First off I have never claimed to be a great cook, not even a good one. If you have ever read one of my food type posts you will know that. The fact of the matter is that I dislike cooking about as much as I dislike taking a bath. Disclaimer: I do like to shower so you do not need to stand ten feet down wind when near me. At least most of the time. But I digress. The kitchen and I do not get along. I used to not mind cooking. Heck I could even make a mean lasagna almost from scratch! But something happened to change all that and here I am, fifteen years later, not really giving a darn about cooking.
The problem with that is that I have children to feed. Thank goodness my hubby likes to cook and is pretty good at it. This trait even seems to be rubbing off on the oldest child, which I tell her often is like money in the bank. Unfortunately the loan I took out is way past due and the interest is piling up. So hubby does most of the cooking and I just help, except on days like this. Today’s task was to make spaghetti for dinner. A simple and straightforward meal, but I still manged to muck it up. How, you say? Well, I am glad you asked.
It started off alright with the defrosted meat placed in the frying pan, all set to cook. I had managed to spill some of the “juice” that accumulates when you defrost something, but that is what paper towels are for. Cooking commenced and things were going along just fine when I heard the buzzer on the clothes dryer, in the basement. Since I had to get the sauce from the pantry I figured I would change the load in the dryer will real quick. I looked at the meat, which was almost done frying and thought it would be fine for a couple of minutes. Did I mention I have severe arthritis in my hips and getting up and down the stairs in any amount of time is a huge win? Upon my return to the main floor the smell of the burning meat hit me before the tiny bit of smoke wafting up from the pan. (That “tiny” reference is in case my hubby reads this..)
I hurriedly took the pan off the burner and got the sauce in as quickly as I could thinking the liquid would help get rid of the burn smell. For the record it did not. Since I did not have another pound of meat to waste cook I had to forge ahead with dinner preparations so next came the spaghetti. Thank goodness I had not started to boil the water while switching the laundry. Heaven knows what would have happened.
I filled the pot with water and put it on the stove, turning the burner to a high medium because I could hear my Dad’s voice in my head telling me to “turn that thing down!” Lovingly of course. 
I checked back every few minutes because despite the adage a watched pot will boil eventually and I sincerely have no patience when it comes to cooking. See the first paragraph about baths.. So after what seemed like a good twenty-five minutes with no boiling water I was puzzled. What had I done wrong now? I’ll give you a hint. I had turned on the wrong burner. Yup, it’s true. Easy enough error to fix, but I had lost a lot of prep time now.
During all this “not boiling” time I had stirred the meat sauce a few times. I managed to drop the spatula, covered in sauce, on the floor. Twice. Folks, I can not make this stuff up. Thank goodness I had the wherewithal to take a photo knowing a blog post was imminent. I did, however, forget I had used up the aforementioned paper towel when cleaning up from defrosting. Guess where I had to go to get more? You got it, the basement. Suffice it to say the mess on the floor waited until after I turned off the stove.
Ultimately the spaghetti turned out well and the kids ate it up! That’s all that matters, right?
FT&PD
Suz
I find it hard to imagine what your kitchen must have looked like as you sat down to dinner. Glad to hear that everyone got a belly full.
LOL Mom, it was not pretty, but then again, it never is
I have to say that cooking is really not my thing too. I enjoy baking, but cooking a meal means that I need to have everything done in time for my family to sit down and eat. (then they want to be fed the next day, and the next day and the next!) Thank goodness my kids have both learned some cooking skills as my Hubby thinks cooking consists of heating something up in the microwave or oven. Another thing we have in common Suzanne!
LOL MaryBeth, we are Disney kindred spirits
Just not your day! I hope it’s not like that all the time. I have days like that where I just want to give up or even let a little swear slip out but in the end it gets done thank goodness.
Oh more then a little swear slips out Leila, LOL
Oh no, the wrong burner! Hopefully you have better cooking days than this. I for one can tell you, this pregnancy has drained the cook in me. I normally love to cook, these last couple of months, not so much. I’m just glad that the kids are now out of school and the weather is warm enough for us to grill burgers, hot dogs, chicken and whatever else I want on there because the hubby does it for me. LOL…..I hope after this little one is here at the end of the month that my itch to cook comes back.
It is amazing how pregnancy changes the ordinary in us. I hope all goes well for this little ones arrival <3
Oh dear that sounds like an experience that is funny later but definitely not at the time!
It was Kerrie, which is great cause I can share it with ya’all
Oh, boy! What an experience! Glad everything is okay now!
Thanks Christine! I have lived to hate cooking another day
I am so sorry it happened!
Thank you
I totally understand – I have developed an intense dislike of cooking too. I don’t mind baking, but that’s the extent of things in my kitchen. Glad I’m not the only one!
We need to form a club Julie. I see a lot of cooking haters coming out of the closet with every post I share
I feel your pain. Today I burned my scrambled eggs because my kids wanted their bikes down from the rafters and…. well, lets just say there was smoke in my kitchen too.
Oh no and eggs stink when they burn
I am so glad I am not alone, LOL
LOL I cant tell you how many times I have put something on the burner only to come back and realize I didn’t have the burner on
LOL, good intentions though right Cheryl
Oh Suz your post did make me giggle! I hope you have more luck with the next meal you cook! xx
Thanks Sam, the chances are slim the next one will go easily, but that is life in my kitchen, LOL
I enjoyed the read some days its just better to stay in bed
LOL, so very, very true Suzie
Hey mom is not the only one that can cook! Dads can cook too. That is what i love about being in the modern age! Living and having fun with both sides shared.
Amen!
I am glad dinner was ok and no major damage was gone my granddaughter left a pot of waster on the stove to boil and than went outside to talk to a friend and we were not as lucky she burnt my kitchen down my insurance company was not happy
Oh no Dee, that would not be good. Thank goodness for insurance!
As long as you were able to eat afterwards, the rest doesn’t matter!
LOL, very true Candice!
It warms my heart to read your blog about Boiling Water…I too am a challenged cook and my husband does much of the cooking … that is if he wants it to turn out well!
We have to be united Elaine, for non-cooks everywhere!
It sounds like you had an ‘interesting’ time in the kitchen. I hope the next time you make spaghetti goes much better than this did. Fortunately, I have been pretty good at cooking over the years. It was rather amusing reading about your troubles though.
Thanks David, I love to “entertain ‘
I am so sorry that this happened. While this exact situation has not happened to me, I have been in similar situation.
At least I am not alone Rebecca, thanks for your support!
You and my fiancee are two peas in a pod. When he has to cook all I hear is grumble, grumble coming from the kitchen. And things hitting the ground. Of course, he only cooks because I’m even worse at it. And I’m always dropping or spilling something or other. Oh well!
LOL I think you two are the peas in a pod then
Thank goodness for take out!
LOL, oh the kitchen stories I have … we could be long lost sisters! Thankfully I emerged through my bad luck run in the kitchen (every now and again it creeps up on me). I have a love/hate relationship with cooking … now baking on the other hand it’s a love/love!
I think I need to start collecting all the horror stories people have to share from the kitchen experiences. It would be a best seller!!
I don’t hate to cook, I just don’t cook that often. Hubby always manages to get in the kitchen when I am cooking and starts doing things his way. So now I don’t even try when he is home, makes for a happy mealtime.
LOL, that would work for me Darlene!
When I cook, its almost like a storm hit the kitchen, it gets that messy…lol. But since I like to do batch cooking, at least the mess only gets made twice a week or less if that.
Batch cooking is a great idea!
Awww, this made me laugh, even good cooks have days like this. Seriously. It does get a bit easier after time though.
I love batch cooking
Been there, done that! Not a fan of cooking either…but like you, I have kids to feed, so we figure it out lol
You totally made me feel better about myself and my kitchen/cooking mishaps!! I share your pain! Thanks for the giggle this morning!
I’ve turned the wrong burner on many a time myself.
I have been in similar situations over the years myself,glad you got your meal in the end
I love cooking, i really dislike baking,
It sounds like you had one of those days where if one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong. I probably would have given up and ordered in or pop a frozen pizza in the oven.
LOL I feel the same way you do….I hate cooking and even more I HATE doing dishes!!
If I didnt have children I would NEVER cook but I do, and they talk and are old enough to bug me for supper!!
I guess they gotta eat and take-out is to expensive to eat everynight!!
I have had some similar mishaps but hey nobody is perfect! I still enjoy cooking and baking.