UFOs and Paying My Penance

It is hard to imagine that I could actually be embarrassed in front of my husband of 41 years. Heaven knows he knows every skeleton in my closet, every weird thing I have ever done, every foible. But alas, it did happen this weekend. I was embarrassed...humiliated would maybe cover it a little better. This all has to do with UFOs found in our vicinity on Saturday morning.

I got up early with a full day planned of cooking for the week and freezing somethings for when our family comes home on Wednesday. I wanted to be totally organized so I can just relax and enjoy their short stay without having to constantly be in the kitchen. I had several projects going at once including making spaghetti sauce, browning taco meat, making pancakes to freeze, etc. I suddenly realized I needed some open, flat space in the freezer so I could put things in gallon size Ziplocks and freeze them flat so they'd stack and store easier. We have three freezers, a big one and the two in our refrigerators.

Jim was outside and getting ready to do some painting when he saw me puttering around and cursing under my breath at the heavier than bricks stuff that was falling out of the big freezer when I opened the door. He gallantly came to my rescue but what happened after that was what totally embarrassed me.

OK, I'll just say right out--- our freezers are disaster areas. I just have always had too much stuff in them and no organization worth mentioning. So right there on the spot he decided to clean out the freezers. Well, I had several things on the stove and even though I protested...saying I could do it myself, Jim started. He pulled over a big table and started to unload the two freezers. I sheepishly looked out the window and I swear he was snickering at first and then just flat out laughing...at me! How cruel! Ouch!

This is not our freezer...but it could be if stuff was falling out when you opened the door.....

I was mortified by how many bags of cheese, veggies, chicken, etc. etc. we had. We could supply Pizza Hut with all the cheese they need for the next week, I am sure of it. That is if they could even break up the huge solid balls of shredded mozzarella cheese that have been in there since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But the real killers were the UFOs as Lanette calls them...the unidentifiable frozen objects. What the heck? You know the drill...have some leftovers, throw them in a Ziplock bag, throw them in the freezer. There is no flat space so you get some interesting shapes and ice sculptures when you pull them out. Heaven only knows what they are after a little freezer burn sets in. Jim was pretty kind about it, but I could just read his mind... "Just who is this imbecile I turn my paycheck over to, anyway?" I felt terrible and so I am turning over a new leaf.

Sadly, a lot of the mangled mess got pitched out, but all that we salvaged is now orderly and manageable and I know what is there. One of the discoveries we made...store less. A freezer packed to the gills is absolutely useless. Keep an open space to freeze things flat so they store better. Check your inventory~ now that you can actually see it, before buying any more crap stuff. And for crying out loud, take a second and write on your baggies~ before they are wet and frozen and the Sharpie still writes, so you actually know what is in the bag...and a date would be nice too....Hello!

So to pay my penance to my husband, I surprised him with a UFO Easter dinner. While he was still at church I found the Christmas ham (although it looked like it was there for the entire life of Jesus, it was only there since Christmas 2008) in a baggie on the meat shelf in the freezer. I defrosted it and made scalloped potatoes, peas and ham for dinner. I added a little asparagus and some cantaloupe on the side, and a few Easter treats. I set the table in the dining room with my grandmother's beautiful china that always belongs on the table at Easter and broke out a bottle of sparkling cider to go with the candle light.

He was starving so he smiled sweetly and thanked me and I am back in his good graces again. The nice thing about getting older is the things that make you crazy pass quickly out of your remembrance. Quite suddenly, all can be well again with a little distraction ~like a good, hot, economical, UFO meal.

Whoever said you cannot shame someone into changing? Please keep me accountable if you live near by...anytime just say, "Bon, what's up in your freezer?" You can even ask to see it if you are a really good friend. And I promise to only serve you fresh food if you come over for dinner! No UFOs for you! We alone will be choking them down for quite some time....living and learning on a daily basis. Bon appetite! No pun intended!