Out with the Old

The new arrival - seen here before it could be christened once in bright spatters of tomato sauce, and again in a festive sprinkling of cilantro - prompted a rare Thursday night meal at Master's. He had requested another cottage pie, but I was still too contentedly stuck in a veggie/vegan groove. We also didn't know for certain when "between noon and 4 PM" the stove was scheduled for delivery, so I was hesitant to plan for a dish that relied upon it being present and operable. It seemed like a good night to trot out my vegetable enchiladas, which always get a good response, modified to suit Master's negligible hot-pepper threshold. In a pinch, the electric cooktop and the microwave could be deployed to get the deed done.

I prepared a sauteed medley of vegetables at home - spinach, peppers, mushrooms, leeks, carrots, corn and petite peas - spiced with garlic and chili powder, and packed it up for the uphill trek to Master's. Once there, after ogling and cooing over the new stove, I put it to work, whipping up a very simple sauce of crushed tomatoes, shallots, garlic, icing sugar, and fresh cilantro. We assembled the enchiladas together (always fun), packed these into a ceramic casserole, and baked the works until the sauce bubbled. Over the top of my portion, I Microplaned a bit of Monterey Jack, which gave it a quick-melting texture somewhere between fluffy, newly fallen snow and tinsel. Master opted for a few of the lactose-free cheese singles by which he swears. Whatever it takes to get him - us, really - through the night with a minimum of discomfort.

The enchiladas tasted great and left us feeling full and happy.

"You can tell them that Master is very pleased and very satisfied."

And that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Now that I have a fabulous new stove at my disposal, what ever will I write about here? That old heap may have been a source of much agita and woe, but it sure did give me some good stories.