The joy of being an adult who lives alone is you make the rules and you break the rules. What’s for dinner? It began with a Stouffer’s homestyle beef:
which, we are told, quickly becomes this within 14 minutes on the stove:
The directions say to keep frozen; pour contents into a non-stick skillet, cover and heat on medium for 8 minutes; stir contents, cover and heat an additional 6 minutes, stirring frequently.
…
I’m at about 45 minutes now. Maybe my “medium heat” doesn’t match Stouffer’s medium heat? While I was waiting, I washed the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, and made Marie Calendar’s Blueberry Muffins – 12-14 minutes at 400 degrees.
M.C. has her timing down! The blueberry muffins won!
Chasing Rabbit Holes 
HUNTIE! – tsk tsk!!! You know you should be cooking something rather than heating something! This is your punishment! [grin]
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M.R. – who are you kidding?! Grin – they were delicious – with tons of butter smeared over their little blueberry selves. I’m still waiting for dinner – should be ready about 11:00 p.m. 🙂
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WICKED! – oh, sinful! [M.R. makes anti-vampire thing with fingers]
I shall have to be careful with you, I can see … [grin]
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Well, idle hands, idle stomach makes for wicked temptations, not so? Grin!
I’d been wanting those muffins for days and always at about midnight… Grab the muffins – seize the muffins – eat the muffins with lots of butter!
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Look at the package– are you cooking with gas, or electric? I suspect that might be part of Stouffer’s discrepancy.
I vow that this shall not happen to me… for I am supposedly a good cook and can adjust accordingly 😉
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Sigh, we only have electric here. God, I miss gas! In truth, the first time I checked it at 8 minutes – I actually lifted the skillet and touched the electric element just to be sure it was working – why yes, yes it was… You go, Jak, good cook that you are – learn from me! 🙂
Adapt and move on – I ate the muffins and they were G.R.E.A.T. I’ll just go check on dinner, maybe crank it up a tad. 🙂
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A “Renaissance man” friend of mine has been teaching me a few things– like how canning on gas and electric differs. He said it was possible to do pressure canning with gas, but you’d really heat up the kitchen doing so. So I was thinking of that with your post and extrapolated things from there.
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Wow, I didn’t know that. While I got the canning equipment, I did the canning at my friend’s house and she has one of those amazing glass top stoves, which appear to be electric. Good to know. Thanks, Jak!
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No problem. The WSU extensions generally advise not to use pressure canners on gas-powered stoves– please do feel free to check with your local extension; I’d like to see if they match up with what’s said here.
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No worries, I don’t have any access to gas powered stoves. BUT, I did go check the burner again – not even the pan was hot… and the burner was cool to the touch, despite having been warm initially… hmmm, maybe the Universe is messing with me. I got it working again. 🙂
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I’d rather have blueberry muffins over beef any day!
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Ya see, Benze, soul mates, you and I. 🙂
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Now if it was chicken or turkey, I might have been able to hold off to eat the muffins for dessert.
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I overdid both of those recently. Now, it is definitely meat and potatoes or meat and rice or meat, just gimme filet mignon and I am very, very happy. 🙂
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A stirring scenario, indeed!
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You are SO good, Col! 🙂
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You mean a person can starve while waiting for Stouffers dinner to cook because you have an electric stove. A calamity. 😀 😀
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A sad truth, Tess! Being skilled in emergency management, I took immediate action. Grin. I did finally eat the dinner – not one of their best, but that may have had to do with my stove – that will teach me to clean the stove… must not have aligned the heating element up correctly on that burner. When I did, medium heat was exactly right! 🙂
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Research works wonders. 😀 😀
As you mentioned, not all oven are the same. There is a difference between electric and gas although I think my gas oven sucks.
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Come for a visit! You can use my electric stove to your heart’s content! 🙂 🙂
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Off and on I’ve had electric, gas, electric, glass top electric and now gas again. Give me the gas one. Electric works like molasses in January. 🙂
But I’d love to come for a visit. 😀
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Excellent, Tess! How’s your back? There is a futon couch that comes down and converts to a queen – or maybe it’s a double… 🙂
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Hey, I’m the sturdiest 100-year-old you will ever meet. *giggles*
Oops. I think I peed myself…from laughing, silly. What were you thinking? I am sturdy, remember?
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Hunt, That looks pretty darn good. I had 2 fried egg an sausage sandwiches and some chips for dinner. Trade you. Take care, Bill
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I love fried egg sandwiches and chips, Bill. Deal!
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