A chronic, non-life threatening malady has been giving me hell as it’s apt to do every season change… Too gross to detail here… let’s leave it at I look and feel crappy for a week or so and it passes. This attack, (the first since freeing ourselves from tobacco), has been really vicious. I would have thought the lack of poison in my system would smooth these out – but it’s turning out to be just the opposite… I’m certain this is genetic since my grandfather suffered similarly… and it could be argued that without tobacco addiction, my body is running “closer to factory specs” – those specs dictating I have to be miserable a couple times a year…. I’m rambling… and I’m being vague… sorry – I just feel like shit and want to feel better.

A cheer-up was waiting for me though when we got home…. A wok!

The old cheep-ass, non-stick one was shot plus we’re trying to phase non-stick cookware out of our kitchen..

Sooooo… I had a stash of American Express reward points laying around and while flipping through their catalog I saw a wok offered by the same company that made the tea kettle we picked up off the clearance table at the local shi-shi cooking store.

“Lay-Crew-Set” as I embarrassingly called it until devcubber corrected my very American butchering of the French Company’s name.

I fear I’ve found my new kitchen fetish.

Come to find out,… Le Creuset makes ALLLLLL sortsa cool stuff… Think Fiestaware meets cast-iron.

I’ve always liked cooking with iron – so I have a feeling I’m going to be thrilled with the wok… If that’s the case, I’ll most likely start the long process of picking up more pieces of La Creuset as we can afford them.

I’d love to know what pro’s think of the stuff.. psst… hey foodpoisoningsf!!!!… wink wink / nudge nudge.

I occupied myself last night with popping aspirins and seasoning said wok.

I’m popping more aspirin…. and wondering what I’m going to stir fry tonight… Not blogging.

Another decent day of working out of the house.

Chad got off early from work and came in with a good size box in tow that was sitting on the front porch. It had a Pennsylvania return address on it.

I noticed on our trip… All the in-laws, (both Kevin’s AND Chad’s families) owned a George Foreman Grill.

Chad’s mom noted that I thought it was clever and has sent us one for Christmas.

It’s basically the 70’s culinary mainstay of the indoor grill, intentionally manufactured out of level so the “gunk” of what you’re cooking runs into a little plastic tray.

The product’s branding is linked to it’s spokesperson, George Forman – a retired boxer and is named the “Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine”… Quite possibly the longest product name I’ve ever heard – and the most suspicious, because I think it was Mohamad Ali that coined the term “Lean Mean, fighting machine”… but I’m down on my boxing history aside from my ancestor Gentleman Jim Corbett.

tangent

(*who incidentally my grandfather was allegedly named after. This is what started the name suffix affliction that has ended me up with “the third” after my name instead of the proposed “child of hippy-parents” name “Connan Bran-Mac” or “Sasha” – which my parents WERE going to name me). Sure I would have been teased relentlessly in school – but I would have been painfully cool in college and my 20’s)

/tangent.

Serendipity or sensitivity guided mama-Grimm’s selection – she picked the simplest – least garish design available.

Despite having a certain Knight-Rider quality to it – the unit doesn’t look bad sitting on the counter with the other appliances.

It’ll be great for these colder months when it’s just too nasty to go outside and fire up the Webber.

We made Lipton Onion Soup Burgers last night… It did a great job… Especially considering that you just stick them in, set the timer for 8 minutes and walk away.

I can’t wait to try tuna steaks in it…. or grilled cheese… or… quesadillas, ooo… or bell peppers… ooo… or…

I’d blog about all this but I gotta go figure out more things to make with our new low-brow culinary gadget.