Little Adventure: Life Without An Oven

“Adventure is in the eye of the beholder.” –Annie Andre

Before becoming an inspiree, I needed to know about the inspirer.

A Googled search listed a gaggle of Annie Andre’s. 

An expat who moved to Paris, a Hallmark artist, and an administrator with a Linkedin profile to name a few. 

After reading about this trio, I credited the expat with this utterance. (She moved to Paris from Canada with three children in tow. That’s an adventure to this beholder.)

Annie Andre’s words hit home . . . specifically the kitchen.

My 13 year old oven bit the dust. After a week of traversing the “repair or replace” decision making flow chart, I ordered a new oven. Going on two weeks of microwaving and pan frying recipes that didn’t involve ANY oven time, I thought there HAD to be a way of baking without an oven. 

I Googled “baking without an oven” and discovered that an electric skillet with a few adjustments accomplished the task.  

It had to be true since I read it on the Internet.

I’d bake Applesauce Oatie cookies for my friend, Ruth. 

Goal set, I chronicled my exploits as most adventurers do . . . a regular Nelly Bly.

My Rival skillet smirked at the wok and slow cooker as I extracted it from my overcrowded appliance closet.

I nestled a grate in the skillet to raise the pan which would hold the cookies above the surface of the skillet. 

A small pan lined with parchment paper and a half dozen Oaties rested on the grate. 

Possessing a grate AND pan that fit in the skillet I figured I exhausted my November good luck and probably deficit spent.

December would be an unlucky month. 

Setting the skillet-oven to the temperature that I would have had I a REAL oven, I crossed my fingers and optimistically set a timer 12 minutes.

No, browned cookies. Only mushy blobs.

I reset the timer for 5 minutes . . . then another 5 minutes . . . then another 5 minutes . . . 

Flipping one over revealed a browned cookie-like surface. I flipped them all over setting the timer again and again and again.

Finally, the blobs somewhat resembled cookies and somewhat smelled like cookies.

Ruth, upon tasting one, commented in a polite, nonjudgemental manner.

(Ruth is my most polite and most nonjudgemental friend.)

I read on the Internet that an electric skillet may also be used to bake a cake.

That’s one “little adventure” I won’t undertake.

Ruth will be relieved.