all the pretty flowers

My head still hurts from yesterday’s major surgery dentist visit.  Yeah, I’m a total pansy when it comes to pain.  I think my dentist knew this (maybe because I cancelled this appointment 3 times in the past 6 months?), as he talked to me like I was a cute little 6 year old carrying a lollipop.  Not so much condescending as gentle.  He hid the shot behind his back and told me to close my eyes.  This made me chuckle a wee bit, but not enough to make me forget I’d forgotten to take that Ativan.  I’m not afraid of needles in any capacity…well, except when they’re being shoved into the side of my mouth.  I can watch a phlebotomist dig around in my arm with a needle for a vein, but that one going into my mouth…oh uh-uh. 

I was sweating my ass off as I lied there and I couldn’t get my stupid audiobook to play, so I was just squeezing my eyes shut wishing it would end.  Of course I couldn’t feel anything (for at least 3 hours), but it was still excruciating.  And when I got up from the chair I was soaked from sweating so bad.  My dress was stuck to my back and legs, that’s how bad it was.  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.  My head was throbbing.  I wanted my mommy.

As I was leaving that stupid prick very kind dentist told me I should go ahead and schedule my root canal and crown for that back tooth I broke while eating some damn tater tots at The Vortex.  I laughed out loud at him.  “Yeah, right.”

“For that procedure we can give you laughing gas and it will help.  You can even go back to work after the gas.”

“Oh yeah, because going back to work is such a huge selling point for me.”  I snickered and walked toward the reception area to pay.

All I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep.  My head – oh, my head.  It throbbed.  But instead of napping I had to bake 7 dozen cupcakes for today’s orders.  I lied down for a minute after walking the badasses, then got to work baking.  I had plenty of time, seeing as I was home from work early, so I baked 2 batches then took a break to make some dinner.

I’d made a beef roast the other day for dinner and while it was good I wasn’t as impressed as I’d wanted to be.  The thought of eating straight meat for dinner last night didn’t sit well with my sore mouth, so I turned my beef roast into beef stew.  And Oh. My. Sweet. Jesus.  It was delicious.  I don’t think Pastor Mom ever made stew when I was growing up, so I don’t know how I came up with this idea or how I managed to make something so comforting and delicious right when I needed it.  I hesitate in calling it stew, however, because it wasn’t that typical beef stew I picture when I hear those 2 words – super thick, bland, in a can that says Dinty something…I’ve never had that shit, but that’s what I always think of when I think stew. 

I made mine with red wine (no, I didn’t drink any), beef broth and tomato paste as the base.  It was rich and flavorful, complemented perfectly by the garlic, thyme and black pepper I added.  The veggies (carrots, onions and celery) were perfectly cooked, as were the potatoes.  The mushrooms were hearty and firm.  The beef from the roast was wayyy better than it had been as a roast.  I was quite pleased.  Quite. Just writing about it is making me excited about the containers I froze for future dinners.