It's THAT Time of the Week

I'm sitting here on a conference call with our time and billing vendor and our IT company trying to resolve a problem with the time and billing system, and my brain is thinking ahead to the evening, and the All Important Question: what am I going to fix for dinner?

My imagination tends to peter out mid-week, and we end up dropping by one of our favorite restaurants for take-out. However, this week I need to stay away from that expensive temptation, so I'm trying to flog my unresponsive mental recipe book to see what I can come up with. I'm also trying to remember what I have in the freezer for emergency meals. Periodically I'll cook a brisket, shred it, and freeze portions in freezer bags for use later on. The shredded beef can be mixed with barbecue sauce for sandwiches, made into hash with chopped onions, garlic and potatoes, or made into a lovely meat pie with the addition of puff pastry and some quick gravy.

I'll buy a trimmed brisket, put it in a roasting pan with the fat side up (so it will cook into the meat and keep it from getting dry) and pour Stubbs' marinade, or a bottle of barbecue or chili sauce, or red wine and soy sauce over the brisket. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and shove it into the oven right before bedtime. Turn the oven on to 200 degrees (do not preheat) and leave it there for about 8 hours, i.e., while you sleep. It's a little odd to wake up in the morning to the smell of roasting meat, but it gets the job done. Other people more talented than I will make mouthwatering brisket on the grill, but I haven't attempted that yet. My grilling abilities, like my sauce-making, tend to be quick and impatient, so I limit myself to steaks, chops and chicken breasts. Sagittarius needs to channel Virgo when cooking.

There is a glass of wine in my future after this day of failed time & billing program, recalcitrant (and now non-functioning) postage meter, and whatever problems are ensconced within the red message light on my phone (I'm still on the conference call). Our "house red" is usually a cabernet sauvignon, merlot or pinot noir, by either Fetzer or Beringer, depending on the budget. Sipping a glass of wine after work while fixing dinner is a conscious relaxation aid for me, a distancing from all things rushed and work-related. And as I picture myself in the kitchen with a glass of wine, I think I may try to persuade the family to accept spaghetti for dinner. (I also keep homemade meatballs in the freezer, which will be a recipe for another time.)