Liquid Gold

Last night I was determined to cook something from a recipe in an old magazine lying on my kitchen counter.  “30 meals in less than 30 minutes” boosted what little confidence I had in my culinary skills.  I tend to stay within the 8 or 9 meals I have mastered the art of preparing.  Outside the realm of these, I dare say my family has openly wept at the threat of me cooking from a recipe.

Years ago, I would blame the electric stove for the many cooking mishaps.  Then I moved onto the culprit being the pots and pans for so many of my failed attempts.  Maybe too much salt, not enough pepper? Well, the electric was replaced with gas and the cookware upgraded to the finest…. leaving little else but myself to blame for being a terrible chief.  Ken’s favorite one-liner, “It’s not the bow and arrow, but the Indian.”  Cooking has never been my strong point!

Beginning to review the ingredients needed, I take stock of a few items missing from my inventory.  What is a good substitute for honey?  Hmm, no Marsala wine.  Shallots, Tarragon, Chile Peppers, c’mon really?  Too much planning that I close the magazine and take a ½ hour nap, exhausted from merely concocting the meal.

With little time left to prep the gourmet banquet of my dreams, I decide that tonight we eat from the pantry!   Making my way through cans, mixes, noodles and sauces; emerges a tiny blue and yellow cardboard box.  I literally have to dust it off before spilling forth the contents of Liquid Gold (as the advertisement suggests).  Tonight we dine compliments of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese! 

I am not too proud admitting my love for this cheesy mess.  Guess my taste buds have never aged past that of a 10 year old. But it is cheap, easy and handy!  I’m just following doctor’s orders at a time when I can do little else.  Sometimes in the grand scheme of life – with all our planning, organizing and good intentions – a little compromise is good for the soul!

Living with a "chronic" illness has made me quite the Master of Compromise! My inner narrative used to say; compromising is a defeatist approach or accepting a lower standard.  That inner voice had to be silenced and replaced with another.  Concessions have to be made on a daily basis and go hand in hand with giving me a positive outlook on a very negative reality.  
                                         Amazon replaces the mall, 
                             Peapod delivers a tradeoff for grocery shopping, 
                              an energy boost coming from a scheduled nap, 
                          grabbing a ride instead of the independence of driving, 
                                 simple floor stretching exchanged for the gym, 
                                           early to bed & late to rise…. 

Devised strategies acceptable for making my life more manageable.

Tonight, the give and take of compromise tells me,  Hey not a bad deal, Chris!  That little box of processed, high sugar, high salt, zero nutritional value goodness will equip us for the bigger battles we have to face!

The unveiling of tonight’s dinner has Ken excitedly saying (in the voice of a 10-year-old), Is that Kraft Mac & Cheese?  Pure magic - Liquid Gold in a Bowl!