Halloween

I woke up late on Saturday and felt really lazy. It was overcast and chilly. I didn’t have a massage or haircut appointment, so I wasn’t really into it. So, I watched the news in bed (with a cup of coffee) until 10:00 a.m.

Then I finally shaved, showered and got dressed. Then I headed out on my only missions today:  My dentist office and the Kroger’s on Ford Road.

I got an invoice from the dentist saying I owed $4.00 from my last checkup. I thought I would just drop it off, rather than waste a check and a stamp. But the office was closed. I hope they don’t repossess my teeth!

So, I went to Kroger’s. I needed two things: some Hormel chili (hot – with beans) and three boxes of Mrs. T’s mini cheddar cheese pierogies.

Sidebar: In spite of my Brother Carl’s insistence, my Kroger at Five Mile in Livonia does NOT carry the Mrs. T’s brand, just those dumb Dudek ones. And, no Hormel Hot chili. But, the one on Ford Road did have the Hormel Hot chili, so I’m hoping they have the right pierogies.

But, they didn’t have anything but the Dudek pierogies! And, none of them “mini,” Dammit!

Worse yet, they no longer carry the Hormel Hot chili!!! WTF?

You suck, Kroger!

So, I bought three boxes of regular size Dudek cheddar cheese pierogies, a small head of cabbage and a block of cream cheese. Then I headed back home.

I came back on Beech Daly and, on a whim, I stopped at the little independent grocery store On Joy Road. Not only did they have Mrs. T’s mini pierogies (not the cheddar that I wanted, but a “four cheese medley” and that will work) but they had the Hormel Hot chili, both with and without beans!!!

Sidebar: I will have to remember that the next time I make homemade chili dogs. Hot, no bean chili might kick it up a notch.

Back home, I put the Dudek pierogies in the freezer. I suppose I will have to eat them “someday.” It’s not the kind of thing you can pass out to homeless people…

Then I dug out the oval slow cooker. When I did, I noticed what a hot mess that corner of the kitchen base cabinets was!

Then I put into the slow cooker three boxes of Mrs. T’s classic mini pierogies, a box (four cups) of chicken stock, the whole block of cream cheese and one pound of thin sliced smoked kielbasa.

Sidebar: I completely forgot the one cup of shredded cheddar cheese!

I turned the slow cooker on high and set my timer for two hours.

Alert: If you are not going to be home to give this a stir about half way through the cooking time, you may want to warm the chicken broth and cream cheese together in a sauce pan before adding it to the crock pot. The cream cheese may not melt evenly or could be lumpy if you are not able to give it a stir to break it up.

While I waited, I knelt down (not my knee’s favorite position) and dug out everything sitting in the corner of both the top and bottom shelves of the base cabinet.

There was a ton of old storage containers, jugs, jars and even a Sunbeam “Hot Shot” my Mother talked me into to buying.

When I dug everything out, I sat on the kitchen chair (much more knee friendly) and sorted through the mess.

Any container that didn’t have a lid or any lid that didn’t have a container went in the trash.

Sidebar: I filled up the trash can. Guess I’m gonna have to use yet another trash bag on Tuesday (sigh).

Sidebar v2: I have no idea what to do with the “Hot Shot.” It gives you a cup of steaming water to make tea or dried soup. I don’t use either. Maybe drop it off at Goodwill? Anybody want this thing?

When the two hours had passed, I stirred the slow cooker. I broke up the cream cheese block and mixed it in as best I could. It looked lumpy, but, oh well. I set the timer for another hour.

Then I set the alarm for an hour and took a quick nap. I wanted to be fresh for the trick or treaters.

I woke up and here’s where I made a fatal mistake. I stirred the slow cooker and set the timer for another hour. The recipe said to cook it 3-4 hours until the liquid was mostly absorbed. It wasn’t, so I thought I should go longer.

I realized this was going to be a bit thick. So, I chopped up half a cabbage and steamed it in beef broth for a side dish.

But, in the remaining hour of slow-cooking, a lot of pierogies burst! So, it was a hot mess.

I dished out a plate with some of the cabbage. It was excellent!!! But, not photogenic.

Finally, it started to get dark. Then it started to rain… And, no one came to the door…

I shut the porch light and the living room lights off at 8:30 p.m. and went in to watch some TV until bedtime.