You know you're a reader when...

You see a Half Price Books truck out on the road and you immediately wonder what it would take to hijack it.

Has it really been *that* long?!?!?

Or, my poor, neglected blog! How I lament thee!

I didn't exactly mean to quit writing. I just got really, really busy. I spent most of my summer at work, covering for everybody else's vacations, which meant far more hours than usual (and a far bigger paycheck--yay!), but didn't leave a lot of time for everything or anything else. But now things have evened out a little, so I'm going to try to get back to regular posts on here.

Today I went to the grocery store and bought ALL THE VEGETABLES!!!!! Not really, but that's kind of what it feels like. My plan is to make a big old salad, add in a bunch of veggies, some herbs--dill is my most favorite ever!--and make some kind of vinaigrette. I'm also roasting chickpeas and caramelizing some bacon for the salad. (I'm roasting/caramelizing beets as well, but not for the salad. Just because I love beets.)

I also bought the ingredients for this pasta. I got the recipe from Bon Appetit, and it could very well be my favorite food ever. I love pasta anyway, and I love leeks, and bacon, and cream sauce, and so what's not to like here? This time around, though, I'm adding roasted grape tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh parsley, and mushrooms cooked in a bit of white wine (a mixture of Gewürztraminer and Vinho Verde, because that's what I've got in my freezer; also, I had to type "Gewurz..." whatever into Google five different ways before Google even knew what I wanted). This is for tomorrow, and work lunches after, because this pasta is much better after it sits overnight.

Just for the record:

Food Purchased Today:

• cucumbers
• parsley
• frisee
• lemons
• dill
• beets
• radishes
• green onions
• leeks
• chickpeas
• avocados
• radicchio
• grape tomatoes
• sugar snap peas
• white button mushrooms
• bell peppers

Recipes Used/Consulted:

• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
• Brown Sugar-Glazed Bacon
• Roasted Beets
• Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas
• Hard-Boiled Eggs (because I can never remember how long to let them sit after boiling)
• Creamy Pappardelle with Leeks and Bacon