Finger lickin' good

My kitchen is currently a disaster area.  A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen, right?  It just means I've been hard at work, creating culinary delights to share...or pig out on by myself.  This is evidenced by last night when I opened the fridge to find something to satiate the hunger and discovered four green bell peppers, waiting to be put to work before they shriveled up into a moldy mess.  And whaddayaknow, the stuffed peppers I ended up with were delicious. 



I may have heated my house to 20987345 degrees on top of the outside temperature already pushing 100, but that's what A/C is for.

I've been watching a lot of Food Network Star lately, where 15 contestants come to compete for their own show on the Food Network.  The tasks the producers put these poor schmucks up against are brutal.  Making food seem "fashionable" (working at NYC Fashion Week)?  Uh...no thanks.  I wouldn't even know where to begin!  And the time limits seem insane...I can barely cook dinner for myself in less than two hours. 



And how do they keep coming up with new and interesting things to make for the judges?  If I were on that show, first I'd pee my pants trying to present anything, and then it would be some insanely easy dish like macaroni and cheese.  But it'd be fancy because at the last minute I'd remember that I'm supposed to be impressing someone...so I'd throw in some goat cheese or something.  If I made it past any sort of challenge on the show, I'd probably be a crying mess.  Long story short, I will not be submitting an application anytime soon.

I wanted to make Muddy Buddies over the weekend, but I couldn't.  And I'll tell you why: really old, expired peanut butter in my cupboard.  Don't worry, I keep Chex, chocolate chips, AND powdered sugar on hand, but apparently I don't eat PB enough to keep it stocked.  This should not come as a shock to anyone who knows me...remember how I can't even stand the smell of straight peanut butter?  And everyone thinks it's weird that I hate it vehemently on its own but love it religiously when paired with sugar or chocolate.  Well, guess what...I also hate maple syrup and basically any kind of squash.  My odd tastes are probably what's holding me back from my true calling as a chef...

Maybe one day when I'm independently wealthy I'll go to culinary school in France and put my skills to the test...