Kitchen Remodel Week 3 and 4 - My Rival Roaster

I didn't write about my kitchen last week because they didn't do much.  This week they've been moving right along.  Cabinets are installed, flooring is set and I finished painting, except for the trim.  I'm sure next week will be slow because they have to order and get the countertops.

I was going to document what I ate everyday of the remodel, but to  be quite honest, the past few weeks has been mostly sandwiches.  Those are quite boring to photograph.  Plus, the last week was a week when I worked all night, so I was really too tired (they are quite loud) to even care if I ate.

Kitchen remodel = A whole lot of sandwiches

This is actually leftover Chinese rice with some fresh steamed veggies.  Yup, I ate Chinese takeout.  I'm not ashamed.

But, I do need to sing the praises of my Rival Roaster Oven.  I bought this last year on sale at Wal-Mart (for $10) and I've only used it once since I bought it.  I used it to keep stuff warm at Thanksgiving.  I've always thought it was a useless and big, and mostly takes up space (it doesn't even really have a place to live.  It was above my washer and dryer). I decided to try it out during the kitchen remodel and this thing is great.


I already wrote about baking bread in it, which is pretty amazing.  This week I made Hasselbeck potatoes in it.  You can't do that well in a microwave.  They were perfectly crispy on the outside and done on the inside.  It took about an hour, but that's about the same for a regular oven.  The ones I make in the oven seem to separate and fan out more, but they were still delicious.

I also made baked ziti.  This one has Greek yogurt, some frozen mixed vegetables ad spinach baked in.  It got all crispy on top too.  It was great.

 

I had to cook the pasta to almost done in the microwave, but I don't think fully microwaved ziti would taste as great as real baked ziti.  I know I couldn't do the enchiladas I had last week, bread or hasselbeck potatoes in a microwave.  The other option would be the outdoor grill, but it's been rainy and yucky.

If you're having your kitchen redone, I highly recommend  one of these things!