One of my favorite piece of equipment…

Today (Friday) I almost went into a panic episode.  It was almost time to have lunch (I was so into trying to finish the quilt this year) that when I went to pull the stuff out for my lunch my empty stomach had a breakdown.  No enough lettuce for my usual grazing!  That meant that I had to get some lettuce out and all the equipment for the ceremonial event of getting the lettuce ready for my consumption.  Those chemicals with some lettuce added as an afterthought that I used to buy (you know those ones that all you have to do is put it on a plate) I don’t even touch that stuff, unless I am being fed in someone else’s home, and then I get my dosage of chemicals that way.  Have you noticed the smell that comes out when you open that plastic bag?  Pure adulterated chemistry class when I was a freshman in high school.  It takes my breath away, literally.  So imagine what it does to my 62+ organs.  Lord have mercy!

Let’s go back to the moment before the chemicals got me into dreaming of other times in my life.  So I take all my equipment out, start the cutting, rinsing (3 times) and then put the lettuce through the centrifugal force of my salad spinner.  Yes it has a name.  I almost forgot there for a moment.  Neurons, I know my muses have taken vacation, don’t you dare to do the same to me now.  Then after the lettuce has been exposed to violent force, I take the pieces out almost one by one to make sure I won’t be putting in my mouth some dilapidated stuff.  You would think I am going to live forever the way I take care of my lettuce.  Who knows what the heck is being cooked in my insides.  But in the meantime, I just worry about being happy with my very selective lettuce.  Then, the process of cleaning all of that equipment (not just the spinner, may I add) is to make the most motivated individual wish there was not lettuce on the planet.  Finally, after all of this has been going on, for about half an hour, then the preparing of the salad starts.  I am so hungry by then, that I need to grab some junk crackers from my pantry to calm the noise and the revolt going on in my stomach.  Then I need to set the table for one, turn on my “lunch soap”, Atrevete a sonar, and finally I sit to enjoy one of my pleasures of the day.  Because after that salad, I get to have two squares of my oh, delightful…72% cocoa piece of chocolat!

Life could not be better at that moment.  That chocolat is sooooooo  gooooood!!!

Then reality knocks on my door again…time to clean dishes.  Life is so complicated!  Work, work, and more work.  Then have to think what in the world I am going to have for dinner.  Ron used to tell me that I was the only person that he knew that would be thinking about the next meal right after finishing one.  I responded, well, if you plan ahead, you don’t have to eat “garbage.”

Thanks God the day only has 24 hours.  I don’t think I could deal with more time to work and plan what to eat.

Bon apetit!

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  The word junk just brought some cute memories.  Let me share.  My step-grandson, Ian was visiting one day when we used to live in Florida.  They were going back home and then all of a sudden, Ian calls me aside and whispers on my ear “abuelita, do you have some junk food in your pantry, because I am hungry.”  Oh, my, the boy was hungry and wanted the real deal, his share of junk for the day.  I ended up giving him some crackers, and then his little brother, Logan, wanted some of this “junk” also.  Only “junk” available were saltine crackers, but they didn’t know any better.  They were happy and so were their parents.  Hooray for the “junk” that saved the day.

See you next Monday!