Enter....Mr. Domestic!!!

This week I decided I am going to make a few changes in life. I think I have finally found my true calling, and I am ready to fully embrace it. I am going to give up teaching to become....wait for it... a stay at home dad!!!! Yeah, that's right, Mr. Mom. Society is changing and I'm going right along with it, no more about woman belonging in the kitchen (that is so 1960's), and the man being the bread WINNER. I want to be the bread MAKER. Pretty exciting I know and I
am sure all you fine folks out there will support me in this decision.
OK, ok...I confess I don't think I could really do this. Still too passionate about teaching those darn high school kids their literature, but still...
Actually all these pictures follow me through my tuesday afternoon and evening. My two groupmates were out of town for the week, and I was determined to continue forward in making the complete meal for the group of 9 of us without them and without anyone elses help, though Mary kindly helped me out in the last minutes before supper with the salad and dressing just to relieve some stress as I was getting exhausted. Come along through my gruelling day in the throes pains and joys of tending to a household.

STEP ONE: 1:Go to John and Margaret's, our local green grocer that is just two blocks away. They supply us with all the fresh fruit and veggies we need in the flat. They are great people with always something interesting to say. John and I always manage to jaw over something, music, guitars, life, and this week he helped me pick out some special vegetables to spice up my casserole. What a good man! I think Margaret hates me.
Step Two: Arrive at the flat. Suit up in the proper attire for the day. This week I found an apron I have never seen before in the drawer, which is in sweet shades of green that, yes match my bandana. Always important when your worried about fashion in the kitchen. Pour over various recipe books the night before and day of to figure out what desserts would best complete the meal. I love this particular book and have exhausted all the ones that have a tantalizingly delicious picture to accompany them. Double layer Carrot Cake, German Chocolated Cake, a fancy rolled banana nut cake/bread (quite a proud achievement) and a few others too good to mention.
What's On the Menu:
Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
I buy a bunch of random shit and throw it in dishes with cream of chicken and mushroom soups for sauce.
Premeal salad-- Bluegrass Salad
Romaine lettuce leaves, with walnuts, cranberries, blue cheese chunks and a special dressing
For Dessert-- 2 things
Apple Sauce Cranberry Oat Bars
Special Bread Pudding




STEP THREE: 2:00-Start chopping up the veggies. Carrots, Potatoes, Rudabaga lookalike veggie that we didn't know what it was, boil the peas, cut up and fry the chicken breasts, mushrooms, a special type of onion that I can't remember the name of and store if for a while. 3:00-Baked the first dessert with Apple sauce and cranberries mixes with cinnamon spread over a brown sugar oat crust.
Side Note: We have three new guests staying with us for a few days, and I had to make sure to impress all three. Anyway one was Mary's friend Caroline, Awesome girl who was making Nottingham her last stop before flying home after spending January in Greece and Turkey. Strangely she got bitten by a dog in Turkey at the beginning of her trip, and thus was having to get rabies shots, and the medication required that she become a temporary veagan which really sucks. No eggs, no dairy, proteins or the like and worst of all alcohol!! Very difficult but we gladly accomodated her. I made two desserts so that she could eat one. My bread pudding had milk and eggs so I made these vegan friendly bars so she could enjoy dessert. No one should miss out on the best part of the meal.
Our other two friends were Eda and Katie, both friends from Luther College. Katie was one of my buddies on the trip to Mexico last january so we spent some time catching up. Both these girls are tons of fun, and we made sure to show them a bit of what English Pubs are like. They left midday today for Ireland, but will return next monday for a bit of Night life before they go back to Spain for the semester. Great Girls, it was fun to have some new faces around the flat.
Kevin and I moved out for the two nights so they could sleep in our beds, but of course we haven't washed our sheets in...oh...let's just say it's been awhile.
StEP FOUR: Take a break from cooking wash up my hands, and take care of the laundry at various intervals. While cooking all day I did three loads of laundry, not to mention making sure Mary's clothes were dried which she forgot in the washer, (a real pain, J/k).
STEP FIVE: 5:00- Throw the whole casserole together Sprinkle salt and pepper over it, cover it in a layer of corn flakes (thanks for the tip Mary) and pop it in the oven for an hour and a half.

STEP SIX: 5:45-While the casserole is cooking time to work on the bread pudding. I was going to do something fancy to impress, but I had already made one dessert and the day was long. It still proved to be a challenge, and making the caramel sauce was kind of an experiment in action. -Pop that in the oven, 6:45- Pull Casserole's out and make sure table is ready and start finishing things up. start tearing lettuce for salad, until Mary takes over.
FINALLY!!!
7:00- SUPPER TIME! ( I do apologize for this long account of cooking a meal but it is a major milestone for me. One that may not be revisited for a while!)

I am by this point very exhausted. I hardly went anywhere but the kitchen and laundry room all day, but who knew spending this much time in the kitchen could be so exhausting. Hats off to all you mums and pops out there who do this regularily. Truly an admirable feat!
Kinda a crappy artsy pic. There are our two new friends, Katie in the background and Eda closer to us.
I look happy and oh so very young! I don't like the picture, but I'll sacrifice my discontentment for such a joyous face.
There she is folks. Mary is making her debut next to yours truly for the first time on my Blog.
She is absolutely adorable, but made ever so much more attractive really wearing that Journey Shirt. Check it...