I am on a forced break until 2 o'clock. I have vowed, for the next 20 minutes, to not engage in any logistics related emails or phonecalls. I also kind of want to cry. You see, today I baked a delicious casserole*, but then I suddenly panicked: What if, the casserole's juiciness was because really the egg was slightly raw, even though I could not taste the rawness, and serving it as is would give my family salmonella? I hastily shoved the casserole back into the oven. The result: A dried mess of something that had the potential to be glorious.
The metaphor's meaning was not lost on me, but as I tried to reassure myself that even confident people ocassionally have salmonella freakouts that may cause them to burn a casserole, I realized that the bigger problem was that I had other issues my casserole freakout was trying to mask: Earlier today, I babbled on the phone, unable to articulate my needs or desires, unsure of myself, nervously discussing a topic I did not want to discuss. Courage to articulate my desires or say no to an undesired (even if well intentioned) question, is so much more important than whether or not one ocassionally burns a casserole.
On the bright side, I do really like the casserole recipe, which I will proceed to share, as I engage in delusions that sharing a recipe on the internet makes me a true gormand:
Spice mix:
cilantro, oregano, basil, zaatar, turmeric, pepper, cumin
Other ingredients:
Canned black beans
Canned kidney beans
An egg
Muenster cheese
Gouda cheese
Olive oil
Drain beans.
Take spice mix. Put in pan. Pour in olive oil and beans. Mix. Mash beans thoroughly.
Crack egg and scramble. Pour scrambled egg into pan. Mix.
Slice cheeses into little pieces. Mix well, so the cheese is scattered through out.
Put in oven till ready.
I know (despite my moment of panic) how to tell if it's ready by looking at it or testing it with a fork, but don't know how to advise others. Timing depends on the specific oven, as well as how much you preheat it. I cooked mine in the toaster oven, on the broil setting, at 500, and it got ready in literally ten minutes - but the oven had been on for quite a while, because it was in use for most of this late morning/early afternoon....and, with that bit of obfuscation, I've gotten rid of any pretensions I had about being a gormand.
* Ok, it was not in a casserole dish, hence technically not a casserole. It was in a tinfoil bakepan, because I am lazy. In my defense, when I do use tinfoil, I reuse it before throwing it out, in order to be slightly environmentally conscious.
