My mother in Law was German. So when I prepared my first dinner for her I searched for a German dish and settled on Beef Roulades a fancy rolled up flank steak pickle concoction. You know how those Germans like pickles in everything so how could I go wrong?
Let me count the ways.
I didn't have a car those days so it was important to have all of the ingredients assembled on the day of the dinner. Check.
What I discovered as I assembled the dish was that it also required string and toothpicks to corset the roll together as it cooked. As a newlywed nineteen year old (can we all say "child bride"?) I had neither.
What to do? My mind raced and my eyes scanned as I laid eyes on my husbands sneakers. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm shoe strings are some kind of string. Anyway this was his mother plus doesn't heat kill germs? Those babies were going into a virtual cootie killing oven for 45 minutes. Decision made.
I trussed up the rolls but they kept spronging out in places. I surmised I really needed those toothpicks too. None in sight,but I did have some nails in the tool kit we had gotten as a wedding gift. Who would know? I'd remove the nails before I served it and it would stay my crafty secret.
OK -- imagine the color of nails. Now picture the color of cooked beef. I soon discovered they are in the exact same spot on the color chart.
With minutes to go until my in laws arrived I took my fingers, poked and prodded that entree until I was sure I had removed most of the nails. And I had. Most.
My gracious in-laws ate their dinner and acted like it was no big deal that each of us had a little pile of nails on the corner of our plates.
Nobody died and to this day no one in this family has suffered iron deficiency.
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