any of the recommended ingredients, instead one can of fizzy cola. We've not tried it yet but the simple recipe comes with some very high praise.

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