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Cooking with Migraines

I'm just going to go ahead and update now even though I really don't have much to say. I have to go to a staff retreat soon - I know, I was just at one a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday... my company likes to not work, but at the same time, it doesn't want to just give you the day off so you can not work in the style of your choosing. Oh no no no! Instead, we all get together and sit in rooms and not work together. I think we're supposed to be bonding, but really I think most of us are just writing down talking points for a two hour gossip session on the next regularly scheduled business day. 

Something about the winter retreat causes a few of my co-workers to show their festive side. Last year, I counted no fewer than 6 people wearing holiday themed headgear to include but not limited to reindeer antlers, Santa hats or Christmas light earrings. Many were also wearing holiday themed attire. Not to let the bonus train pass me by, this year I've chosen a bright red sweater to wear to the winter retreat. I've already seen three bejeweled Christmas tree sweaters and a couple of women wearing knitted yarn scarves while in the office, so it looks like I didn't take it far enough. Drat! Foiled again!

Last night, headache still fully centered over my left ocular cavity causing my eyeball to pulsate just a tad, I decided to go to the grocery store to hunt and gather a bit of vittles to feed my hardworking husband. Immediately upon entering the grocery store, I was assaulted by bright fluorescent lights and the smell of cut cantaloupe. Resisting every urge not to hurl into my green slimy "shopping for one" basket, I glanced around feverishly trying to find something that still looked appetizing that I could quickly purchase and then retreat to the safety of my still-warm SUV. The first thing I saw was the rotisserie chickens. Not appetizing. Next was a plank of smoked salmon with capers and lemons displayed in the deli case along with a gigantic black fly resting just right of center. I realized that this task was going to be much more difficult than anticipated.

I quickly left the deli and prepared foods area and found myself staring at the dairy case. For someone who is a bit lactose intolerant, it made no sense that I was mechanically filling my basket with yogurt, but the sign said 43 cents each. I don't know. When I finally snapped out of that, I realized I should get out before I found myself trying to select the most moist of the cow tongues available. Cow tongue - meat department - GO! I walked across the store to the meat department, walked past the meat counter because I didn't want to interact with people and stood forlornly in front of the small selection of day old prepackaged meat. I could hardly remember why I was at the grocery store.  When I finally forced myself to focus in on the packages of meat in front of me, I found in my hand .36 pounds of round steak. Round steak equals pepper steak! I KNEW WHAT I COULD MAKE FOR DINNER!

So anyhow, I gathered the remaining ingredients for pepper steak and hurried home. Ryan was immensely pleased at my culinary skills and I was just happy I had a bit of Excedrin Migraine lying around. I love pepper steak, but the one thing I hate about making it is that regardless of how many times I was my hands and how many scented lotions I apply, my hands always smell like onion the next day. Anyone got any tips for that (besides wearing rubber gloves while cutting up onion?)

8:59 a.m. - December 21, 2004

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