Happiness can be found in small victories—at 67 I won't be crowned Miss Nebraska, can't compete in the figure skating finals, and will never win the Booker Prize....but  six months after surgery I am back riding the Lifecycle for twenty-four minutes at my highest level. I'm sure that takes your breath away, but it was a hard-won, if small, victory. To make the day even more exhilarating, how's about this... I can now see the back of the freezer.

What's left?: one loaf of Dave's Killer Bread, one package of frozen corn, a pork shoulder roast, three freezer bags of walnuts, one-half bag of frozen shrimp, and best of all, we do have ice cube trays. Getting to this goal, however, did require sacrifice over the weekend. We had pea & cheese salad, weenies with flat bread, soup made from cabbage, peas, leftover chicken, and a reddish creamy sauce, and barley/wild rice/and Italian sausage.

Next up—a trip to Costco to stock up the freezer with unidentifiable items. Just kidding, I am dedicated to maintaining a spare freezer and leaving plenty of room for future toast.

That pea salad wasn't half bad—here's an approximate outline.

By the way, yesterday when I was browsing through mean things the critics were saying about Sunday night's Oscars, I read a funny blog entry by Ken Levine. I had to read the biography page to make certain, but sure enough—he's our Ken Levine. If you're an old Mariner fan, you must remember Dave Niehaus's color guy during the early 90's. Anyways, Ken is a television writer—Cheers, Somebody Loves Raymond, etc.—who covered the Cubs, Orioles, and now hosts an after-the-game radio show in LA about the Dodgers. If you scroll down the left side of my blog, there's a link to his page. Some witty remarks from an old favorite.

Pea, parm, and pork salad 

2 cups thawed, slightly cooked green peas
1/4 cup fine diced red onion or 2 Tbs. minced shallot
1/4 cup celery, fine dice
Fresh dill, fennel leaf, or mint are a plus
1 part mayonnaise
1 part plain yogurt
Few squirts of lemon juice
Big pinch of minced garlic
A spoonful of minced preserved lemon grated lemon zest

1-2 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Parmesan cheese

Combine peas, onions, and celery, and the pluses in a bowl.

Mix mayo, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and preserved lemon or lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over pea/onion/celery mix. Fold in bacon and Parmesan cheese.

This would also be good with pasta or rice.