the stockpile

We still have no oven.  Can you believe that!?  We moved into this house at the end of June.  The oven, which came with the house, has not worked that entire time.  Everything else is fine:  broiler, stovetop, etc.  And, praise the Lord, it's under warranty. 

But.

We have to go with the appliance repair company contracted by the warranty agency.  This has been utterly disastrous.  This is the reason that, four months later, we still do not have a working oven.  In fact, since they came on Friday to finally "fix" it, we don't have a working stove, either!

That's right.  They came to fix the oven, and ended up breaking the stove too.  I've been calling daily to try to resolve this, and am getting nothing in return.  I have to stop here because I'm trying to reduce the stress in my life.

I reorganized the freezer yesterday, and here is what it looks like:

That is four chickens, 2 lbs chicken legs, 2 lbs turkey thigh, 2 large turkey legs, 1 lb ground turkey, 2 lbs country ham, 3 lbs bulk breakfast sausage, 4 lbs smoked pork sausage links, 5 lbs ground beef, 1 lb beef patties, 2 pork chops, 2 lb beef roast, and 1 lb bacon.  Roughly forty pounds of meat.  Just waiting for a stove or oven to love it.

So what did I make for family dinner last night?

Marinated tomato salad.  And it was delicious.

Marinated Tomato Salad
4 C sliced cherry, grape, or chopped whole tomatoes
1/4 C olive oil
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 t dried basil (or 1 T fresh)
1 t dried oregano (or 1 T fresh)
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t honey

Whisk together all ingredients except for tomatoes.  Pour dressing over tomatoes and chill for several hours.  Serve cold or at room temperature.  Great as a side, on pasta, on toasted bread.