RTT: Boldly going where no blogger has gone before.

I'm putting it out there. I know it's disgusting, but I'm going to say something. I was taking Musinex (D if you're wondering) for the after-effects of my cold, trying to ward off a sinus infection before it happened. Now, when taking Musinex, I usually experience the typical symptoms of hyperactivity, heightend sensitivity in my nerve endings, and dry mouth. But something else I experience that everyone who had taken Musinex has experienced? It gives your urine a funky sweet smell. That's right! I said it! It makes your pee stink!

I thought I was the only one this pill affected. I'm not. I admitted it to a friend of mine, preceded by a warning that what I was about to reveal was not at all appropriate or necessary. She then confirmed my suspicion that I was not alone. That other people are smelling up the planet just by popping a little pill designed to rid yourself of phlegmy sinuses. Why don't they put that one side effect on the label? Warning, may create pungently sweet urine.

Huh, I just realized something. Maybe it's supposed to be that way. When you smell it, that means you're getting better?

Just a thought.

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I think I need to take a baking break for a while. Every time I come across a new recipe, I HAVE to try it. Flipping through a supermarket magazine, I noticed a recipe for hummus. I love me some hummus. And it looked easy! The recipe offered the emulsifying capability of a food processor or a blender. I didn't have a processor, but I had a blender. Score! I was going to make me some cheap hummus!  I gathered up the ingredients, a sixty-five cent can of chick peas, a fresh lemon for jjuice, and five gallons of gas for the amount of fuel I burned hunting down tahini (sesame seed paste) in no less than three stores. Okay, so having all the other things, the tahini cost me $7.50 a can. Already, I was over the amount of what it would cost me to buy pre-made, but figuring the tahini can would make five or six batches, it would pay for itself in the end, right?

You know those questions never end well.

Placing all the ingredients into my blender, I set the speed on puree and watched...nothing. Yeah, turns out that when you blend something, if the liquid's not very thin, there's nothing to create a pull underneath the heavy garbanzos which sit above the blades like little balls of fail. I tried the small amount of actually pulverized hummus and found it delicious, but lacking the full potential I knew it had. Now, some people may like their hummus chunky, but I prefer creamy myself. So John went out to buy me a "cheap" food processor. And came home with a hundred dollar Oster. (mostly because the box said "puree" when no other did)

Okay, what's the tally so far? Beans, tahini, food processor... $108.17. For a cup's worth of hummus.

Wait, there's more.

John put the entire thing together so I could finish demolishing the chickpea glop I had at this point. And it didn't work. He took it apart again, and checked the instructions. Assembled it once more. Lights were on, but the motor wasn't home.

"Screw it, I'll use the blender to finish this batch. Take it back and forget about a food processor for now."

While he placed all the crap components back into the box it came from, I hauled out the cleaned blender once more to at least finish what I started. Thinking I would be creative, therefore not using my mind safely, I grabbed one of the leftover plastic baby spoons to try to help the beans reach the bottom.

Right. Not smart. I KNOW THIS.

Of course, I slipped the spoon too far and it hit a blade, which chopped off the tip of the spoon. (I basically circumsized it.) So I couldn't use the current experiment as it was because it was either dig through the mess, or possibly poison people who dared to dip a carrot into my questionable spread. (Hey, you never know. Those spoons WERE made in China, you know.)

John returned the defective piece of, um, shredder and continued on his erranding ways to Costco where he spotted a Cuisinart processor for less than thirty dollars. He bought it, thinking we would need one anyway.

Of course, he also bought a premade party size container of hummus as well. So, hmm, we have one hundred and forty-eight dollars and some change for no homemade hummus.

At least my math skills are in working order.

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I was able to salvage my experimentation by baking a scratch batch of soft pretzels. That bolstered my confidence some when I dipped THOSE in the commercial hummus. Yum.

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I got the sinus infection anyway. Damn Musinex..

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Okay, my immune system can't take much more today. Go spread some germs over at Keely's site. It's The Un Mom in case you've never heard of her. Which I know you have. Otherwise, you'd never have heard of me.

Happy Tuesday, all!

Comments

[Rachel]

I've never had Musinex, but I've sure eaten asparagus...

And I think its lovely that John made two different trips to get you a food processer. If I asked David to go get me one, I would get a very blank look in response.

[Twisted Cinderella]

LOL, you will forgive me if I giggle just a little?

Well, at least you got hummus in the end. I wouldn't give up on the homemade hummus yet. Try it with the Cuisinart processor sometime.

[Jan]

I won't take Musinex because the pills are HUGE and you can't crush them and I have an issue with pills that would make a horse would go, "You want me to swallow THAT? Uh-uh, NO way!"

Mmmmm...pretzels. Too bad they're made with all that refined white flour.

[Jan]

Oh - and my Spin is up: http://www.jbsitedesigns.com/?p=8366

[Alaina]

Your food adventures sound all too familiar...my first blog entry was about baking brownies from black beans. Sometimes it's just better to buy the premade stuff :-)

Feel better!

[Mama Badger]

Yeah, I go pre-made with hummus. I'll admit that it's one of my Farmer's Market splurges (there's a lady there that makes a to die for red pepper hummus).

Perservere with the food processor. I held back on mine for years, and just this spring have decided it's my new best friend. Little o agrees, as he now eats more real food and less jarred food.

[VandyJ]

WE love our zutzer(food processor) for shredded potatoes to make hash browns and making buscuits is much easier with it.

[Julie]

To go through all of that for hummus? I have to admit that I have never really tried it, but it has to be damn tasty for all of that effort. I think that might be on this week's grocery list. Thanks!

[Captain Dumbass]

I got a good laugh out of the circumcised spoon. Now that I'm trapped in retail small appliance hell I get to hear a lot of these stories.

[SuziCate]

I'll still read your blog even if your pee stinks! My hubby and sons say that asparagus does the same thing to them!

[Gretchen]

I have never noticed that side effect from Musinex, but I'll sniff around next time I take it and let you know.

Yeah, it's the tahini that always keeps me from making the hummus. Though here in LA they sell it just about everywhere!

[Keely]

I had a remarkably similar experience making hummus. Now I have 5 or 6 cans of chickpeas and a food processor that didn't do the job but sounds like a 747 taking off, so I'm disinclined to use it for anything else.

[K Odell]

Pnut butter can be used in place of tahini- there I saved you $8.00!

[kyooty]

Hummus + franks Red HoT sauce= YUMMY!!!
Tahini from the bulk barn is much cheaper. Oh wait that's Canadian store. hmmmm

[kyooty]

This might be a case for the "Will it Blend?" guy... youtube if full of blendable winners.

[Kate]

Wow, that's quite an exciting Tuesday!

[Amy]

In place of tahini I use sesame seed oil (for one can of chickpeas I use about a tbsp, just to give you a starting point), it tastes just as good and is waaaaay cheaper and easier to find.

(I also add a few tbsp of nonfat greek yogurt to make it extra creamy. But that's beside the point. Or not, since it's Random Tuesday.)

[Casey]

I rarely drink coffee so now when I do, my pee smells like yummy coffee. Not something I should tell people.

You and I can bake together. I'm going NUTS with the gluten free baking and now organic because of the link between pesticides and ADHD. Seriously, I'm looking into working at a local Coop and everything, making my own jellies, apple sauce, juices, GOLDFISH (gluten free with a $15 fish shaped cookie cutter). It's insanity.

[Jessica]

I have done that blender "trick" with the spoon, broken the blender...

Give up the baking for a bit, I agree.

Oh and as far as your pee pee, have you ever peed after eating asparagus? Yeah....ugh!

[Heather]

I bought some musinex but still haven't had to take it. Thanks for the warning of sweet smelling pee. (That was weird to say)

I have heard about hummus before, but have never tried it. For that price I probably never will!! LOL!

Here is my Spin:
http://bnhwelch.blogspot.com/2010/06/spin-cycle-drama.html

[peg]

Nothing like saving money hmmmnnn? I do crap like that all the time and it never ceases to frustrate me!

[bex]

Interesting... I thought mucinex was a syrup.

My friends (who are mostly from some exotic location far far away from Texas) try to get me to make hummus. They say it is the easiest thing in the world to make.

I say, it is the easiest thing in the world to buy from Costco.