Sage Souffle

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/4 cup milk (heavy cream would probably be even better)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut in strips
2 tablespoons fresh sage, cut in strips
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons salsa

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
Beat egg, and then combine all other ingredients with it.  Pour into an 8oz ramekin, and bake for 30 minutes.  Tada!

Serves 1.

I really wish I could make this recipe more interesting for reading purposes, but that's really as simple as it is, and it turned out quite good!  Please accept my apology, and this imaginary bouquet of snapdragon and fuchsia (speaking of fuchsia, when did it start getting spelled like that?).

Tomato Basil Alfredo

     I recently acquired a basil plant (his name is Wilfred), and have been trying lately to find ways to use fresh basil.  So far, Tomato Basil Alfredo is my favorite use. 

     This is really a very adaptable idea, and I've done it various different ways, but the gist of it is pasta mixed with Alfredo sauce, topped with first basil, and then tomato.  Spaghetti, or fettuccine, or any other stringy pasta is much better than anything else, because it is much easier to mix without dropping noodles all over the place. 

     Definitely put it together differently if you're cooking for just yourself than if you are making it for other people as well.  If you are only making one dish of the Alfredo, it's really not worth the bother of making a whole batch of Alfredo sauce, and it's very easy to improvise using cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, pasta water, and a microwave, in the very dish you're going to be eating out of.  However, if it is a meal for several people, you are really better off making actual Alfredo sauce (this is a very good recipe), and putting together an assembly line so that everyone can put together their own food.

     As for the basil and tomato, they are the same no matter how you do everything else, and very simple.  Take a lot of fresh basil leaves, stack them up on top of each other, roll up the leaves cigar fashion (direction doesn't matter), and slice thinly. 

Slice tomatoes, and chop them into small cubes.  Sprinkle the basil on, and then the tomato, and, if desired, garnish with two smallish basil leaves.  This needs to be done after any microwaving is done, and, of course, after the Alfredo sauce and pasta are already mixed together.

Boxed pasta is perfectly acceptable, but if you choose to make your own pasta, here is a very good recipe.

Edited Airs: Episode One

     It has come to my attention that most songs with words have some grievous grammatical errors, and have a general uncouth sound because of that.  I have therefore made it my duty to correct these problems, and restore to the songs their rightful elegance.  Without further ado, I present to you, Edited Airs, Episode the First.

Cruise

by Florida Georgia Line

Baby, you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise.

When I first saw you, you were scantily clad,

And were popping out of southern Georgia's water.

I thought "oh, good heavens!"  You had those long tan legs.

I couldn't help myself, so I walked up and said,

"Baby you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise

Down a back road, ignoring stop signs,

Going through the middle of every little farm town

With you.

"I have this brand new Chevrolet with a lift kit,

And it would look so much better with you in it,

So baby you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise."

Yes, she was sipping on Southern things and singing Marshall Tucker, thank you for asking!

 We were falling in love in the sweet heart of summer.

She hopped right into the cab of my truck

and said "set the truck on fire!  Let us go get it stuck!"

Baby, you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise

Down a back road, ignoring stop signs,

Going through the middle of every little farm town

With you.

I have this brand new Chevrolet with a lift kit,

And it would look so much better with you in it,

So baby you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise.

When that summer sun fell to his knees,

I looked at her, and she did the same to me.

I turned on the KC lights and drove all night,

Because it felt so very right.

In fact, the both of us felt right!

I parked the truck

And grabbed my guitar.

I strummed two chords

And sang from the depths of my heart.

 

"Girl, you have the heart in my chest beating!

I would have died if you hadn't given me that resuscitation!

It is certainly fortunate that you have your CPR certification!

Why, I can't get you out of my thoughts!

"Baby you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise

Down a back road, ignoring stop signs,

Going through the middle of every little farm town

With you.

"And I know I already said this, but

 Baby you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise

Down a back road, ignoring stop signs,

Going through the middle of every little farm town

With you.

"I have this brand new Chevrolet with a lift kit,

And  it would look so much better with you in it."

Baby you are a song.

You make me want to roll my windows down, and cruise.

Roll down your windows and let us cruise!

The REAL Reason for Wearing Sunscreen

     I recently made the mistake of not wearing sunscreen for a whole day at the beach.  My thought process was that, not being as fair skinned as my siblings, I would get a little burnt, peel, and end up tan, instead of sickly pale like I was before.  This is, more or less, what happened, but in the process, my nose got all raw and scabby.  In itself, this was a minor problem, a slight discomfort and a bit of unsightliness, however, combined with the fact that I would shortly be seeing several relatives who tend to be very concerned about sunburn, and skin cancer, and all such things (and many things that are not such at all), the decision carried a lack of foresight.  The first day seeing these relatives, I was surrounded by aunts, grandfathers, and more aunts, asking me how my nose got to be like that, gasping, warning me that I would get dreadful cancer and die from it, and telling me that I needed to slather my face in Zinc Oxide.  Granddaddy even tried to get me to wear one of his hats, but that, fortunately, was not pressed, and I managed to avoid it.  What I did not manage to avoid was the Zinc Oxide.
     My aunt accosted me before going downstairs, and unceremoniously informed me that I had to put something more substantial than just sunscreen on, and that since they didn't have any Zinc, I was going to have to wear diaper rash cream, which apparently has zinc in it.  Diaper rash cream!  The indignity!  As my oldest sister informed me as soon as I told her of it, I was a buttface!  I couldn't scratch my nose if it itched, because I would get gross white stuff on my finger, I couldn't go out in public with any sort of complacency, because I looked ridiculous, my face didn't even feel wet when going underwater (I'm not a duck!  I'm not supposed to have a layer of oil to keep me dry!), my cousin kept commenting that "your face looks a little white, Rebecca, are you okay?" (the thing, if you remember, that I wanted to avoid people asking seriously.  And, in fact, it had been asked, though not to me directly.), and my hair kept sticking to my face, and was gross even after I washed the abominable stuff off!
     Eventually, after all watery and sunny activities had taken place, I got to shower and rid myself of my facial trappings, and the next day my nose looked enough better that no one mentioned the necessity for diaper paste again, but the memory of it haunts me to this very day.  And that, my dear children, is the real reason sunscreen is so important.