I admit it. I'm out of
practice when it comes to cooking. Most days, I either grab something easy or
Sweetie Mom feeds me. (I've always said I'll never starve as long as she's
around.)
Recent circumstances made it
necessary that I once again put on my chef's hat and make some serious meals.
It should be like riding a bike, but uh oh - not with me. I've made many pot
roasts in my time, but my recent crockpot adventure showed I need a refresher
course.
1. I couldn't find the Bottom Round Roast I
usually use, so I bought Eye Round. No big deal, right?
2. After coating the meat with flour and herbs
to give it a nice crust, I browned it in my trusty electric frying pan. So far,
so good.
3. I popped the roast into the slow cooker,
added water, and turned it on high. I didn't want this thing cooking into the
next decade.
4. Next came the Veggies. Peel those potatoes
and carrots. Wash, cut, and set them aside to be added later. The only problem,
I made too many for my slow cooker. When the time came to add them, they didn't
all fit. Plan B - boil the leftovers separately.
5. Finally, the roast was done. The fork went in
with no problem, and it looked beautiful. When I went to slice the meat, uh oh
- it fell apart. I ended up with shredded pot roast instead of the nice slices
we prefer. Thankfully, everything tasted okay after that shaky start.
We authors sometimes have
story blunders much like my kitchen disaster. When writing The Moses
Conspiracy, I had a chapter where Ellie and her son visit the White House. They
walked up to the White House got in line, and took the tour. Wrong. A number of
years ago, the procedure changed. You now have to get tickets through your
representative. The demand for the tour and security concerns changed
everything.
Fortunately, this error didn't
appear in the published book. I caught it early in the writing process through
a casual conversation with a co-worker. Yep, I survived.
Writers: Have you experienced "story
blunders/disasters?" Please share.
Readers: What kitchen disasters have happened to you
over the years?
Photo Credit: Copyright @ Susan J. Reinhardt (Yes, folks, this is what the roast looked like when I got done with it!)
Photo Credit: Copyright @ Susan J. Reinhardt (Yes, folks, this is what the roast looked like when I got done with it!)
1 comment:
Hi Susan - this makes so much sense ... my cooking is fine for me - a different kitchen gives another take on life ... and food! Stories - I've so often changed my posts and writing - but they sit unmixed somewhere on a drive! Cheers Hilary
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