Painting Myself Into A Corner (figuratively) And Why I Made What I Did For Dinner

This is interesting, but I have to admit I feel a little silly about it. The above photo is of my newly painted porch (lovely color isn't it?) which I've been putting off but finally got around to completing. After finishing and standing admiring it I thought about dinner when I remembered that I also had to do a bit of grocery shopping...this is where things get a little problematic. The problem was not going shopping per se, but more of how I was to get there. I really didn't want to drive my vehicle today (it was such a beautiful fall day) and in order to take the Mundo (or any of my bikes) out of the house I'd have to traverse the front porch. Yes, I probably could have taken one of them out of the rear of the house but I would have had to walk it through 3 rooms and manage a narrow rear stairway...which would have been difficult (for me) with the Mundo. At any rate--and to get to the point--I had to make due with what I had so I scrounged the garden, freezer, and pantry...and was pleasantly surprised with what I found.

I've often said that one of the innate abilities of a professional cook is the ability to make a really good meal out of even the most ingredients....well these were far from meager. In the garden I found a small eggplant, a hot pepper, and a stalk of broccoli (and it's almost October!). In the fridge I came across a couple links of lamb sausage (click here to see it being made) and about a 1/2 pound of ground beef; I used both of these to make a variation of Lebanese-style rice (click here for photos on how to make this dish, and click here for a recipe). I picked a handful of grapes from the backyard (click here) and also found a bruised peach in the fridge. As for the vegetables I sauteed very slowly and basted them in olive oil with a little garlic and sea salt. The meal was delicious (and I have enough leftovers for tomorrow); I ate it with my son while we watched a Sapranos re-run. Anyhow, here's a few pictures.