Making Do With What You Have

Two weeks ago our oven died. The pilot light wouldn’t stay lit and neither would the actual oven if you turned the gas on.

I rejoiced. I hated that oven. It was some cheap, never-heard-of brand that came with the house. I had been looking for an excuse to replace it.

Of course we weren’t prepared for it to die and we’ve been insanely busy lately so going stove shopping wasn’t on the top of our priority list. Not to mention that it’s been hotter than Hades lately, so we normally don’t bake anything this time of year anyways. Plus the stove top was still working.

But sometimes you forget that you don’t have an oven and as you (or in this case, Jeanette) are putting together an amazing dish you realize just before you put the pot into the oven that it doesn’t work.

So the only option you have is to use the gas-grill-turned-charcoal-barbecue. But we didn’t have any briquettes or charcoal. We did have plenty of wood though, so a wood burning oven made from an old barbecue was the only option. Believe it or not, it worked splendidly, except for the permanent color change of the bright red dutch oven to a darker maroon color – which I think I like even better.

Tom has always wanted a Wedgewood stove. Now was our chance to get one because we now had a reason to get one. Except our kitchen is tiny and our current stove is wedged into a space that’s only 30″ wide between a counter and a floor to ceiling cabinet. That didn’t seem to stop us from bringing home a beautiful Wedgewood we found on Craigslist that was 40″ wide. So the cabinet has to find a new place. We’re just not sure where though.