dinner disaster (almost)

After a day filled with laundry, cleaning, and mothering, I started to prepare dinner.  AJ was off of work for an interview, and was home by around 3.  Dinner preparations began at about 4:30 because I had to go to Mason Gross to model for an art class from 6 to 9.  Cooking was not the usual zen experience.  I baked some tofu slathered in soy sauce for the stir-fry, and crisped leeks and garlic for the garnish.  I attempted to begin “stir-frying” the broccoli, before I needed to get ready to leave, so I turned on the burner.  I made an incorrect knob selection, turning on the front left burner, rather than the front right one.  This front left burner was being used as counter space that i so often find lacking in our kitchen.  I must say, I learned my lesson regarding the use of a stove as countertop for things-other-than-pots.  I heard a clinking noise, like a heavy metal utensil, hitting what i thought was the counter.  AJ was assisting in the cooking process by heating the rice.  I thought he had used something to stir the rice and it was dropping off of something he had propped it on.  I heard it again.  And again.  It wasn’t until the plate cracked in half and the paper towels went up in flames, that I realized I had a potential catastrophe on my hands.  The flames were minor at first...For about one second.  i couldn’t find the right words to get AJ’s attention, due to the fact that Le Foo and two of her friends were in the other room, and I did not want to draw any attention to the “happening” in our kitchen.  All I could think of was “EMERGENCY.”  AJ came in, grabbed a pan, and tried to smash the fire.  No success.  All I saw was my freshly cooked garnish glowing from the approaching flames.  I grabbed what was left of the paper towels , dumped ‘my precious’ onto the remaining half of the plate, and set the paper towels, fire and all, into the sink.  I turned the water on, which immediately put about 75 percent of the fire out.  I just stepped back and watched, so relieved to see the flames being smothered.  They were low enough for me.  AJ, in a much better frame of mind, took the hose on the sink and sprayed down the remaining flames.  In the end, we wound up with a nice medley of stir-fry vegetables and tofu served over rice with, of course, my slightly singed, but salvaged garnish on top....and our apartment still in tact.