October 15 - Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

One of our favorite “go to” meals while Lyle and I are travelling is spaghetti and meat sauce. It is a relatively simple meal and the ingredients seem to be fairly easy to come by wherever we happen to be. Together we have cooked this particular meal in various spots around the globe – Stuttgart in Germany, Nice in France, Inverness in Scotland, Darwin in Australia, Reykjavik in Iceland, Sorrento in Italy, and so on. I smile as I remember the different kitchenettes in all these places. Some have just provided hot plates, such as the ambulance style RV we rented in New Zealand, and other have had combined stoves and ovens that have been far beyond my sight capabilities.

Last week at home, Lyle and I cooked up a batch of spaghetti and meat sauce. No biggie, you might say. Actually, for me it is always a biggie. It has to do with frying the meat first. I simply don’t see when it is done. This is why I say that it was the two of us doing the cooking. I nearly always call on Lyle to check the doneness of the meat.

When I think back, I know that Lyle and I have made a number of accommodations in the kitchen. For instance, I like to prepare meals that I can time in a casserole dish in the oven. I also like to use a slow cooker. Lyle and I both like the taste of barbeque meat and it usually falls to Lyle to stand outside at the barbeque and to me to prepare the vegetables. Learning from another friend who is totally without sight, I have found that I can tell when a potato or a carrot is peeled by running my fingers over the outside. The original skin is usually rough to the touch while the peeled vegetable is smooth.

I am fortunate in that Lyle is willing to accommodate my visual challenges. I have also learned that for me to be successful in the kitchen I should take my time. Even with simple meals like spaghetti and meat sauce this is important. I do remember the surprise on our granddaughter’s face when, in a rush, I broke the spaghetti over the boiling water only to miss the saucepan altogether.  Most of the pieces landed on the floor, but some managed to get between the rings of the burners. It was another lesson learned!

For someone with partial or no sight, the kitchen can be a dangerous place – cuts, burns, spills, etc. even when the meal is simply spaghetti and meat sauce.