Cooking Is Not (Supposed To Be) a Contact Sport

It's no real secret that I've started a love affair with my crock pot. Over the past few months I have made many a tasty main dish through the magic of slow cooking. Before today, my idea of crock pot cooking was to combine some form of meat (beef, chicken or pork) and some form of liquid (cream of chicken soup, golden mushroom soup, barbecue sauce, salsa, stock, etc.) and allowing the crock pot to work it's tender magic. Today, I was adventurous. I blame it on the three hours of fall we had earlier this week that put me in the mood for soup. Through the miracle of the modern blog world, I came across this recipe for Baked Potato Soup. Despite the fact that it called for 5 pounds (!) of potatoes, peeled and diced, I decided to give it a try. Here it is in process.

Yum-ola! So far, so good. Everything is hunky-dory.

Then, because I was a rockstar with those five pounds of potatoes, my next thought was to make some home-made bread to take to our neighbor. And, you know, if there is a loaf in there for us to eat, we won't complain! So, I measured and heated and mixed and kneaded. Here is the bread ready to rise.

And, here is the mess of the kitchen after that episode.

Did I mention that I'm a horrible documentarian?! I looked over my pics from today's events and had to laugh at the stuff I remembered to document, and, of course, the stuff I forgot! However, I feel I have a valid excuse because somewhere in between the above and below pictures, it all went terribly wrong. . . (But, in the meantime, doesn't the finished product look yummy! Soup and homemade bread - the perfect meal for a perfect fall summer day!)

Notice the creamy smooth, texture?! The recipe called for using a potato masher or an immersion blender. I do not have an immersion blender, so I got out my masher and tried my best for a creamy consistency. When that effort deemed itself futile, I tried the hand mixer. Well, really, I just proved to myself that I need to listen to that inner voice that tells you a hand mixer and a large crock pot full of liquid should never meet. The only other choice was my blender. And, that's when it all hit the fan my nose. That's right, my peeps, I managed to drop the glass jar of the blender on my nose. And, yes, it is just as ridiculous and funny as it sounds!

See the photographic evidence. I have a bruised, swollen, and cut nose. I don't think it's broken, but it's definitely hard to disguise.

On to the obvious question. . . Will this affect your highly lucrative modeling career?!? ☺

Okay, okay, that's not the obvious question. How did I drop a blender on my nose? Well, you see, I tend to be a little bit anal analytical. I don't like having appliances out on my kitchen counters. So, the appliances live on the top shelf of my pantry. The top shelf that is above my head. The one I have to stand on tip toes to reach. The one that makes blender fetching a little precarious. Get the picture?

Yes, the glass jar broke.

Yes, my nose bled profusely.

Yes, I did have to explain what happened to the nurse on the helpline.

Yes, my blender will now live in one of my lower kitchen cabinets.

Yes, I will now be investing in an immersion blender.

Thank you, and good night!

P.S. Anyone who comments on how my nose doesn't look so bad will be my new BFF!