Here goes...not too much cooking involved but there is a recipe for you fun lovers out there!
1) Let your husband/partner/other half order an entertainment center(EC) online.
2) In the middle of a crazy day preparing to cater a party and desperately searching for a ripe avocado, receive phone call from better half demanding you be home to receive said shipment immediately.
3) While preparing food for a catering for 40, swear when weird looking guy rings the doorbell and remember that you are indeed "expecting" him.
4) Vaguely point to the place in the living room in the vincinity where said EC is going to be b/c you don't have time to break down and and dissassemble current EC.
5) Pick up kids from school, send to neighbors, deliver catering, text neighbor that you desperately need wine.
6) Return home, scootch around behemoth new EC that has been "delivered" smack in the middle of living room/dining room and open wine.
7) Send children outside and watch them cruise up and down on scooters while finishing wine with neighbor.
8) Open another bottle of wine and decide to cook dinner for kids, neighbor and neighbors kids...
"Noodles with sauce, no, a quesadilla, no, a hot dog, and for the grown ups, spaghetti w/ broccoli rabe (recipe to follow)
9) Feed kids and start "dusting" back of current EC in preparation for the transition. Decide dust buster won't cut it, bring out the big guns.... vacuum and dust.
10) Welcome home husband to chaos with a robust (big) glass of red wine.
11) Feed husband, send kids out to play, snicker with neighbor about how wasted husband is after "after work" drinks.
12) Send neighbors home, race through bedtime stories and start moving everything. Don't notice that husband has randomly begun to pull wires out...without any kind of system....
13) Watch husband begin to play with wires....lose interest....start cleaning up kitchen and decide to bake chocolate chip cookies.
14) Respond to husband's stern tone to stop f'ing around in the kitchen and come help.
15) Try really hard to put the wires in the right place - so very many..
18) Enjoy seeing the beads of sweat on husband's brow - really....
19) Triumphant chest bump when everything switches on FIRST TRY.
20) Realize everything has to be moved to conceal outlet/wires etc.
21) Go to bed.
GOOD TIMES!!!!!
Mark Bittman's Broccoli Rabe (Or Rapini) and breadcrumb Pasta
1 lb spaghetti
1 bunch rapini
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
olive oil
red pepper flakes
1 cup grape tomatoes
squeeze of lemon juice
Boil water for pasta, add spaghetti and cook according to box directions.
Blanch rapini in boiling pasta water.
In large saute pan, heat garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil
Add bread crumbs and cook until all is brown and crunchy.
Remove from pan.
Add blanched rapini to pan and saute
Add grape tomatoes
Add cooked spaghetti and a little pasta cooking water.
Add 1/2 breadcrumb mixture and stir together.
Place in pasta bowls and sprinkle remaining breadcrumbs on top.
(After watching the fabulous PBS show "Spain, On the road again" Mark Bittman shall forever be "Bitty" to me!)
