It all started when we went on vacation, and the two waterspouts formed because of my weird electrical field just to torment me and seek me out - "The Eeny Meeny Miny Mo Cook" -- not the other 5000 people on the island just me!!! We were without electricity for 2 days. AGH!! We recover from that one and the first week we are home from vacation, I am relaxing at home and up blows one of those infamous Pop-up thunderstorms that we experience around here. The next thing I know I see a bright flash of light and hear the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard in my whole life. I jump out of my skin and get up to look to see if the house is on fire. Thank goodness it was not, but because of my weird electrical field, Husband Fred says that the lightning travelled in the house through the cable cord seeking the weird electrical field and murdered our computer, printer, TV, and router. Oh goodness it is my fault!!!
Later that same week, he brought home a picture he had taken of where another lightning strike actually blew a hole in his antenna at his Decatur radio station. He thrust the picture in my face and was looking at me in an accusing manner. I thought "Wait a minute Buddy. No way is this one the fault of my weird electrical field!" Then and I am not kidding y'all (Cue The Twilight Zone music), I remember that I had gone to Hartselle that very day to visit a friend, and I drove by Decatur on I-65. It was storming at the time. It was my fault. The lightning was seeking my weird electrical field out but hit his radio station instead. Can you believe it?
THEN.......a couple of weeks later, I am getting ready to go to work, and I plug in my curling iron and guess what??? It does not heat up. The outlet is dead. Husband Fred checked the breaker and did some other tests, and stated that it has gone to Outlet Heaven. He looks at me with a weird stare and then runs like the wind to get out of the house and away from me. (He was late for work!) I got chill bumps on my arms. I am thinking now the weird electrical field is coming out of my body and wreaking havoc in my little universe. I get in the car, and it cranks thank goodness. I get to work with flat nasty hair because of no curling iron, and I walk in my classroom, and (Cue The Twilight Zone Music Yet Again), there sits my computer on the desk staring at me. It is showing the Blue Screen of Death. It will not reboot or do anything. I got scared. I looked at my hands to see if I could see anything coming out of them. In my haste, I failed to tell you that the week before, the monitor that was hooked to that very computer died. GOOD GRIEF!!!! What is it? I even did some Internet research on weird electrical fields coming out of a human's body, but I found nothing. I am the only person in the world afflicted with this problem.
Life goes on, and nothing happens of late. I go to get my hair cut, and I am telling my hairdresser this story, and when it is time to blow dry my hair, she looks scared and frightened. It looks like her hands are shaking. She said "I honestly hope this thing comes on!" Are you kidding me? I have become a weird electrical field leper. I would love to tell you that the dryer did not come on for dramatic effect, but that would be a bald-faced lie!! It came on, and we each muttered under our breath "Thank goodness!" I will keep you updated on my condition.
Now on to the recipe. I have chosen the next cookbook to be Barefoot Contessa at Home. Barefoot Contessa is not actually the author's name. Her name is Ina Garten, and Barefoot Contessa was the name of the specialty food store that she owned for several years in the Hamptons of New York. She has a show on the Food Network, and believe me, just about anything she cooks or bakes or prepares is 5 stars. I love her food. So.....the Game chose as the recipe "Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette". Again, I wanted to cheat but I did not. I had never had Broccolini before. So let's get started...
Here is the lovely picture of the cookbook.
You will need broccolini (she defines this as baby broccoli), olive oil (she calls for "Good" olive oil (????), balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, black pepper, and a lemon.
I forgot to take a picture of boiling the broccolini. Boo!! It must be the weird electrical field. While it is boiling away though, you whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and the pepper.
You drain the broccolini, place it in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and finish with a spash of fresh lemon. You can serve it warm or cold.
I served it with a nice grilled ribeye steak (Yes Food Police...I ate a steak and then I took 2 of my Omega-3 Fish Oil Pills. They went great with the meal!! HAHA!!) and a baked potato. When Husband Fred and I sat down to eat dinner, the greatest compliment he could ever pay me was to start with the brocollini and not the steak. He loved it. It is delicious. It does not have the "burpy" taste of broccoli. It has a much lighter taste. I will definitely prepare this one again. Yea for the game. I would have never tried this if not for it!
Here is your recipe---
Barefoot Contessa at Home
Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette
4 bunches of broccolini (I used 2 bunches)
Kosher salt
1/4 c good olive oil
1 1/2 tbs balsamic vineagar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Remove and discard the bottom third of the broccolini stems. If some stems are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. When the water comes to a full boil, add the broccolini, return to a boil, and cook over high heat for 2 minutes or until the stems are just tender. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Pour enough dressing over the broccolini to moisten and toss well. Splash with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and serve warm or cold.
Now go have a great day!!!
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