Today was a dynamic day. Last night was a chilly night, so we closed all the windows and didn't turn on the overhead fan. So about 6am, I woke up really hot. I went downstairs and let the dogs out, leaving the sliding glass door open. Then I went back upstairs and opened my window and turned on my personal fan. The window and the glass door created a breeze through the house and made it a little too cold, so I turned off my fan. I went back to sleep until 1030am.
I woke up at 1030 because my mom called. The brewery where she had gotten the spent grain before was starting a new batch of beer and would have the grain available after 1230pm. Would I have a car to go get some for myself?
No, I didn't have the car today but hubby would drop off 4 containers for her to take and fill with the spent grain. She told me they would get them filled and drop them off later.
I sort of got up. I was awake and I talked to hubby while he was getting ready for work. Then I ate some yogurt in bed, watched The Price is Right and Law&Order:SVU. I was having trouble getting motivated to get dressed and start doing things. Eventually, I did get up and feed the animals. Then I got dressed in jeans, a shirt, a sweater, and socks. It was chilly.
Today was my day to sort and purge clothes out the trunk at the foot of the bed. Hubby had put my folded clothes in there because I didn't have any place to put them away. That was about 2-3 years ago. So I started going through it and found that most of the clothes I didn't need or want anymore but there was some winter things in there that I wanted to keep, like my long robe and my winter nightgowns.
When I got done sorting, I had two full bags of clothes for donation. Then I went downstairs and emptied the dishwasher and put away all the pots and pans that were clean. My parents came by and dropped of the containers of spent grain, and then I started dinner.
Hubby complained that I was making Mexican Hamburger Casserole, saying I was making too many Mexican dishes. I had made the chicken enchiladas on Monday. I had made burritos on my birthday, and I had made the Taco Bake a week and a half or two weeks ago. But he was tired of it. So I looked and saw that I could make Sheppard's Pie instead. I used about a pound and a half of stewing beef and cut it up into small pieces. I had a can of peas and carrots and a can of corn. Frank went to the store for me and picked me up onion powder, garlic powder, tomato sauce and onions. I chopped up an onion and cooked it and the beef together. Then I added in 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of chili powder. I added half a handful of parsley and a tablespoon of sugar. Then I made one cup of brown gravy and added that. I forgot to add the tomato sauce.
Next I made 12 servings of instant mashed potatoes. I put the meat mixture in a greased 9x13 pan, and covered it with the mashed potatoes. Then I ran a fork over the mashed potatoes to make ridges and baked it in a 350 degree oven for half an hour. Then I turned on the broiler and browned the top.
It was 715pm by the time dinner was ready and Frank was already dozing. So I woke him up and we ate. Hubby was working until 9pm so I kept dinner warm in the oven until he got home. The Sheppard's Pie came out really good. It was juicy but not too much. The gravy was slightly sweet and the meat was tender. Frank liked it and had two helpings. So did I.
I was looking forward to hubby coming home, thinking he would be really happy to have this for dinner instead of the Mexican Hamburger Casserole. But no, he wasn't happy. He dished some of it up and I sat with him while he started to eat. But he picked at it and said he has been not looking forward to coming home and eating dinners for awhile. He wanted meat and sides, not casseroles. I was cheaping out on food and he was tired of it. He was tired of me stretching out the meat in dishes. He didn't like the food.
It took me an hour and a half to prep and make dinner. I have been thinking carefully about making the dinner menus, trying to provide balanced meals that are creative, not the same thing week after week. When I have been planning dinners, I plan a pound and a half of meat per dinner. I have made sure that there was veggies and a starch. I was insulted. When I planned the meals, I made up the grocery list. And then I sat down with him went over what I had planned to see if he thought it was ok or if he had any suggestions. He was fine with it. So all this was coming in out of the blue.
I don't think he understands how much he has hurt me. This has been a sense of pride for me, being able to plan, shop and cook dinners that are challenging. Yes, a couple have failed, like the chicken and rice last night. But all the rest have been successful, coming out the way I intended. He also complained about me using onion in the meals. He said "I'm am over onions." I have worked hard to make sure dinner is ready for him when he comes home or soon after. I do all the cooking on the weekdays and plan meals like pork chops for him to cook on the weekends.
I am trying to remember that he is in pain right now with the herniated disc. He can;t take his pain medication during the morning or day while he is working because then he gets fuzzy headed and can't think straight enough to be productive at work. I also don't want him driving when he takes the pain med. So I'm trying really hard to not take this personally. But it's really hard.
Tomorrow I'm making dog biscuits.
No comments:
Post a Comment