Impatience in the Kitchen

This is the AWESOME package that my parents sent us!! =) Aren't they great?!?!

Ken decided to throw some yeast packets in box so that i could overcome my fear of yeast. Well its not so much a fear but an unknown area that i haven't charted yet. I've never really baked with yeast before but i guess its about time i grow up and over come my fear. And ken added that i needed to work on my patience. haha yeah...i don't really have patience in the kitchen for things like that. I am one of those people that stand over the huge pot of water waiting for it to boil. I truly believe that by staring at it will make it boil quicker while the whole time i'm banging my head on the stove thinking i have the slowest stove EVER! I have had a lot of experience with impatience in the kitchen.

story time!!!

"Once when i was about 15 or 16 it was christmas eve at my dads and we were making our christmas dinner(i've had two christmas dinners every year since i was 8, divorced parent thing). well i was doing most of the cooking. I had just finished making the stovetop stuffing with the burner on extra high of course and had biscuits in the oven. Well...I was sick of waiting for them to cook and getting, of course, impatient. So i slammed my right fist down onto the stove saying, loudly, "Why are these taking so long?!" (they had been in the oven maybe 5 minutes). Well that fist was slammed onto the just-turned-off-extra-high-heat burner. Needless to say my hand was fried on one side. Yup, and the funny thing is is that it wasn't my hand that was bugging me (even though it was blistering like crazy and if i opened my hand/fist the skin would crack all over being very painful and making it impossible to open presents in the morning)after that, it was that papa! made me leave the kitchen! so i wouldn't burn myself again. But i did take those darn biscuits out of the oven. =)"
end of story

next story!!

"Once upon a time, i was a college student, young single good looking awesome great humble wonderful thoughtful oh did i mention humble? =) Well I was making dinner in the oven(i know, you're already thinking oh great, what is she going to do this time!). I believe that it was nacho's, or my pizza bread, or possibly some other weird creation. But the broiler was on high to crisp up whatever it was that i was making because i was too impatient to wait for the normal oven to heat it up. Like ever good kitchen woman knows, you never have the broiler on high with the pan on the top rack and close the oven door. You will forget about the dish and end up eating wendy's on your porch because the smell of your so-called "dinner" is nothing but ashes and upsets your stomach. So i being awesome left the door open. And even though i was hoovering infront of the door the whole time it still ended up burning a bit more than i wanted but i saved it. While reaching into the oven with a small hotpad in hand i grabbed my pan just intime to make it edible but not before i touched my left forearm onto the red hot broiler coil...Yeah....can you say ouch??! I definitely did but it didn't phase me. I figure,"Nah, its not that bad! Sure... the skin is gone. my arm is pulsing, along with the throbbing pain of the heat killing my skin cells, and the raw pinkness fleshyness is hurting like crazy and that it was starting to ooze a fluid of some kind and that any movement of my forearm along with flexing was extremely painful. But honestly victoria you'll probably get a worse one later on in life. This is a mere flesh wound!" Well with my roommates constant push i ran it under some cold water to cool it down and stop the throbbing although it persisted for a couple days later. Soon the burn healed to make an awesome scar! Which is still visible today especially in cold weather. But i am proud to say that i didn't drop the pan nor did i get angry at the food, i ate it with great satisfaction in my cooking/battle scar!"
end of story

One more story!!

"Once when i was a young grill cook at Cosmo's Connection in the Cannon Center(old one) at Helaman Halls I came to learn that a clear latex like glove does NOT work as a spatula or tongs. With bacon sizzling on the hot grill and no spatula in sight i figure, "if i am really quick, with my boss not looking i will flip it with my hand. Just so you know i got away with doing this alot. And i only burned my glove once. You may be asking how did you only burn your glove once? well let me tell you, its all about the cat like reflexes that i have learned in my younger years. I was able to quickly grab the bacon and flip it with one quick motion. that's the secret, don't hesitate and it will end up alright. well the one time i did burn my glove and finger tips was when i was not all together feeling well. I think i might have been starting to get sick. Not sure though. My fingers were red and a little dry and swollen but its all good! =) The worst event that took place along with numerous arm burns on the sandwich squisher(which i call it, ps: really cool arm scars from that too but unfortunately they weren't bad enough to leave a lasting visible scar) was with the fryer. Ahhhh... that fryer and me were some good friends. We were on close terms and i talked to it while she would respond with bubbles and popping noises. I became quite courageous around this fryer and if our tongs were dirty or no where to be found and i being too impatient to look for another would simply reach into the hot oil and grab the onion ring that the cowboy burger so desperately needed to be whole. My right hand fingers probably hated me more than anything. Almost everday after work my fingers would be throbbing and i would lose feeling in them. My close friends weren't happy with this trait but honestly it didn't bother me. I kind of enjoyed the little zing of excitement there is when you reach into a fryer basket dripping with hot oil to grab that last tator tot that was to be reunited with the rest of the tots! Weird? yes, yes it is. But i came from that job with not permanent scars. bummer..."

end of story

So that brings me to the conclusion of only a couple stories that express my impatience in the kitchen. I have many battle scars and probably get one a week. But the heat doesn't bother me all that much. you should feel the water temp that i use to clean dishes. Austin can't even stand it while i am just fine using it. I don't know if its because i am weird or that it just doesn't register in my mind as being to hot for the hand but that's what and who i am.

With that knowledge you now understand ken thinks that i am impatient. So i made yeast bread last week to prove that i had enough patience to make yeast bread and do the whole let it rise for at least an hour. Just so you know i will admit that it was tough. I looked at least every 15minutes to see how it was coming along. I am weak. I know...but i am trying to get stronger!

Here is the yeast activating...

Mixing flour and other ingredients

the dough starting to rise

The dough after it has risen...

In the pan rising again...

Coming out of the oven after baking... Can you smell the goodness??? =)

Slicing the bread!!

Look how pretty it looks!!

While making the bread i thought i would make cinnamon roll cookies!! doesn't that just sound delicious!?! Well let me tell you!! They are wonderful!! i found the recipe on a blog but i cant remember which one at the moment. So while making the bread i made these too!! yum yum!! ausitn loved them! we almost all of them in one night. which was over a dozen. =) Don't they just look wonderful?!?! I am actually drooling a little bit looking at my pictures. But guess what?! I am going to make some more this very day =) Austin will be excited!! =) shh... don't tell him =) It will be a great surprise when he gets home. =)

Well if you are drooling and thinking the world is crazy to still allow me in the kitchen around dangerous objects then we are on the same page =) Have a wonderfully sweet filled day and thanks for reading this extremely long post! =)