Scared to near-death

Everyone has those moments where their entire life flashes before their eyes. A moment when you are caught between the panic of the second and the stark realization that you are not in control. Often those moments come with slamming brakes and screeching tires or abnormal test results from a lab. No matter how long the period of uncertainty lasts, seconds while you regain control of the car, or days while you wait for the all-clear from a doctor, the fear that you are filled with is more real than most emotions you feel in the course of a day.

I had one such moment this morning, which in words on a page may sound small and silly - but just try to imagine explaining to someone the fear you felt when you almost got side-swiped on the highway. Strong emotions are hard to convey.

As you are all aware, we have a storefront area attached to our house which we use as a rec room, and which has an outside entrance. While getting ready for work this morning I was in that room getting pants off of a drying rack when I heard what sounded like someone messing with the doorknob. I immediately assumed that it was another animal scurrying somewhere in the room, which made me uncomfortable and anxious to get out! As I quickly surveyed my clothing options the noise was continuing, only it became clear that it was not an animal, but was absolutely someone at the door. I stopped for one second thinking that maybe there was a rational explanation - someone was selling something or delivering something; but it was 7:00 in the morning and, even if it weren't, a delivery person does not try to open your door.

Then complete panic set in. The person was obviously having trouble getting the door open. The awkward fumbling was getting louder and I ran as fast as I could toward the main part of the house thinking that if the person had a gun or weapon I would be safer on the other side of the particle-board door - the side where Bryan was, and my animals, and my phone. As I got to the landing of the stairs the door came opened and something made me pause and turn around to look. All I could think was that if we were going to be robbed I wanted to know what the person looked like. With my hand on the door at the top of the stairs I turned around in what seemed to be slow motion only to see BRYAN, who had evidently left our house through the front door and come back in through the Rec Room door to get his bike.

The whole thing lasted maybe 90 seconds, but I cannot remember a time in my adult life that I have felt as scared. I yelled at Bryan and then ran to the bathroom and cried.

It was exhausting and I have felt a little uneasy all day.

The Sky is Falling

So, I live in a house which, despite its MANY flaws, I am in love with. I can't help it. It has charm and bright colors, old moldings and archways, high ceilings and wood floors. Most days I am completely delighted to live here. That said, the other days, the ones during which I am not delighted, are terrible. They are filled with raccoons and leaks and broken light fixtures. And falling ceilings.
Today we had a falling ceiling. The second in a year.
I should say that the ceiling in the kitchen has been cracked since we moved in, and we have had leaking, but the structure never seemed to weaken. Until yesterday. Somehow what was a crack a few days ago became a gap in the ceiling early yesterday. While both Bryan and I thought that it looked a bit unsafe, we were not overly concerned until late yesterday when the "gap" widened a significant amount.
This morning Bryan took the following pictures and sent them to the landlord for review.

Upon arriving home from work I found the ceiling looking more precarious. Bryan had decided to move the hutch, which is filled with all of our dishes, just as a precaution. Good move Bryan.

Not two hours after I arrived home, and only moments after leaving the kitchen, the ceiling fell. Seriously. See for yourself.

I am out of blogging time so I cannot write much commentary. The pictures will have to speak for themselves.

Fettuccine Carbonara

So, today I made Fettuccine Carbonara - or at least a recipe called Fettucini Carbonara. The sauce was not as thin as carbonara usually is, and it is supposed to be made with ham instead of bacon. I used Jennie-O Turkey Ham.

This recipe was really very simple. Cook the pasta, adding the peas for the last couple minutes of cooking. In a sauce pan, mix low fat cream cheese, light Caesar dressing and and a bit of flour. Add milk and the turkey ham. Drain the pasta and peas and toss it with the sauce. Top with parsley and parmesan.

Pros:
- The sauce was very tasty, I thought the Caesar dressing would be overpowering, but it wasn't!
- Very quick and easy to make
- Very filling

Cons:
The cons this time were almost all my fault.
- The pasta sat too long after it cooked and before I put the sauce on it, so it was clumpy and did not mix as well as I would have liked with the sauce and peas.
- The wheat pasta was a little much for the sauce. It would have been better if I used regular pasta, but I was trying to get more fiber into the meal.

Overall grade: B

I will add it to my regular menu, but will pay more attention to the timing of the pasta.

Tomorrow: Caesar Salad Sandwiches (I think)

The Return

Disclaimer: This entry is not about food!

Let me set the scene:

Returning from a late night trek to Chesterfield, Bryan and Jennifer climb into bed. The time is approximately 12:15 am, and they are both tired and somewhat irritated (okay, mostly Jennifer is irritated). Laying with her head at the foot of the bed so as to be in better reach of the fan, Jennifer notices a large shadow moving downward on the outside of her mini blind-cloaked window.

Immediately she begins replaying the previous few nights in her head. Several times during the past week she has awoken to find the dog, normally a sound sleeper, with his nose pressed up to the fan placed in the screened window. Similarly, the cat had seemingly developed a new fascination with the general window area.

Certain she was exaggerating the movement of a large branch or plant of some kind, she ignored it and closed her eyes. For a second. Opening them again she saw the shadow moving upward, quickly at first, and then stopping.

She panicked, screaming "There is something outside the window!" to which her husband sleepily replied "what is it."

She yelled at him to turn on the light, which only made seeing that much harder, so she yelled at him to turn off the light! They then raised the blind to find:



THE RETURN OF THE RACCOON!

So Jennifer SCREAMED like someone was murdering her and let down the mini blind. She jumped back in bed and tried to pretend it was not there. Bryan watched it scurry up out of sight, likely to the roof, and then returned to bed beside his trembling wife. A brief conversation transpired between the couple about whether it was possible that the raccoon could get through the screen and the window fan, but they both agreed that was impossible, so they tried to go back to sleep.

About 15 minutes later the dog was back at the window. Not a casual walk-by either. He was standing on his hind legs, something he is rarely capable of doing, with his nose pressed against the fan.

Jennifer sprang from the bed again and raised the blind to find:


He was back. This time she knew it was serious. The raccoon had been up against the thin screen, likely plotting his entry by way of the small gaps around the window fan. The decision was made that the fan had to go. But when to remove it? The raccoon was daring them to give him an opening.After a staring contest of about three minutes the raccoon began his slow assent, presumably back to the roof to await his next opportunity.

Together Bryan and Jennifer opened the window just enough to dislodge the fan and slammed it shut.

Safe. For now.

Chicken Strips and Potato Salad

So, tonight I was supposed to have chicken strips and roasted red potatoes, but I got home late from work, and the potatoes take 40 minutes to cook, so I substituted potato salad that I made on Sunday.

I should have said in my first food related blog entry that almost none of these recipes are mine in full or in part. Ha. That said, tonight's chicken was really my recipe - as is obvious in it's simplicity.

To start, I cut chicken breasts into strips, rinsed them in water and coated them with crushed crackers, Parmesan cheese and garlic herb seasoning. We found these 12-grain crackers at Trader Joe's that make the best chicken coating. They are like Ritz, but much better for you.

Then, I sprayed a cookie sheet with olive oil spray and put it in the oven for a few minutes to heat it up (so the chicken would not be soggy on the bottom) and then baked the strips for about 12 minutes. It was pretty easy.

The potato salad is one of my new favorite side dishes. Here is the exact recipe:

• 1 lb red potatoes
• 1/4 cup light zesty Italian dressing
• 1/3 cup Miracle Whip Light Dressing
• 1-1/2 tsp. Grey Poupon
• 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
• Sliced green onion - to taste
  

Boil potatoes just until tender
Drain, rinse with cold water until cooled completely
Mix dressing and mustard, add potatoes, eggs and onions; mix lightly
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (the longer the better)

I like to serve side dishes in a glass - an idea I stole from a restaurant in Chicago (thanks Lauren). I used barbecue sauce (also from Trader Joe's) for dipping.

Here are the results:

Pros:
- The breading had great flavor
- The chicken was juicy
- Very quick to make
- I love the potato salad

Cons:
- The top of the chicken was not as crispy as I would have liked

Overall grade: A

I will add it to my regular menu.

Tomorrow: Fettucini Carbonara

Turkey and Vegetable Tostadas

Tonight's dinner was Turkey and Vegetable Tostadas. I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile.

In short, you simply brown the turkey, drain it, add tomatoes, zucchini, water and taco seasoning and simmer.

The tostada part was simple as well: spray the tortilla with cooking spray, sprinkle it with taco seasoning, and bake it a bit.

I added cheese and a tiny bit of my favorite parmesan ranch from Trader Joe's. Oh - and fresh cilantro. That's right, I garnish my own plate. Ha.

Here are the results:


Pros:
- It was tasty, though the taco seasoning on the tortilla was a little much
- A good way to sneak in tomatoes and zucchini, which are not my favorite foods
- Very filling
- Quick and easy, I cut up the ingredients while chatting with T-Mobile tech support

Cons:
- The tortilla itself did not have much taste, and the edges were too done while the center was not quite done enough
- A lot of leftovers which I am certain no one will eat.

Overall grade: C+

I would make it again, with some modifications, but not often.


Tomorrow: Chicken Strips with Roasted Red Potatoes

A new twist

I have decided to take my blog in a new direction. That's right, I am holding on to the idea that my blog had a direction before.

Lately I have been trying out all these new recipes and find myself wanting to share, so I thought "what better forum than my own blog!" At least here people can read about my kitchen exploits at their own will. Or when I tell them to. Whatever.

The first post is coming this evening. Get your skillets ready!