"Look at my Shorts", the winter storm of the century, and Roasted Red Pepper Soup...

So, what's been going on lately...hmmmm...let me think....

snow, snow, snow....wait not done yet...and more snow. We were actually very lucky in that we didn't lose power like a lot of towns all around us did. These are the days when I feel like I actually do some good on the radio, because we can tell folks very quickly what's going on, or not happening, and give real time power outage updates and road conditions. After a week like this though, I come home and I don't want to talk anymore....my parents are probably laughing right now and would tell Don to enjoy it...my silence may not come around for another century!!!!

I also had a chance to get back on stage for the first time in 11 years. A very good friend, David, called and asked me to be part of a very special night of staged readings as a benefit for the scholarship fund in his wife's memory. Her name is Maria and if it wasn't for David and her, I wouldn't know Don. It was the two of them who thought we might hit it off. They were right!! It was also David and Todd, who wrote all of the short plays we performed, who gave me a chance to be on stage when I first moved here in 1996. I was so scared to get back up there, but it was great and I was very honored to have been a part of this special night!

Then there's the roasted red pepper from Paula Deen's first collection of cookbooks. I am sure that when Paula made it, it was delicious. When I made it, well how do I put this, it was a pinkish-orange, runny, grassy tasting concoction..doesn't that sound delicious. Don opted not to give any to his Mom, he was afraid if she saw that she would not want me to cook for her anymore and she'd go back to eating nothing but pizza.

I'm not sure what happened, but I don't think this one goes on the wall of favorites, especially since my husband, while trying to make me laugh, said ""hey maybe we can use this as a salve for a flesh wound."

So, it's time to get back to the Cookbook Challenge of 2010.  I bought a really cool pan and a new knife. They are beautiful tools to work with. I made mushroom risotto and a few other favorite dishes to break them in! I think I'm once again ready to try something new...but I think I'll stay away from roasted red peppers and thyme for awhile.......