What’s Cooking? #MondayMusings #OpenBookBlogHop #Inspiration

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “Have you or any of your characters experienced cooking disasters?”

Before my late husband Bill suffered two debilitating strokes, he was a good cook, despite having no eyesight. If I’d known he’d end up in a wheelchair with only the use of one arm and leg, I would have paid more attention when he cooked and learned how to make his favorite meals.

After his strokes, Bill could only sit in his wheelchair at the kitchen table and tell me what I needed to do. I mastered the preparation of pork chops and dishes like oatmeal and meatloaf. But I never learned how to peel or chop fruits or vegetables, mash potatoes or perform other more complex tasks, and due to my limited vision, I couldn’t without the hands-on instruction I would have gotten if I’d asked him while he could still cook. So, I was limited in what I could fix. There were catastrophes, and I mentioned some in the below excerpt from my memoir, My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

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One time, while I was making goulash, I discovered we were out of whole tomatoes, so Bill suggested using sauce instead. The sauce turned out to be tomato paste, and the macaroni ended up in clumps. Another time, I made enchilada casserole, and while it was in the oven, the lid of the dish broke, leaving bits of glass embedded in the casserole.

Just when I’d thrown the whole thing out, there came a knock at the front door. Our front porch light wasn’t working, and it was dark, so I couldn’t see who was there. When I pulled the door open a crack, my nostrils were assailed by the aroma of pepperoni, onions, and other delights. “Did you order a pizza?” asked a friendly male voice. For one second, I was tempted to say yes, but my conscience intervened, and I opened a couple of cans of soup for supper.

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How about you? Have you experienced any cooking disasters? If you’re an author, have you written about such bloopers? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses.

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

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