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Leaking and Vulnerability

26 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by fivenineteen in Uncategorized

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crying, drama, fitness, frustration, home repair, kitchen, leaks, planks, plumber, sink, water, workout

I’m having one of those weekends where I really hate being a homeowner.  I just want to pull up stakes and run away!  Arrrghh!

This time it’s the kitchen sink plumbing.  And maybe the dishwasher has crapped out too.  I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.  And that’s why I feel so damn vulnerable when shit like this happens. 

And I feel even more like a ding-dong on how I discovered this problem.  The other night I was digging for something deep in the cupboard under the sink – a spray bottle for my plants or something.  And there it was – a puddle of water about a half-inch deep on the floor of the cupboard.  And the plastic bottles and stuff sitting in said puddle were all moldy when I pulled them out.  Ew ew ew!!

I about puked!  How long in the hell has that puddle of water been there?  Where else is it leaking?  What does this mean…is it a simple leak fix or do I need to replace everything?  And how much are new dishwashers these days?

So as I mind was racing I sacrificed a couple of old towels for the cleanup job of the moldy puddle.  And I tried not to beat myself up too bad mentally but it was too late.  Old habits are hard to change sometimes. 

Then I wanted to figure out what was causing the leak to calm my mini panic attack. Was it just the dishwasher or was it the sink too?  I ran the dishwasher on a quick rinse cycle and sure enough, water leaked again.  I guess it’s all connected through the sink drain too though?  I don’t know.  But then I ran the sink and it didn’t leak at all.  I went to sleep that night somewhat satisfied.  OK, I found a problem, I’ve cleaned up what I can and I think I know what caused it. And I need help to fix it.

Although now this morning it leaks too when I run the sink faucet.  OK, OK, time to call my plumber.  This is where I should remember to be grateful, as years ago I got referred to a wonderful plumber by a friend here in the area.  She and I are not in contact any longer sadly (no drama – people sometimes come and go in our lives and it’s OK), but R the plumber has been my hero quite a few times here in the townhouse, and I’ve referred him to a couple of friends with great success.  See my Refrigerator Drama post from a couple of years ago for a hilarious recap of what it took to get a new refrigerator ready to install. [I use the word ‘hilarious’ loosely and sarcastically, be warned.]  Ah, there are my words “…my post from a couple of years ago.”  September 2010 it was.  OK, going that long between needing plumbing repairs isn’t TOO bad, right?  Back in 2008 or so he helped me out quite a bit – the water supply connector for one of my toilets had failed (there we go with a leak again) and so we agreed to proactively replace all of the water supply connectors and those twisty turnoff valves that go into the wall for every toilet and sink upstairs and down. Mine were still the old school type and outdated – and starting to fail.  Whew, it was pricey but great peace of mind.  OK, that makes me feel a little better now.  Guess it really is every two years or so.

Stuff like this happens all the time with homeownership, right?  Of course I know the answer is yes.  My townhouse is 32 years old.  Heck, I know newer construction has its problems too.

And OK, I’ll say it.  When home repair problems pop up, it reminds me just how much I hate being single.  Funny how the brain works sometimes with a leap like that.  Now I know I’m not truly ‘alone’ in the sense that I have great friends, family and a lot of people very happy to help me out.  It’s hard to explain, for as much as the help is always so much appreciated, I still sometimes feel like I’m swimming upstream alone.

Yeah, I even cried a bit too.  You know what, I even teared up a teeny tiny bit this past Thursday at the gym.  This was my second workout with my trainer, B, and I arrived with my brain in knots.  It was kind of a tough day at work, my car was on fumes and I was crawling along in unexpected traffic hoping I could get my car a couple quick gallons of gas, not run out of gas in traffic, and not be late for my training appointment (I have to leave work a little earlier than usual which is fine; I was stunned at how bad traffic was on the route I chose). 

So while I was excited to work out, my brain still needed to unwind and refocus.  B started me out with these planking exercises that were way beyond where I am right now in my ability.  Of course when he demonstrated them he made them look easy.  I can do various planking exercises but with not as many reps or for as long of course.

Anyone ever tried planking where you’re on your side, propped up with your forearm AND holding a medium-sized fitness ball between your feet?  Then you raise and lower yourself up and down, keeping your body in a straight line.  Oh dear Lord – that fitness ball makes it super unstable (as it’s supposed to) and while I did eek out a few raises on my right side, my left side was an epic disaster – I rolled all over the place and could hardly do one lift.  B made an interesting point that I’m probably slightly stronger on my right side because of hockey.  I’m a left-handed shot and so my body is used to twisting more in that direction so my core’s in slightly better shape on the right.  Interesting theory!  He says he sees it all the time with golfers too.  So I’ve got a ways to go with that exercise – what an eye opener.  But a frustrating way to start off our session.  I ended up attempting a few planking side lifts without the fitness ball.

I think B picked up on how frustrated and upset I was.  We moved onto other work, mostly focusing on upper body, shoulders, back, triceps and pecs.  Plus some lunges too.  I really enjoy the upper body workouts because it helps me fight off tension from being at a desk all day.  And my muscle tone has really declined.  I want to be able to wear tank tops and feel great without saggy triceps and that darn ol’ ‘back/bra chubby’ bulge we as women are so prone too in our mid back. Yay, middle age!

So that’s the deal…I’m hoping to hear back from R soon so this sink problem can get fixed.  In the meantime, time for a bucket and towels underneath!

I almost called this post “Leaking in the Sunshine,” because the weather has been so wonderful these past few days…we cherish the end of August!  But then I changed my mind.

‘Leaking in the sunshine’ sounds like someone’s peeing outside.

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Well hello again, Food Processor

16 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by fivenineteen in Uncategorized

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cooking, counter space, food processor, kitchen, pantry, recipe, Tupperware

 

…and time to change it up in fivenineteen land in here a little!  How do you like what I’ve done with the place? 🙂

So it’s that still, grippy grey outside again.  So silent this morning it woke me up.  No wind, no rain, no cars on the road.  Damn, did everyone leave town except me?

And I’ve just about finished up the last of that wonderful Bolognese sauce I made last week.  It keeps beautifully in a Tupperware in the fridge.  This batch went quickly so I won’t likely need to freeze any.  

Now, in last week’s post I made some comment about how I don’t mind the chopping and prep work that you could do in a food processor in a fraction of the time. Maybe I stirred the sleeping beast way deep in the back, top shelf of my pantry.

I must have been craving something completely different for this weekend’s cooking adventure.  I have a pretty decent kitchen, but it’s nowhere near the size or with the open feel that more modern kitchens have today.  Nope, it’s 1980 here in our townhouse complex, and while one of my neighbors did a glorious remodel to open up her kitchen area into a nice great-room flow, the rest of us have not yet pulled the trigger.  I’m glad I at least have a good-sized, open bar counter area on one side which looks into the dining room and a nice bay window and slider which plops out onto my back deck.  So no claustrophobia.  It’s just a small-ish kitchen with not a whole lot of spare countertop space.

And part of that countertop space is a mini-showcase of my beloved cookbooks. The rest are in the pantry…and that pantry is a hodgepodge of well, stuff you normally put in a pantry, my spices, and some cooking gadgets I don’t use super often.  And my hand mixer, a wonderful toaster oven with a mini pizza stone, waffle iron, plastic wrap, tin foil…hmmm, I think this baby is due for a major cleanout.

I took a good, hard look at those cookbooks.  How much have I REALLY used them recently?  The slow cooker recipes, raw “cooking,” vegan, Primal, Italian food, American Southwest…time to pull one off the display and try something different, I told myself.

So I reached for Caprial’s Bistro-Style Cuisine, by Caprial Pence.  (That’s “kuh PREEL” on the first name, by the way.)  I have one of her other cookbooks, and way back in the day (late 1990s) she had a cooking show on our local public TV station, which is how I first found out about her, channel surfing on some lazy weekend afternoon.  Caprial’s signature are recipes that are simple but super chock-full of flavor and come together very quickly, with a big nod to the flavors of Pacific Northwest cooking.

Here’s what I whipped up – it’s chicken with a wonderful, spicy peanut sauce which you can also use on grilled prawns or fish.  The sauce has a good kick but not in a blow-your-head-off way.  Head to the Asian foods section of your grocery store!  And when she says to mix ingredients in a food processor, she means it.  I dug out my 11-cup Cuisinart, blew the dust off and took her for a spin. 

Hot-as-Hell Chicken on Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Serves 4

Peanut Sauce
2 tsp peeled, chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
2 fresh jalapeno peppers (whole, stems removed)
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C soy sauce
1 heaping C creamy peanut butter
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 C honey
2 tsp dark sesame oil

Chicken
1 tsp olive oil
4 (6 oz) chicken breast halves
1/2 C dry sherry
1 C sweet hot chile sauce
1/2 lb dried Chinese egg noodles, cooked al dente and tossed with a dash of vegetable oil
1/2 C dry roasted peanuts or cashews (I used cashews)
3-4 green onions, minced

To prepare the peanut sauce, combine the ginger, cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, vinegar, soy sauce and peanut butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the curry powder, honey and sesame oil and process until smooth.  Set aside.

In a very large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking hot.  Put the chicken breasts in the pan and brown them well, about 2 minutes on each side.  Decrease the heat to medium and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the sherry, increase the heat to high and cook until about half the sherry remains, 2-3 minutes.  Add the chile sauce and turn the breasts to coat them well. Decrease the heat to low and slowly simmer while you prepare the noodles.

Put the noodles in the pasta insert and set in a pot of boiling water or in the stock pot and cook for about 2 minutes to heat them through.  Strain the cooked noodles and place in a large bowl.  Toss them with 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce and place on a serving platter.  Remove the chicken breasts from the sauce and slice.  Place the chicken slices on the noodles and pour some of the remaining sauce over the top.  Sprinkle with the peanuts or cashews and scallions.  Serve hot.

NOTE:  I had some bowtie pasta lying around and used that instead of egg noodles.  I bet this would be great over rice too. 

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