The Continuing Saga of the Twenty Minute Gourmet.

Six months of household culinary responsibilities may be winding down. My wife, during her recovery, has lost a considerable amount of weight. Jokingly, I’ve claimed responsibility for some of it. My macaroni and cheese wasn’t cheesy enough. Stewed potatoes were bland. Our kids used to call them “stupid potatoes.”

Sunday morning, I made scrambled eggs, with diced peppers, onions and tomatoes. This has become my Sunday morning mainstay, unless we’re going out for breakfast. On weekday mornings we have our usual basic fare. My instant oatmeal with sliced bananas, an apple, and orange juice. My wife’s tastes are more varied. Sometimes just a piece of buttered toast and a chocolate protein drink.

Tonight, for dinner, we had spaghetti, with garlic bread. It was a team effort. The spaghetti sauce was properly seasoned and simmered under my wife’s instructions. It turned out well in spite of my monumental screw-up with the spaghetti noodles. She spoke clear instructions. “Drain the cooked spaghetti noodles. Then run cold water over them, drain again. Run more cold water.”

I listened, but the spaghetti cooker pot lid came off somewhere in the hot water, cold water process. Spaghetti noodles went straight into the sink. Dang it! I said or something similar. “Look for another package of spaghetti noodles in the pantry.” She wasn’t too upset. I searched through the pantry, there were several packages of spaghetti. Saved me from a run to the grocery store. Dinner was only fifteen minutes late, but still quite tasty.