My First Cooking Experience at MTC

I arrived home late after going to church on Saturday night and making a run to Wal-Mart to pick up those essential food items and some cleaning supplies. Since my dinner consisted of chips and yogurt, I thought I would pop in a frozen pot pie. Once I remembered we didn’t have a microwave, I fished out a cookie sheet from the box of dishes from the mission barrel. After preheating the oven Martha-Stewart style, I deftly inserted my pie. I set my timer and estimated it would be done around 12 midnight—just in time for a midnight snack. Five minutes later, the smoke alarm issued an ear-splitting shriek! After wandering through the house and ensuring that the active smoke alarm was not the one that sounds throughout the entire building, I calmly pulled the pie out of the oven. Nothing was on fire, so I quickly opened the windows. The neighbor came over to make sure I was all right, and I mumbled something about the greasy residue on the pan making a lot of smoke. It was about fifteen minutes before I had the courage to put the pie back in the oven after scrubbing off the cookie sheet and closing the doors to the bedrooms where the smoke alarms are located. Finally, at 12:45, I ate my pie and went to bed. It may be awhile before I get up the courage to pull off a Martha Stewart, but I will be sure to keep a fire extinguisher on hand!