Why I Hate Electric Ovens

Asian Salad

I have an electric oven and I will never get used to it. It takes too long to heat up, doesn’t heat evenly, and, worst of all, you can never tell when it’s on, as evidenced by the many times I have turned on the wrong burner. I have turned on the wrong burner so often that my daughter has actually put up post-it notes on the dials to let me know which burners are in the front. The impetus for this was the time I thought I had turned on the back burner with the saucepan on it, when, in actuality, I had turned on the burner in the front with the Pyrex cake pan sitting on it. Luckily, no one was hurt. I did, however, cry quite a bit, since I was standing in the kitchen at the time of the explosion. Glass went everywhere. I now have a couple of melted spots on my floor from where a few of the pieces hit.

You would think this would have taught me the only lesson I would have needed, that I would double check every time I use the burners. I don’t. Even the post-its don’t help. True confession time (even my family doesn’t know this)… I exploded a Pyrex bread pan not long after the cake pan incident. Ruined a whole loaf of bread. Yup. Glass everywhere. Again. I was not in the kitchen that time and no one else was home, so rather than crying, I quickly swept everything up and threw all of the evidence away, swearing to never tell a soul of my idiocy. When my family returned, I simply said I only made one loaf of bread this time, as opposed to the usual two, because “we can never get through two of them without one spoiling”. I then went online and purchased a new loaf pan. No one even noticed the glass one had disappeared. Although, the gig is up if any of them reads this blog. And, yes, much to my dismay and embarrassment, I still turn on the wrong burner.

Asian Salad

 

Asian Orzo Salad

[adapted from Tasty Kitchen]

Dressing:

1/8 cup White Vinegar
1/8 cup Canola oil
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger
a pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Salad:

8 oz. orzo pasta
4 whole green onions, chopped
1 cup diced carrot
1 whole red pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large handful Of fresh baby spinach, chopped
½ cups slivered almonds, toasted
½ cups ramen noodles, crushed

Mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing.

Cook the pasta according to the directions until al dente. Drain and put the pasta into a large bowl. Top with all of the vegetables. Toss with the dressing and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When ready to serve top with the almonds and crushed ramen noodles.

**In the original recipe it calls for double the amount of dressing, half of which you use as a marinade for chicken, which is then grilled. It can be used as a tasty main dish this way instead of just a side salad.

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