We're Still Cooking

Terry came for dinner tonight; a good time was had by all. She is such a dear and so much fun. I'm ashamed it has taken me so long to get off my derriere and have her over. It seems I am at Chez Atkinson all the time and I've been awful about reciprocating ... especially since Stephen took the job in Winston-Salem and is only home on the weekends. Shame on me for being such a failure as a friend! With Paul here, I am cooking every night and it feels so good to be back in the groove. I spent too many months eating cereal (or worse!) for dinner.

Paul and I created an interesting dish with penne pasta, Italian sausage, tomatoes, onions, Monterrey Jack cheese, cream, and other tasty ingredients. I made up a salad (I mean a MADE UP the recipe) ... neighbor Greg had given me some homemade Tahini dressing and it has such a delicate flavor I decided to try something different. Last Saturday I bought fresh, just-picked peas at the farmers' market along with some particularly nice tomatoes. So, tonight I par boiled the peas until they were not too soft and still a bright green. Then, I drained the peas and quickly but them in a bowl in the fridge until they were cold. I cut up the tomatoes and an avocado, some fresh mozzarella, and a couple of green onions. I tossed it with the Tahini dressing ... it was a winner ... a nice refreshing salad on a day that was so hot at 9:00 p.m. the steam is still rising from the sidewalk. No kidding ... when I got in my car at 1:00 p.m. to come home, it was 108 ... and this is just the beginning of June. I dread what it will be like in August. I called Paul from my car and told him that he could not go outside! No Englishman could possibly survive the heat. After all, in Geordieland where Paul originates, a hot-as-hell day is 65 degrees.

After dinner, I took some leftovers to Greg and he sent me home with two mojitos. So, here I sit on my couch watching the 2008 Spelling Bee finals and sipping my drink. What a fortunate woman I am!