Short order cook

I have of course forgotten what I already wrote about my trip, so if much of this is a repeat, too bad. That is what happens when your memory goes south. You repeat yourself sometimes. You repeat yourself sometimes.

Poor Late was very ill. Her illness has about 56 letters to it and I am still not sure how to spell it or pronounce it. She also had pneumonia, so I had to watch her for breathing difficulties. Stress, tiredness - someone had to keep an eye out. She is like me - she will run herself to the ground if no one stops her. I eventually found the hospital on Oracle Road, but we fortunately didn't need it.

I offered my services as chief cook and bottle washer. That may seem like an unusual way to spend a vacation, but I didn't mind it at all. I cleaned most of the house before Late and Son arrived. In the morning, I hopped off the floor and offered to make breakfast.

Of course, I forgot that there is a reason I don't cook in the mornings. It's the same reason that led to me dropping the glass on the carpet and causing the cranberry juice to spray 10 feet up the wall. I am clumsy and a bit mentally slow before 10 am. I got up at 8 am, as usual. That would be Mountain Time, not my usual Eastern Daylight Time. It's rare that I don't adjust right away to time changes. I think that means I actually slept until 11 am, but by my local time, I was up until 5 am anyway.

I asked Son what he wanted. Eggs, of course. So I peeled some potatoes and fried them up - I still don't know how I peeled the potatoes. We didn't have a peeler. I don't remember how I did that. We also didn't have a paring knife. Somehow, I made country fries without the skins. I asked how he wanted his eggs, and realized I am limited in my skills. Luckily, he asked for them over. Bad for him, he didn't tell me how much to cook them. I can't stand the sight of a gooshy egg, so he got them over hard the first day. I also cooked bacon and peeled some oranges to set on the side of the plate. I shared my cranberry juice. He didn't get the raspberry stoli to go with it.

He didn't even complain that the eggs were hard. Late wanted the same thing, but I added sweet red peppers and portabella mushrooms to her potatoes. Son didn't want those.

I ate a donut. I do not like to eat grease when I wake up. I normally have something like a piece of toast, but we didn't have a toaster. So I had a donut.

Day two, I made eggs again, over medium. I figured I was making progress. No potatoes were requested. They made toast in the oven using the broiler. I snuck some cut up apples on the their plates. I had another donut.

Day three, they said I was making great breakfasts, but was I possibly poisoning them, since I refused to eat any of it? I sighed, and cooked a scrambled egg. Cooked it hard. I cut up some portabella, cooked it, and stuck them in a flour tortilla. They looked at me like I was nuts, but were happy I ate some "real" breakfast.

Day four, Son wanted an omelette. I had never made one before. They gave me some directions, and I tossed some cheese and ham into a big mess of egg, and folded it in half. Everyone was happy. Me too, since I had a new skill. Late had one also. By this time, I was on to cinnamon rolls. They gave me the evil eye, but I still don't like grease in the morning.

I had forgotten how much I like to cook breakfast food. I just don't like to eat it very much. It's a little difficult with just one pan, but I was able to put sausages into the one pot with a little water, and then toss them into the frying pan after the eggs came out. I cooked the eggs with bacon grease, which was something new for them.

They made fun of my "dirty eggs." They do look dirty when made with bacon grease. Personally, the amount of bacon grease needed is not a worry because I eat eggs maybe 3 times a year. Not every day! I just think they have more flavor that way.

The first day I told Son, age 17, that I would cook his breakfast, but he needed to do his own dishes. He agreed. Later, I notice his version of doing dishes. He had put his dishes next to the sink, right over the dishwasher, and they weren't even rinsed. Oh well, chief cook and bottle washers can deal with that.

I did enjoy making the breakfasts, even though I wasn't eating them and the facilities were a bit like camping. The house is lovely, it will just take them time to get everything in place. 

I might take a toaster with me next time.