Wednesday, September 17, 2008

My audition for Hell's Kitchen

So in my family I'm known as the best a great an okay a horrible cook but hey I try. It was a bit chilly here today and some of the leaves have started to fall so it really felt like fall weather. My kids and I decided to make chocolate chip pumpkin bread. They were excited since I rarely let them help in the kitchen do to my exceptional lack of cooking skills, I need to concentrate to make the perfect eatable meal.
So I mixed the sweet bread mix (yes I make nothing without a mix) together and then grabbed the can of pumpkin filling to put in and realized I'd left my can opener at the condo I stayed at this past weekend. Now when I packed it I thought to myself, "Self, I'm sure they have can openers at the condo." and then my self talked back to me and said, "but you love your can opener and it doesn't take up much space so you might as well take it." I don't know why I ever listen to myself because you know what I did? Ya I left my can opener at the condo (of course you knew that I already told you that). So since the sweet bread was already mixed up and a can opener isn't really something you borrow from your neighbors (although again I shouldn't listen to myself I should have sent my oldest over to the neighbors house to borrow a can opener, you'll see why if you choose to read on).
So here are the tools that I tried in order to get the pumpkin out of the can and into my bowl.
Yes let's see we have

  1. a baby spoon
  2. a table spoon
  3. a butter knife
  4. a bottle opener
  5. a large sharp knife (that by the way does not cut through metal)
Beautiful I know! So here's why I have so many sophisticated okay stupd tools. I used the bottle opener to try to pry open the can one crack at a time, when it would only do part of it without ripping the can apart I then tried to cut in between the pried pieces. When that didn't work I tried to use a butter knife to get the lid to flip back a little but again no luck! So then I tried to spoon it out and eventually grabbed a baby spoon and pushed it out through the 2nd whole. Genious I know, that is what you're all thinking, right? I'm sure it's what you'd all do, right?
So here is the can after I'd won the battle.
Doesn't it look like it lost?

and here is my lovely pumpkin in the bowl after the battle


So after I battled the pumpkin I was on to the best part, putting the dough in the bread pan and cooking it. Okay so that's not quite the best part but we're getting closer. I read the instructions and realized it would take me over an hour to cook the bread but only 20 minutes to make muffins and since my boys wanted these for their after dinner snack I figured I'd go with muffins.
So after all that, here is the final result, worth all the effort. mmmmmmm yum!
Not sure I'd make it on the actual show Hell's kitchen but I tell you what this was my own personal version of Hell's kitchen! :)

3 comments:

Jessica Ryan said...

LOL at your can opening prowess! LOVE LOVE LOVE anything pumpkin!!!!

TL said...

Thanks! My mother-in-law just called to tell me she has my can opener. I'm so glad since I'm pretty sure I will not be trying to open any more cans without it! :)

SweetAbbs said...

Um maybe your self should tell you to get a back-up can opener.....and you should listen to yourself! I just got one and its saved me a few times. I probably would have just thrown the can away and fed the kids chocolate chips as their after dinner snack! Kudos to you for perseverance. :)