Sunshine On a Winter's Day

I got up so late, I didn't have the chance to do much more than have breakfast, get organized, and watch a few episodes of Good Eats on winter vegetables, two of which I currently have in my own refrigerator. "Celeryman" turns one of the most versatile vegetables in existence into everything from celery tonic to mashed celery root and braised celery. (I've tried the latter when celery is a part of that "buck a bag" sale. It actually came out really well, just tangy enough.) Alton says "If It Ain't Broccoli, Don't Fix It" when he makes use of the infamously bold floret in a cole slaw and as a steamed side dish.

Work was steady to dead for pretty much the entire day. It's the middle of the week and the middle of a month where most people don't usually have a lot of money, plus we're between holidays. Not to mention, while it was still a bit cold, in the lower 30's, it was far less cold and windy than it had been yesterday. I did get stuck in the register for about an hour, but I mostly alternated between doing returns and gathering carts and baskets.

Returned to Alton when I got home and made "spinach pancakes" for dinner. Brussels sprouts have a somewhat better reputation nowadays than they did when "A Cabbage Sprouts In Brussels" first debuted. People have since found ways to use their funky flavors on the grill and in cole slaw and salads.

(Incidentally, I first got the recipe for spinach pancakes from a magazine of tips and recipes that Kraft used to send out about a decade ago. It's pretty much just eggs mixed with spinach and cheese - I also added mushrooms - and pan-fried. It's been one of my go-to quick after-work meals for years.)

Worked on writing for a little while after dinner. Luke's horrified when he sees Vader stab Friar Ben. Han manages to get them out of the castle and into the woods before the nasty Sheriff does the same to them. But there's other thieves in the woods, and they may not be willing to let them and their carriage, alone...

Moved on to Dreamgirls after a shower in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday. I go more into this dynamic all-black musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Dreamgirls