Road Trip, Part II

I slept in until 7:30 AM on Saturday. I ran through the usual morning routines. I made an fried egg sandwich with cheese and mayonnaise on toasted sourdough bread for breakfast and then headed out for the dealership. It was 30 degrees with partly cloudy skies.

I stopped and put $20 worth of gas in the loaner (you have to return it with the same or more gas than when you got it).

I got to the dealership and bailed my car out. The problem turned out to be two-fold. A fried MAP sensor and a vacuum loss from the old, cracked gasket on the gas cap. Since they had it in, I also had some preventative maintenance done they had recommended before: Draining, running a cleaning solution through and then refilling both the brake fluid and the power steering fluid.

I won’t tell you what it cost me as it would scare you (I know it scared me!)

I stopped at the Troy Kroger’s and picked up some canned (in oil) tuna fish, some milk, eggs, bread and a bag of AP flour. I was not meal-planning. I was just restocking.

Then I had to stop and fill up the car. That cost me another $40. So, I felt I had done my best to support the oil companies (both foreign and domestic, I suppose) today.

The trip back home was easy-peasy (since there wasn’t a blizzard going on today) and I got home by 11:00 AM.

Oh, before I forget, they mentioned that the “second” catalytic converter on my exhaust was going bad and they would suggest I replace it sometime in the near future. I said, “Not today. My bank account has already taken quite a hit. But, is it expensive?” He said, “Yes.” NOTE: if a Volvo dealer tells you a repair is “expensive,” be very scared and start saving!!!

Anyway, I left the car outside so I could sweep out the garage floor, which had turned into a lake from the melting snow on the rental car. I went inside, treated the very impatient cats and changed clothes. Then I started the weekend wash. I had really enjoyed listening to Ann Delisi’s Essential Music on WDET on the ride home, so I turned it on the radio in the house.

I was waiting for the garage floor to dry a bit, so I vacuumed the living room rug and then all the walk-off rugs downstairs and in the garage. I put the clothes in the dryer and set the timer.

Then I went out back with my boots on and refilled the squirrel feeder and the bird feeder.

Back inside, I made some lunch: tuna and peas over egg noodles. I hung up the clothes and then tried to take a nap. I got up, still sleepless and now disgusted, and went to work on the clock boards. I cut them down to a closer length and then marked the exact spots for the biscuits, using my big square.

It was starting to get dark, so I pulled the car back into garage and shut everything down for the night.

I needed to use the rest of the roast beef up and there was still too much to eat in one sitting (it was a big roast). So, I decided to turn it into beef vegetable soup.

I chopped a yellow onion and some celery and sauteed them in some canola oil. When they had softened, I added in three minced garlic cloves. Then I dumped in a box of beef stock.

I took the two leftover chunks of roast beef and sliced them into roughly one-inch cubes and threw them in. I added in a half of a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.

I opened a big can of whole tomatoes and put them in a bowl. I crushed each tomato with my hands and then dumped them all into the soup. Yes, I know, I could have just used diced tomatoes, but I like the home-made, rustic look and taste of the hand-crushed tomatoes better.

I though it still needed something else so I drained and rinsed a small can of garbanzo beans (chick peas) and threw them in as well. Then I addressed the leftover veggies from the roast.

I simply cut up the big carrot wedges into bite-sized chunks. Now, I loved the taste and texture of the Yukon Gold potatoes with their skins on in the roast, but thought it would be funky in soup. So, I peeled each potato piece (simple, once it has been cooked) and cut them into bite-sized pieces as well. Everything then went onto the pot.

Then I played with seasonings. I used dried parsley, thyme and oregano, salt and pepper. I threw in a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce for umami and two bay leaves from my bush. I brought that up to a boil and then let it simmer for an hour or so.

I tasted-tested it again and decided it needed a tad more salt and a whole lot more black pepper. Then I pulled out the bay leaves, turned off the heat (my cast iron Dutch oven will keep it warm for at least another hour) and dished out a bowl.

Hmmm… not bad. Not bad at all! My only regret was that I didn't have any fresh vegetable (like cabbage, spinach or maybe kale) to add in to brighten it up a bit.

I let that cool while I caught up on recent DIY taped shows and then got my “Luther” fix. I put the cooled pot in the fridge and then went to bed at 11:15.

[Sidebar: You may have noticed that I usually just stick things I have made in a pot in the fridge overnight, rather than divvying them up and freezing them on the spot. It's not that I am lazy (although I often am), but I am convinced something magical happens to soups, chili and stews when left overnight to get happy together.  I have no scientific backup for this, but I definitely believe it to be true! They always seem to taste better the next day.]