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| the crazy hair! the soothing voice! the happy trees! |
He's the unlikely source of inspiration (inspiritor?) of this week's menu lineup, because whatever laws of physics govern the universe of Bob Ross, his oft quoted maxim under girds them all:
"We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents."
Oh, to live forever in the BobRossian universe- a land of swooshy mountains, happy trees, clear streams, and no errors that can't be corrected with the flick of a palette knife.....
And yet, on occasion,even on the astral plane upon which I live, a mistake really is only a happy accident, and not a disaster.
I offer the following evidence:
Genuinely happy accident #1
noticing the banner outside a local nursery (Covington's, all ye who live near here) "All pumpkins and gourds 1/2 price", going into the nursery, and (accidentally) buying enough pumpkins to last til Easter.
Genuinely happy accident #2
Noticing that some people (not me) actually put winter squashes out in the open and use them as decorative elements! This (accidental) observation freed me from having to find room in the cupboard for all these pumpkins!
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| it's decorative! It's edible! It's our new pantry annex! |
While I was turning living room furniture into food storage space, one of the pumpkins jumped off of the table and picked a fight with gravity. And, as it almost always does, gravity won the tussle with a solid THWACK. Good humor (and a few other forms of levitation) may be an antidote against some excesses of gravity, but for this guy....
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| sorry, little guy. Don't go to pieces. sooner or later, gravity catches up with all of us. |
And so, in a calm, Bob Rossian voice , I soothed the pumpkin, as I said to the dog,
"It's not a big deal, Josie. At least now we know who...er...what I'm cooking for dinner tomorrow...."
Wednesday:tortellini with winter squash and broccoli
I'll be using a bag of ravioli that's hiding in the bottom of the freezer, and, no, I do not have fresh sage, and no, I will not be buying any. I'll use dried (also called rubbed) sage.
Remember not to return the tortellini/ravioli to a full boil once you tip it into the boiling water, ok? A gentle simmer till the pasta's cooked is the way to make sure that they stay filled with their filling.
I might steam or microwave the little broccoli trees...or maybe pan roast them in a little olive oil...
Thursday: cumin chicken and pan roasted cauliflower
Cheap fast and easy. My favorite kind of food.
I'll be cooking extra chicken for tomorrow.
Friday: Chicken souvlaki and Greek chicken soup
We'll make the souvlaki in a snap, with last night's leftover chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, with store bought hummus and tziki, all piled on pita bread.
And do NOT say "ewwww...." at the idea of lemon in chicken soup until you've taken at least one bite. I bet you'll (maybe) like it.
Saturday: carnitas with roasted veg
There is an ever so slight chance that a carnitas-loving, all-grown-up man-child of ours may be arriving this weekend, along with his wonderful girlfriend. I've got half a pork shoulder roast in the freezer, and at least half of that smashed pumpkin left....
wait.
I believe I just mentioned that our children will be arriving within the week for the holiday.
Excuse me, won't you, while I interrupt my customary nonchalant composure for a brief, uncontrollable outburst of happy?
thankyou. I feel better now.
Sunday:Spagetti Carbonara and salad or soup
Let's get a head start, shall we, on all those who are waiting til Thanksgiving day to indulge in some high calorie deliciousness? Around here, the food fest starts when the loved ones walk in the door.
And what says "I love you, let's party" more fragrantly than a plate of pasta, eggs, cheese and bacon?
We'll be careful about cholesterol again starting Monday (maybe), I promise.(pretty much)
If there's any of that pumpkin left, I'll be turning it into soup, though I'm afraid with pumpkin 3 times in a week, we may soon look like this:
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| actually....I'm pretty sure that we'd all find waking up orange absolutely hilarious. I wonder if it could really happen? |
Serendipity. It's the ability to make desirable
discoveries by accident.
And it comes, sometimes, to those who step (or
mistep) bravely (or timidly) towards the unknown and imperfect. It comes to adventurers like you.
I hope it finds you and you see it- today's accidental happiness.
And I hope you find yourself, in that moment, defying gravity.
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