Wednesday, July 16, 2008

the accidental dinner


In theory I was off work today, although it didn't really work out that way. I went in for a few hours, had a hair appointment this afternoon, went to the grocery store and the library and Voila! the day was almost over. The plan was for a really simple dinner, no stress, no fuss, not many dishes to wash, and fast. On the menu? Hamburgers, frozen french fries and canned baked beans. Disgusting? Possibly. But easy, fast and kid friendly. Sign me up.


I always buy frozen hamburger patties because it grosses me out to touch hamburger. But Sasquatch, the resident carnivore, asked if I'd buy real hamburger and he'd do the patties. Then walking through the store I saw some really nice looking baby red potatoes and threw them in the cart. Across the aisle was some gorgeous corn on the cob, so I grabbed several ears. While I was at it, I replaced the sunflower seeds the kids had polished off, with visions of our beloved ramen noodle cole slaw in my head. Shopping bags in hand, I headed home. Suddenly, I had a different idea about dinner.


An hour and a half later (and about fifteen minutes of actual work) we sat down to eat. Real hamburgers. (And Boca Burgers for Gumby and I). Oven roasted red potatoes with olive oil, garlic and sea salt. Corn on the cob and sweet butter. A huge bowl of tangy cole slaw. It didn't take a lot longer than my original plan but the difference was huge. Instead of food thrown together in a flash, it was a real meal. And it was delicious.


Why do the small things make such a difference?

9 comments:

ped crossing said...

It is the little things that drive you crazy or make your day. Because they happen constantly. Sounds like you had a great day, even if it whizzed by.

Maggie May said...

Your potatoes looked delicious.
Little things can be the things that drive you mad! Like a dripping tap. However little kindnesses & gestures can make a huge difference to well being.

Potty Mummy said...

Sounds fantastic RC. And does this mean that the kids ARE cutting you some slack? Because, to coin a phrase, otherwise I may find myself booking a one-way ticket to RC-ville with a very large can of whoop-ass in my hold baggage...

(Apparantly such things aren't allowed in hand luggage any more).

laurie said...

ah, that's a lot for posting this today. my menu: jello, chicken broth, and 64-ounces of gatorade laced with you know what.

the potatoes look pretty damn good.
even ramen noodles sound good.

Cath said...

My mouth is watering.
Wanna come over here and cook "quick" meals?
Please?

Akelamalu said...

Proper cooking very rarely takes much longer than 'quick' meals and what you made sounds delicious!

the planet of janet said...

suddenly i'm very hungry. can i come for dinner?

Nearlydawn said...

Mmmmmmmmmm

Can I come to your house to eat?!?!?

Jill said...

that potato picture is awesome and making me hungry, dammit, but i tell you what, sometimes just doing up some potatoes WAY outdoes frozen fries, and they truly do take about the same amount of time. I'm glad you had this experience, I've had a few and it's awesome!