Next phase, NuWave, menu plans, anyway, it’s still dinnertime to me

My father’s fascination with as-seen-on-TV products started eight or nine years ago during a bad bout of insomnia. He seems to have gotten rid of the insomnia, for the most part, but the infomercial love has stuck with him. This means that if there’s a gift-giving occasion, there’s a roughly 60 percent chance you’ll be receiving something like the Ove’ Glove or the Flowbee.

(He really did give us an Ove’ Glove, and it’s been an awesome addition to our kitchen. He has not given us a Flowbee. Yet.)

The informercial that caught Dad’s eye this holiday season was for the NuWave Infrared Oven. My brother and I each received one. Dad said he would’ve bought one for himself, but he figured he’d just buy two and take his back from whomever didn’t like it. So far I’ve used it once, to try to roast a chicken. It was not a roaring success, probably because I failed to turn the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. To the best of my knowledge Perry Mason has only used his once, too. He said the salmon he made was wonderful.

I’ve decided that I need to give the little oven another chance before Dad moves to reclaim it, which is why I’ve declared this NuWave week. We’ll be listening primarily to the Talking Heads, Spandau Ballet and Joy Division, and we’ll be eating this for dinner:

Monday: NuWave chicken Dijonnaise

It’s a mustard-glazed baked chicken. I’ll probably make rice with it.

Tuesday: NuWave ginger-roasted salmon

I don’t often make fish, because I don’t like the way it makes the house smell. Maybe the NuWave will solve that problem!

Wednesday: NuWave “grilled” chicken

I’m going to do some kind of rub on standard-issue chicken breasts.

Thursday: NuWave meatloaf

This will be my usual meatloaf recipe, but I’m going to make it in the NuWave.

Friday: Pizza

This won’t be in the NuWave, unless I drive the oven down to the pizza place and ask them to bake my pizza in it. Which, rest assured, I will not do.

I kind of feel like I fell down on the job this week

Day Eleven: Makes You Happy

My camera somehow got switched to manual focus, and I didn’t notice it right away. So that doesn’t especially make me happy. But my husband teaching my daughter how to dry the dishes? Now that makes me happy.

February 11. Makes You Happy.

Day Twelve: Inside Your Closet

My closet didn’t look like this until today, which happened to be the day I finally purchased and installed an organization system.

February 12. Inside Your Closet.

Day Thirteen: Blue

This doesn’t make much sense. But there is some blue in the picture, and the wolf does look mournful. So.

February 13. Blue.

Day Fourteen: Heart

The kids secretly got one another Build-A-Bear bears for Valentine’s Day. They were both over-the-moon happy when they exchanged bears. They’re still declaring it The Best Valentine’s Day Ever.

February 14. Heart.

Day Fifteen: Phone

This is on my kitchen wall. It isn’t actually functional.

February 15. Phone.

Day Sixteen: Something New

We finally got a new couch! It’s almost like we’re grown-ups.

February 16. Something New.

Day Seventeen: Time

I waited until nearly the last minute to do this one. Which helps to explain why it’s so boring and poorly done.

February 17. Time.

Where have you gone, blogging mojo?

Firstly, a few items related to health

  1. We have been huddled here at home, sneezing and sniffling and hacking for days and days and days now. It’s getting a bit old. Today I have no voice. The children kind of enjoy that.
  2. Earlier this week I had a doctors appointment for something completely unrelated to my cold, and it did not go well. I might tell you more about that once we reach a final solution. But I also might not, because it’s kind of a delicate lady issue and I am kind of a delicate lady and I’ve already changed my mind about posting this at all three times now. So let’s call this a Very Vague Prayer Request.

Secondly, something else

  1. How was your Valentine’s Day? Mine was fine. Our anniversary is in early February, so it seems like overkill to do anything for Valentine’s Day. And so I spent the evening watching the Westminster Dog Show and eating popcorn while Rockford was on a conference call. It was very romantic.