Woot!

Last night I cooked for the first time on my new stove! It's great to have a giant bowl of my dad's chili in the 'frige. Until last night I hadn't been able to feel truly "full" for a couple of weeks. It's just been difficult for me to get enough to eat, even though I've kept plenty of food in the house; if it weren't for my huge appetite, it would be easy to believe I'm not pregnant, because now that I'm in my second trimester I'm free of the irritating pregnancy symptoms, like tender breasts and "morning" sickness. Honestly, my pregnancy symptoms were reassuring, so I didn't mind them at all, but I am also glad to be over them.

Getting back on topic... Aside from being my favorite comfort food (it's right up there with chocolate pie), my dad's chili is also great for when we're living on a tight budget, because the only expensive ingredient is that ground beef. When money is tight, I just add another handful of rice and cut the amount of beef in half. It's also a fairly forgiving recipe, because last night I accidentally poured in a whole can of diced tomatoes thinking it was my tomato juice and it still turned out great. I also forgot the black olives, but I think Carl might have picked all of those out, anyway.

I can't wait to bake in my new convection oven. It's by Frigidaire, so it wasn't overpriced and I know it will be reliable, but most of all I'm thrilled that it's a true or "pure" convection oven, so I can get rid of hot and cool spots while baking with the touch of a button. I'm thinking molasses cookies and chocolate chips would be nice.

I'm going to reheat some chili on the stove, then bag some up to freeze before I run my errands. Carl's down to his last pair of clean underwear, so I've got to head over to my mom's to do a load of laundry and collect our hanging clothes, which are still hanging around her house. I also need to buy a microwave, because, unlike Carl, I don't think it will irradiate me to reheat meals in one.

( Names )