I don't cook often (unless you count toacos, mac-n-cheese or those yummy meal-in-a-bag creations), but every once in a while I get the urge to whip up something, well, adventurous. This time the urge was prompted by the purchase of a giant eggplant at the farmer's market. The in-laws were visiting (with 2 days notice) and we were trying to come up with things to do with them since Grandma was along for the ride. Grandma is great and all, but she is 98 and has a tough time hearing and an even harder time seeing. She pretends she can still see, we all pretend she can see, but she can't see anything besides giant things like trees and the sun.

So, anyway, I get this giant eggplant. The only thing I know to make with eggplant is this rather complicated dish from Greece called Mousakas. It's not excatly complicated, there are just many things that need to be prepped/cooked prior to being assembled in the final product, which is then baked. It's about an hour of prep and then 45 minutes of cooking in the oven.

I get the potatoes fried, the eggplant softened in the oven, the meat sauce simmered, and the bechamel sauce sufficiently thick. I assemble it all together in the giant glass Pyrex dish and insert it into the oven. I fry up the remaining portions of the eggplant and throw in the bread to get crunchy.

After about 30 more minutes, I check the food to see how it is looking, and it isn't doing much. I wait another 10 minutes and check again. The oven seems cooler than when I last checked it. Hmmph. I check again in a few minutes and realize that my oven has shat out on me. The light indicating the oven is on will not illuminate, but the burners still work.

I haul out the giant glass Pyrex dish and heave it onto the counter where I stare at it for a few moments before kicking the stove and saying a naughty word. I rummage through the cupboards before finding the medium sized covered Corningware dish that will fit into the microwave because I know that the damn Pyrex won't even come close to fitting in our tiny countertop unit. I punch in 10 minutes and wait. I sit down and begin writing.

I hear the ding and get up 10 minutes later. More frustrated and slightly angry, I punch in another 5 minutes and continue writing. Now, I will surely eat the ruined meal, check out Craig's List to see what a 'new' oven will cost us, and will fall asleep wondering when the next time I cook will be.