Often I try to do too many things at once. Multitasking? Sometimes it just doesn’t pay off.
Take for instance the night last week our 13 year old, Justus, invited some friends over for a movie night/sleepover. You must have popcorn for a such an event, which my boys were in charge of popping since I was in the middle of making and canning tomato sauce. Somewhere in there, I had also started mixing up the waffles for our breakfast the following day. Like I always say, “why measure flour tomorrow when you can put it in a bowl tonight while you’re making tomato sauce?”
So the flour/baking powder/salt mixture sat on the counter by the popcorn maker, which was being manned by our eleven year old who had left the room. I was cranking my Victorio on the other side of the kitchen so as to get the tomato sauce in jars and in the water bath. Since I’m so careful and good at multitasking, I was also squirting tomato juice into my face and onto my flip flops. Somewhere in there, popcorn kernels began flying around the kitchen, which went unnoticed by the eleven year old who was no longer in the room, and which was noticed too late by the woman cranking out tomato sauce.
Popcorn on the floor and flying outside of the bowl? Eh, it’s happened before. After all, an air popper does like to send popcorn flying at times whether you’re watching it or not. The chief popcorn maker made his way back into the room because pre-teen intuition in the form of motherly hollering gave him a hint that something was amiss. He picked up the popcorn that had tried to escape, and started another batch in another bowl. After all, you can never have too much popcorn during a movie night. I insisted that he stay by the machine this time so as to lasso in more popcorn escapees.
Five quarts of tomato sauce and four batches of popcorn later, we cleaned the kitchen and gathered around to watch a movie.
The next morning, I set about making big stacks of waffles for all of my boys and their friends. Ironically, it was our eleven year old who was the first to find a popcorn kernel in a bite of waffle. “Mom, you accidentally got a piece of popcorn in the waffles.” (Wait – who accidentally got popcorn in the waffles, Mr. Turn On the Popcorn Machine and Walk Out of the Room?)
He and I hoped it was only that one kernel, and we were relieved that it was he who found it and not one of our guests. Our relief lasted for about three minutes, at which time one of our guests found a popcorn kernel in his waffle too. Then Justus almost broke his tooth on one. And then our other guest found one. It was one of my finer hospitality moments.
Lesson learned: Never make tomato sauce, waffles, and popcorn all at the same time. But if you do, be sure to sift your waffle mix.
This tip is, without a doubt, just as helpful as the information I shared about Freezing Peaches Whole, is it not? I make it a goal to try to continually amaze you.
Has your multitasking ever caused more trouble than efficiency?
I was truly wondering if you were going to tell us that popped popcorn makes a yummy, chewy addition to waffle batter, because you might be the one to discover something like that. :) Thanks for all your great posts!
Me too!
So did I!!!:)
Same here! LOL!
I wondered the same thing. So typical that it was “your fault”, LOL
Too funny! Popcorn waffles had to have been an interesting combo though.
… Can’t stop laughing!
Lol! I too a m a firm believer in measuring out the flour the night before, however, I put a plate over the open bowl. Now I know why! Lol. Glad no one broke a tooth, and thnk you for letting us catch a glimpse into your kitchen/life, so we can remember that we’re all in this together
Yes! First time having a new boyfriend over for dinner. I was trying so hard to make wonderful date conversation with him while blending the perfect silken gravey, watching the pasta so it didn’t overboil, and while making garlic bread….in the broiler….which cooks at a super hot temp with the food only inches away from the heating element.
As I was trying to make witty conversation, I smelled smoke. Open the broiler, pulled out the pan, and there was the garlic bread – ON FIRE. Yea, it only needed a minute to toast up but I was trying so hard to be a Martha Stewar that I totally forgot to pull it out.
So if the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, I was not on the way at all that night!
TV Chef Rachel Ray is so notorious for burning bread under the broiler, she actually buys extra bread just in case, ha, ha. By the way, I was expecting you to say the gravy got lumpy whith you were dealing with the burning bread and the pasta overcooked.
The one an only meal my husband made for me while I was dating, was chili(double onions and meat), bread (no butter) and bagged iceberg lettuce(no dressing). Mind you the the chili was supposed to spaghetti sauce but he over cooked it and the sauce thickened up too much. Thankfully I love to cook, so it was pretty easy to reach him through his stomach.
Laughing way too hard at this! Mostly because this sounds like something I would do.
This is so funny!!! We are master multi-taskers, aren’t we girl? haha
Why only do one thing when you can do 516 at once. love it
blessings,
Shan
http://www.The-How-to-Guru.com
Sounds like something that would totally happen in my kitchen. Thanks for the laughs!
I was hoping to hear that the popcorn actually POPPED in the waffle lol
I am SO glad that you are so open & honest (and laughing) at your faux paus! I do that kind of thing all the time! I was hoping that it was popped popcorn in the waffles, though. :) kernels hurt!
of course, making tomato sauce, popcorn/movie/boy party AND waffle-pre-mix might be a small recipe (get it?) for disaster. LOL
Thanks for the laugh this morning!
LOL!! This post is a Heavenly Homemakers classic!
So funny! I did this just last week — was trying to be energy efficient and put two things in the oven at once…only forgot to put the floor and eggs into the chocolate banana cake…needless to say, it wasn’t cake!
How nice to know that we all are not Martha Stewart. Thanks for the smile!
Ever seen the Ma & Pa Kettle movies? I forget which one, but in one of them (when they are in the town house), Pa knocks popcorn into the pancake batter. Her pancakes DID “pop”. :)
Oh how I love to read your stories. This made me laugh because I can totally see it happening at our home. Thanks Laura!
Just remember, when we try to be Martha Stewart, that she probably has a full staff of paid “helpers” to work alongside her!
Speaking of popcorn, have you or anyone here had trouble with organic kernels being tough when popped? I’m on my second machine, took the first one back because our popcorn just wouldn’t cook up fluffy, thought it was the design of the popper (the popped corn stays in the lid until all is popped). Now I’ve got an air popper (movie theater type) and it actually says organic corn isn’t recommended for this machine- how weird is that? And our popped corn still is a little on the tough side! Starting to wonder if it’s the Trader Joe’s popcorn itself or the machines I’m picking.