Mission: Accomplished!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have touch-down.  Or rather, lift-off.  That's right!  I'm happy to say that, yes, I sucked up my hesitancy to clean the gee-darn oven and just got it done.  Perhaps it was out of need to avoid other things or simply to get something simple accomplished as a temporary confidence boost, however, it is now done.

Let me just tell you that Easy-Off really did work wonders.  I had my doubts when I cracked open the oven in the early morning, shook up the compressed cylindrical can and sprayed up the whole inside of the oven, door included.  I'm not sure if you have an oven full of burnt of your own but, if you do, I found it really easy to clean everything off with a little scrubbing after spraying it in the morning (around 7 am) and then cleaning it off when I got home from work in the evening.  However, as I say, it is totally, completely, utterly and awesomely clean.

This can only mean one thing: please, please let's bake something soon! ^_^

p.s.  Fish-bake from the Crock-pot for dinner.  One word for you: yum!

The disaster as it appeared after sweeping out most of what was loose on the surfaces (top left).  This caked-on junk was not to last, however, as it was covered entirely in the awesome white foam of Easy-Off (top right).  The current state of affairs (bottom).  Oh, yes.  Baking will ensue.

Nothing Holds Up Baking...

...like an oven full of burnt.  Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, the burnt part wasn't my fault.  I've burned this before (Remember the muffin paperweights?  That was burning of epic proportions!), but this is like caked-on carbon in the bottom of the oven.

I would bake regardless, however, I have had the unpleasant experience of burning something on the stove top (it was underneath the pot, this is not a habit of mine!) and having to fan the fire alarm to appease it once more.  The burning smell went away and didn't settle on anything.  On one hand, I now know for sure that my fire alarm certainly works; I don't have to press the test button and then scramble to figure out how to turn it off.

So, in the hopes of saving myself quite the scramble, I have swiped the Easy-Off from my mum and now just have to get some really old clothes to conquer the burnt.  I have, so far, had the Easy-Off for about a week now and have not made the slightest effort to clean it.  I'm still working on the clothes (apparently this cleaning business is quite messy!).

I am committed to getting this done, though, and am hoping to have good news soon!  If anything, I have to absolutely get it taken care of before Nov. 3.  Why?  Because Nov. 5th marks six weeks until Christmas.

And Christmas means lots and lots of glorious cookies for all!  ^_^

The stove seems so harmless, sitting there with its novelty spoon (left), but what ominous things it contains!  See that black cloud?  I daresay burnt is the enemy of baking if such a thing even exists (right).