I Opened the Refrigerator 14 Times... Dinner Still Didn't Appear.
I Opened the Refrigerator 14 Times... Dinner Still Didn't Appear.
Funny stories for women over 50 • Kitchen humor • Real life •
Come Sit Awhile with Mama T
Friend...
I don't know who needs to hear this...
But opening the refrigerator every six minutes...
Does NOT cause a roast to magically appear.
I've tested this theory.
Extensively.
Matter of fact...
If refrigerator doors gave out frequent flyer miles...
I'd be vacationing in Hawaii by now.
Yesterday I opened mine fourteen times.
Fourteen.
Do you know what changed between visit number one and visit number fourteen?
Nothing.
The cheese was still judging me.
The ketchup was still living on borrowed time.
The leftovers were still sitting there wearing that little plastic lid like they were hoping I'd finally commit.
And somehow...
The broccoli looked even more disappointed in me than it did the first time.
❤️ Pull Up a Chair, Friend...
If you've ever opened the refrigerator...
Closed it...
Walked away...
Then came back thirty seconds later hoping something different would be inside...
Friend...
You're among your people.
At RusticRootsPantry.com, we laugh about real life, real kitchens, real grocery bills, and real women trying to remember why we walked into the room.
Now here's where things really went sideways.
I wasn't hungry.
Not exactly.
I was...
Looking.
Looking for inspiration.
Looking for motivation.
Looking for somebody else to make supper.
Apparently none of them lived in my refrigerator.
Instead I found:
Half an onion.
Three pickles.
A container of something that had evolved into its own ecosystem.
One lonely hot dog.
Butter.
Six different kinds of mustard.
Why?
Who needs six mustards?
I don't even remember buying four of them.
At this point...
The refrigerator started feeling less like an appliance...
And more like a witness.
Every time I opened the door...
It looked at me like...
"Ma'am...
You've already been in here."
Then I did what every respectable woman over fifty has done at least once.
I started moving things around.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
There was a lasagna hiding behind the orange juice.
Nope.
I found barbecue sauce from two summers ago.
A jar of olives nobody admits buying.
Three nearly empty jars of jelly.
And enough salad dressing to open a ranch museum.
Still no supper.
By refrigerator visit number eleven...
I was negotiating.
"If you'll just produce one homemade meatloaf...
I'll clean the vegetable drawer."
Nothing.
Visit number twelve...
I stared into that refrigerator so long...
The little light probably started wondering if I was moving in.
Visit number thirteen...
I ate shredded cheese directly from the bag.
Standing over the sink.
Like the sophisticated southern lady my mother raised me to be.
Visit number fourteen...
I finally accepted the truth.
The refrigerator wasn't broken.
I just didn't want to cook.
There's a difference.
A very important difference.
❤️ Friend... Tell Me I'm Not Alone
Have you ever stood in front of the refrigerator...
Knowing you had food...
But absolutely nothing sounded good?
Or...
Have you ever eaten a handful of cheese...
A pickle...
And called it supper?
Please tell me I'm not the only one keeping the dairy industry alive one snack at a time.
You know what I've learned?
Some days...
We're not looking for food.
We're looking for energy.
Or motivation.
Or somebody to say...
"I'll take care of supper tonight."
We've spent decades feeding everybody else.
Packing lunches.
Cooking holidays.
Cleaning kitchens.
Remembering everybody's favorite meal except our own.
So if once in a while...
We stand in front of the refrigerator hoping dinner introduces itself...
I'd say we've earned that moment.
Besides...
Eventually...
I made a grilled cheese sandwich.
It wasn't fancy.
It wasn't Pinterest-worthy.
Nobody applauded.
But you know what?
It was hot.
It filled me up.
And I only opened the refrigerator three more times afterward.
Progress.
❤️ Before You Go...
If today's story made you laugh...
Come spend a little more time with me at RusticRootsPantry.com.
You'll find:
🌻 More Come Sit Awhile stories
🥘 Down-home recipes for real life
📖 Digital cookbooks
🏡 Kitchen laughs and cozy country living
💌 Encouragement from one friend to another
Because around here...
Nobody expects perfection.
We're just trying to figure out what's for supper...
Without opening the refrigerator fifteen times.
❤️ You Belong Here.
💬 Let's Visit Together
Tell me the truth...
What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten because you didn't feel like cooking?
Mine?
Cheese.
Pickles.
Two crackers.
And enough sweet tea to convince myself it counted as a balanced meal.
I laughed.
I survived.
And tomorrow...
I'll probably open that refrigerator another fourteen times.
❤️ Mama T