"LUKE, I AM YOUR FATHER", it mocks me...
If it sounds like I'm angry or could take a saber to the darned thing it's because it played a cruel joke on me today. Remember how yesterday I left everything all set for dinner? And, the slow cooker was cooking a delicious beef stew for us? Well the plan was to set the rice cooker on as soon as we got in and the rice would cook as we got comfortable. That was the plan. And we all know that not everything goes according to plan....
6:00am sharp, the alarm goes off.
I go and wake up my daughter who is so excited about the first day of school. I am too, but without my regulatory 3 cups of very strong coffee I am unable to visibly share in her enthusiasm.
...My comforter is beckoning me back... I slide back into bed. What? Strange behavior for a 36 year old woman? I like to sleep. And I get ready much faster than my pre-teen daughter does... Yet, clearly she objects to this defiance against the alarm clock.
"Mama, get up! Are you getting up, Mama? C'mon, get up"
In the sleepiest semi-crankiest voice I can muster, almost inaudibly, I say, "Not yet, I'm waiting for the coffee to be done..."
"The coffee? Well you haven't even made it yet..."
"I did, I left it on auto last night when-"
"Oh, umm, so, umm, when the RED light is on, it's not really ON?"
I throw my covers over my face, 'Did you turn it off?"
"Umm yeah, because I thought it was on and that would be wasting energy and not good for the environment" she says sounding actually justified in depriving me of my morning glory, for "the environment". The environment doesn't have to drive her to school, race to work for a day full of conference calls & meetings and then rush home for dinner, homework, etc, etc, etc..!
My daughter, has been a tree-hugger since about the age of 3. But now, it's officially gone too far. This has now set the course for the rest of my day, which got more complicated hour by hour.
All in all, the fun part of the morning was watching my big girl get on the bus. I couldn't wait to hear how her first day of middle school went. She promised to email me at 4pm and let me know how her day went. 4pm comes and this is what I get:
"My locker hates me :-("
Me: Your locker doesn't hate you! You're locker is just shy :-)"
Her response: (crickets, crickets)
It's now 5pm and I am starving! Ravenous, actually. When we get home we are greeted by the sounds of Lucky's ceremonious howling, which translates into "Hello! Where have you both been all day! I'm ready to play! And I want treats! Yes, give me treats and then play!"
We are also greeted by the warm aroma of herbs, spices and the deliciousness of Carne Guisada, a Caribbean stew. I now just have to add water to the rice cooker, and as I'm doing this, she tells me she needs an additional binder for school.
"No problem! We can leave the rice cooking for 20 minutes and then come home to dinner ready to go...", I say as grab my keys again. Good thing the rain boots never came off!
Well, we went and got what we needed and returned home to that tantalizing aroma of our beef stew luring us toward the kitchen. With childish anticipation, I opened the rice cooker expecting to see warm fluffy rice, ready for the taking, and instead I find hard rice still swimming in cold waters. Treachery!
My old rice cooker turned on when you plugged it in. Not this one! I realized today, after taking a long hard look, that the new one, is not just a mere cooking gadget. No friends, don't be fooled! What appears like a harmless appliance is masked by a more sinister purpose, likely devised by clandestine Special Ops forces to starve single working moms and their impatient kids.
Being hungry, after a bad, hectic day is only made more complicated by how delicious the food smells and also by a hungry little monster that keeps lurking in the kitchen asking when will dinner be ready.
In the end, we turned a rough day around, had a nice dinner together and spent some quality time.
I pray that tomorrow is a better day. I've had about 2 litters of Diet Pepsi today alone. That can't be good... I just went in the kitchen to make peace with R2-D2.... overall, it does cook a mean rice dish. I'll chalk this one up to a misunderstanding, and I'll be more careful with the buttons next time.
Isn't it funny how a bad day can sometimes be related to our own perspective. Somethings that happen are unavoidable, or out of our control. Others, are initiated by our perception and state of mind. I find that if we go into a situation with a negative outlook, or already aggravated, we may not see the positive that is right in front of us, or to be able to turn the situation around with a brighter outcome.
Next time you're aggravated, remember to take a step back, breathe and ask yourself to for just 2 minutes, entertain a totally different, and more positive perspective. In the end, nothing may change, but what do we have to lose? It doesn't hurt to try. We never know what we may find...
.... May the force be with you!
Oh, and there was a small treat involved at the end of the day... Pistachio Pudding.
It's one of my favorites! Actually, I use it to frost a Pistachio Cake. It's my mom's favorite, and she doesn't even like sweets. I'll give you the recipe for the cake at a later date.... For now, here's the pudding...
Pistachio Pudding
I find that a shot glass, per person. is the perfect serving. You can accompany with 2 Maria crackers for texture and presentation.
- One packet of Jello Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix (don't follow the directions....)
- Add half a pint of heavy whipping cream
- Add one cup of whole milk
- With a hand mixer, blend together until whipped and airy.
Pistachio Flan is on the also menu around Christmas time, stay tuned!
Muy Buen Provecho!
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