Wishing I were not me...

I really am not the person I used to be.
I wish I were.
Would that it were I was not me.

I am voluntarily going to see the female surgeon on Tuesday ... though I am not sure how I will mange to get through the appointment ... because it is clearly, undeniably evident that the change in hormones (old medication was taken off the market) is not working.  SIGH.

So, well, since I will not forget all the ways in which I have failed in communicating and managing my emotions and keeping my mouth closed, I will focus on the culinary success ... sort of ... today.

Because I am just that weird, my first success will be to note that I finally found a pulled pork recipe that is not a slow cooker recipe.  My joy is profound not only because Myrtle + Slow Cooker = Disaster, but also because it is a recipe that uses DR PEPPER!!  BLISS.  I've got the pork in the freezer, but I am going to resist cooking until I eat now a few of my frozen meals.

Okay.
Stop snickering.
I know.  I know.  I have no will power!

I am not sure if I am more excited to have a new and different sort of oatmeal cookie recipe or that I now have a true, blue, tried, and true Thai peanut sauce recipe.  Oh, man, was it ever so tasty!

The Thai Honey Peanut Chicken is so very tasty and so very authentic.  I was really surprised to find lime in the ingredients list.  I never would have guessed it would be there, but I think the lime is the super secret special ingredient that makes Thai peanut sauce be Thai peanut sauce.  Pictured is basmati rice, but on the recipe I wrote jasmine rice, since that would be best.  Plus, we clearly did not have enough peanut sauce to mix with our rice, so I doubled the sauce part of the recipe.  This will most assuredly be a common occurrence in my menu rotation.  Oh, my!

So, I am not a cauliflower girl. But I sort of want to be.  Marie fell on her sword for me and joined me in tasting this ... weird ... vegetable.  I think that could add a tad bit of healthiness to my life ... maybe offset my consumption of heavy whipping cream, eh?  I went ahead and made the changes to the Smoky Roasted Cauliflower recipe that I will do next time.  By that I mean, I do not believe 400 degrees was hot enough to roast this strange white vegetable.  I will also add more seasoning.  In any case, I will also be searching for many, many, many more recipes that require smoked paprika.

Seriously, go out and buy some right this minute!

These.  These Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies.  Best. Cookie. Ever.  Even cooked too crispy for my liking, these are bloody awesome.  I think they are my new favorite.  My go-to cookie.  The Cookie-of-Myrtle's-Life.  The dark brown sugar and oatmeal are perfect together.  Happiness abounds.  Satisfaction pervades every part of your being.  SIGH.

[Yes.  I just ate a second cookie after typing that.]

Note to self:  Let Marie decide when to take cookies out of the oven.

Come visit and I will not share any of mine with you ... but I will make you a batch of your own.  If you change your sheets for me.  And try really, really, really hard not to be so infernally cheerful in the mornings.  And love on Amos a bit.  Okay, love on Amos a lot.

And then your life will change.
Or not.
And then my life will be better because I will be forced to eat your batch, too.

Marie and Michelle are most kind, definitely.  But I forgot to note that I discovered that Michelle is an expert emulsificator!  She was the one who whisked the dressing together yesterday, and I was most impressed with the result.  Of course, I forgot to watch her.  So, hopefully, I will get another chance to observe one who is so skilled at emulsification!!

Also, well, if you know Michelle, please take a chance to send her congratulations, will you?  She worked so very, very, very hard at getting a job and landed one two weeks after sending out her first resume here in town.  Warming the cockles of my heart, she sent out handwritten thank-you notes to all her interviews!  But she also studied hard and thoroughly prepared for each of her interviews.  And she soaked in every bit of advice I had.  Not that I have great advice, but how wonderful it is that  Michelle is so willing to learn.

It was interesting watching her and thinking about some of the less-than-disclipined and rather -un-humble young employees I came across in my years of working.  I happen to think a willingness to learn is a lost art among many folk today.

Well done, Michelle.  Well done!


I am Yours, Lord.  Save me!