Too Hot in the Kitchen

It is 33⁰ C outside. Don’t ask me what that is in Fahrenheit. All you need to know is - it’s HOT.

Too hot to turn on the oven. It’s one of those sweltering Okanagan days when you start second guessing your decision not to install air conditioning.

So when my husband, a transplanted Brit, pulled a sirloin tip roast out of the freezer, hoping for a full on Sunday English supper – Roast beef, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding – my first thought was, “Bloody hell, buddy, you’re not the King of England here, and I’m not your skivvy about to slave over a hot stove in this heat.”

But it was just a thought … Truth be told, I suggested – like butter wouldn’t melt – that we put the roast away for tomorrow, when I could use the crockpot to ensure supper was ready when we got home from work – and we’d be spared an over heated house.  

“Why don’t I make a pot of chili?” I said. Not really summer fare, I know, but we are going house-boating on the Shuswap in a few weeks with 20 or so family and friends, and I’d been planning to make a big pot to take aboard, anyway.  And I could get kill two birds with one stone because we could have it for dinner tonight as well!

How clever I am, I thought, whilst I chopped up onions, celery and peppers and began throwing ingredients into two large skillets.  Once I added 10 pounds of lean ground beef, my two skillets were filled to capacity.  When the beef was browned, I transferred the meat along with the onion mix into a large pot. But the pot wasn’t big enough and I had clearly overestimated the amount of ingredients necessary.  Now, I was making chili con carne for 60 people, not 20.  But in for a penny, in for a pound.  What to do, what to do.

The largest cooking container I own is a 24 quart roasting pan (usually reserved for turkey dinners) – so out it came and in went all the ingredients.  And then - bloody hell – I cringed as I turned on the oven to cook our dinner. 

It is currently 39⁰ C in the house – and rising. 

TABLE SETTING ETIQUETTE - or WHAT FORK TO USE FIRST?

Sitting down to dinner at a properly set table can be a little anxiety-inducing. What fork to use first? Is this the dessert spoon or is it for soup?
Equally challenging can be the host or hostess in charge of setting the table for a formal dinner. Many people are a bit perplexed as to how to arrange the silverware and other items.
Understanding a few basics of table setting can take the mystery out of this ages-old custom. It can also help everyone feel like a fine diner when sitting down to a formal meal.

* Always work from the outside in. That means that the fork on the extreme outside will be the one used for the first course and the same applies to glassware and cutlery.

* Forks appear on the left of the dishes and knives on the right. If a soup spoon is being used, it will be on the far right of the knives.

* Dessert silverware appears above the place setting. The fork prongs will be facing to the right. The dessert spoon will be facing to the left.

* The napkin will be placed on the far left, unless a decorative napkin fold is used. Then the napkin may be placed where the hostess decides.

* If bread and butter will be served, a separate plate and butter knife will be on the table at the top left.

* Plates are stacked according to service. The main course plate will be at the bottom; salad, appetizer and soup bowl will be stacked accordingly on top.

* In terms of beverage glasses, generally the water glass is the largest-rimmed glass and is to the left, while being placed on the right side of the table setting. White wine and red wine glasses will be alongside it.

For those who need some visual assistance, consult the following diagram.

A - Soup bowl
B - Appetizer or salad plate
C - Service plate
D - Water glass
E - White wine glass
F - Red wine glass
G - Napkin
H - Fish fork
I -  Dinner fork
J - Salad fork
K - Service knife
L - Fish knife
M - Soup spoon
N - Bread and butter service
O - Dessert spoon
P - Dessert fork 

(MC)