Steamer, mistakes and Thursday Dinners

 

I like cooking and since I started to be health conscious I like steaming as a cooking technique. I have had a steamer for some years and it has proven to be a great pot in which to prepare healthy, well balanced meals for one. Tasting good depends on the cook and her/his mood and ability to cook, the steamer will oblige. The trick is to remember to turn the gas off after the water has evaporated or add some more water before the pot burns. This did not always work well in my kitchen.  Consequently, I had to do a lot of pot scrubbing. The pot changed its colour and black is now a dominating tonality of the bottom part of the steamer. Since it is a New Year, a New Beginning, I decided that I will get myself a new steamer, a steamer I will treat better than its predecessor. I have accumulated a high number of points granted as a result of my Master Card purchases and I thought that it will be a good idea to get myself a new steamer through the Altitude Award Program. I found a really nice looking steamer among available to me goods and I ordered it, feeling that I have done a good thing to better  organise my kitchen.

I was waiting patiently for delivery of my new cooking tool and IT CAME yesterday. It is huge! 

I tend to be a bit quick in making decisions, not always doing appropriate research. That was the case this time. I did not check the dimensions of the pot. It says “super sized” on the box in which the cooker arrived. If it was not an internet type of purchase I would have never considered to buy it. But I have it now and have to think where I could store it in my small kitchen and how I could use it so I do not have feeling of failure.

For some time now, I wanted to hold regular dinners with my friends to discuss important, interesting, topical subjects enjoying friendly company and atmosphere. This idea is still in planning stage but the new steamer may precipitate the start of my Thursday dinners on Fridays. The strange name comes from famous Thursday Dinners given by the last Polish king, Stanislaw August. The dinners were instituted to discuss art at large and famous people were invited to share their views on cultural issues. 

I am no royalty and my place is not a palace. It is rather small, so my dinners will be for 6 – 8 friends who are not necessarily famous but as most of my friends – fun, knowledgeable in their areas of interest, interesting people. I expect the dinners to be lively and fun. My new steamer will be very useful in preparation of bigger size meals. This will make me feel better.

Why Thursday dinners on Friday? I think Fridays are better for most people to socialise than a middle of working weeks. King Stanislaw did not have to worry about such things.