Why Is “The Hard Way” the Most Effective Way

Yes, I’m a Senior Adult woman who’s been cooking and baking for many years. And yet . . .

I’d been working hard at some sewing and cleaning and house stuff, and I noticed what time it was. I’d thawed some dinner for David, and I checked to see how that was going and then to find what else I should/could add to the main dish. I got out a roll to also thaw, and found some frozen vegetables to add, too.

I checked the suggested temperature and cooking time. I opened a cabinet to get something to put those vegetables on, to bake in the oven, popped them in, and set the timer on my phone so I’d know when to go back and retrieve them. Then I went back to that cleaning work.

When the timer went off (and I felt so well-organized to have remembered to set that timer), I went back to the kitchen. I opened the oven to to this:

The item I used to hold the broccoli tots was the glass lid to one of my large casserole dishes. And while I’m pretty sure that I’ve baked things in that casserole dish, even with its lid, I’m guessing that the lid itself wasn’t really intended to be a baking utensil by itself.

So, here it is: glass pieces and shards, from the top rack to the bottom of the oven. And broccoli tots from the top shelf to the floor of the oven. I turned off the oven and left it open to cool. I went back a while later, removed all the glass, all the tots, and threw everything away.

And, obviously, I also need to clean the oven.

 

I removed the oven liner, which was covered in shards. I guess I might have been able to wash and clean all the shards off, but that seemed maybe a little dangerous. I threw it away, too. I had a second liner still in its box. I got that new one, and trimmed it to fit the oven floor.

There were more broccoli tots in the freezer (the last of the broccoli tots).

I got another glass container. I really felt a little anxious about this one, but I kept reminding myself of all the other things I’ve baked, successfully in the oven (meat loaf, bread), using that same glass pan.

I turned the oven back on, put the pan, with tots, in, and set the timer on my phone. Again. I kept going back and looking, and everything was fine. The container didn’t smash into shards. The broccoli tots baked nicely.

The oven liner was the last on in the box, so I ordered more.

There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.

There is a time to be born and a time to die.
There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
 There is a time to kill and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
 There is a time to cry and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad and a time to dance with joy.
 There is a time to throw weapons down and a time to pick them up.
There is a time to hug someone and a time to stop holding so tightly.
 There is a time to look for something and a time to consider it lost.
There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
 There is a time to tear cloth and a time to sew it.
There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
 There is a time to love and a time to hate.
There is a time for war and a time for peace.

 

 

 

 

 

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