This and That

It's been H O T for the last week and a half, (would you believe 110 - 112 degrees? On top of that, the humidity is spiking due to monsoonal activity) and I've turned into a lazy slug and don't even want to turn on the stove unless absolutely necessary.

The new fridge arrived on time (see Death of a Refrigerator), but there were a few kinks to work out. One, it wasn't leveled properly. Two, the right-side door didn't open properly. It made a distinct clunking at the halfway point and then would not close on its own, as we've all come to depend on over the years. After two service calls in the first week, I think the problems have been corrected. All that's left is replacement of a piece below the door which got scratched due to a piece missing in the hinge of the door.

Aside from all that, we've been trying to eat leftovers and stuff from the freezer as much as possible. Sunday evening a few guys came over and we grilled top sirloins we had in the freezer. Also I made my favorite gazpacho, a mixed bean and pasta salad, and a fruit salad. Prepping was a bit of a challenge, as we are being rather stingy with the a/c after receiving our last power bill.


We've taken to using the grill and its side burner more, and also we had, unopened in the garage for over a year, a perfectly fine convection oven/toaster which is big enough to hold two quarter sheet pans. Hey, these save turning on the oven and/or stovetop.

In this kind of heat, we just don't have a hearty appetite at dinnertime anyway, so this has worked out really well. I'm keeping my eyes open for things that lend themselves well to outdoor cooking, including the crockpot and electric pressure cooker, both of which can be plugged in outside.

What I have planned:

Last week I made a clean-out-the-freezer stock using lots of chicken backs, wing tips, tomato scraps, corn cobs, and the usual stuff like onion, celery, carrot, bay, thyme and peppercorns. It has a distinct Mexican flavor from the corn cobs, so I am thinking of doing a large batch of pozole for the freezer. Unfortunately, I'll have to do it inside, so I'll just endure for a couple of hours.

Went to see the DaVinci Code two weeks ago, and we really enjoyed it. It followed very closely the book. I'm so glad it's done well, just to prove all the critics wrong. Now we're looking forward to seeing Cars, which comes out today, and also Prairie Home Companion.

On TV most of our favorite shows have gone into reruns, but the new season of BBC America's Footballers Wives began last Sunday, and it just keeps getting better and better. If you get BBC America, check out this show. It's awesome!!!

Having a DVR from Time-Warner has changed our lives; it's just too easy to watch shows now, including my soap, All My Children, which I've watched since its first year of 1970. Any other fans out there? Have you ever watched a show and you can't decide if you love it or hate it, whether it's good or just plain unbelievably stupid? If you watch AMC, you know what I mean, but it's like a bad habit you can't break. At this point, I can't just drop it.

Right now I'm reading The Rule of Four, and then I'll get back to The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I'm on the third one and they are all easy and fun reads.

Tonight for dinner we both want something grilled and a simple potato salad, so that shouldn't be too much effort to expend in the heat, although today it's ONLY going to be a cool 102 degrees, so we are happy about that.

Our new nextdoor neighbors Fred and Gonzalo are coming by Sunday night for a light dinner, maybe burgers, etc. just to give them a break after moving into their new house.

That's all for now. More later.