Perils and Pasta...

I am planning another My World This Week post but I need some sunlight streaming through the windows for just a couple more pictures.  With heavy rains and storms this week, the sunbeam has been missing.

Yesterday I was walking when I noticed storm clouds to the West but didn't think much of it.  Usually a dark sky only indicates rain will arrive eventually.  But I was wrong this time.

I was about twenty minutes from the van when I heard the thunder and broke into a power walk.  When one's house was hit by lightening with no storm overhead... one knows lightening can strike far ahead of a storm!

I made it to the van as the storm hit thinking all was well until the windshield wiper on the driver's side broke about a quarter mile from home.... shattered was more like it!!!  That was ummm... interesting.

There is a small hill in front of our gravel lane where one must carefully stop and look before turning as oncoming cars and trucks cannot be seen until they are nearly next to you.

I couldn't see a thing out my window but had to take a chance no one was coming toward me (my driver's window does not work so I couldn't open it to look... such is life with older vehicles but I'm thankful for it!).

Sigh... as I told Stephanie that evening, I almost was killed twice while walking for my health!   The kind of circumstances we call a "Perils of Pauline" day.  :)

Today has been much less exciting as the damp weather has left all three of us feeling a little yucky.  Yes, even Victoria has been moping around looking rather peeked.  In an odd way, it made my husband and I feel better.  You know, if your cat can be affected by the weather then perhaps it isn't because one is getting older... ?

So, what did I do with the weather blues?

As I write, I have pasta sauce on a low simmer (I love that simmer button on my stove) and the house smells of garlic and onions.  I defrosted a package of ground beef I'd already browned and set it aside while sauteing chopped onions, grated carrot, and two garlic cloves I'd grated on the microplane... then added the pasta sauce and a can of chopped tomatoes with the ground beef.

It cooked for an hour before I turned the heat down to low and pushed the simmer button.  It's the first time I added grated carrot but I'd read it added sweetness and I didn't want to throw out the one enormous carrot I had left.

The book, An Everlasting Meal, now always comes to my mind when I think of throwing out food.  I noticed the one carrot in the refrigerator earlier in the day and it was the inspiration for the pasta sauce.

I learned about grating garlic cloves on the microplane long ago from various cooking shows.  You don't even have to peel it.  It's fairly safe since my microplane isn't sharp.  I tried it once on the mandoline I use for grating veggies (a gift from my daughter a few years ago) and it was much too sharp.  Fingers are of too much value to risk them, even in a quest for perfect pasta sauce.

Tonight's Italian meal is a thank you to Hubby who said it was fine that I accidentally took a late nap yesterday and didn't fix dinner.  He's good that way.  Now to stir the pot and open a box of pasta... yum.  I love cooking on dark, damp days.

By the way, I made The Pioneer Woman's crashed potatoes a couple days ago.  Talk about yummy!  That recipe is... here.

Picture:  I wish I knew the artist.  This was from my files long ago with no artist name attached.