Monday night

Walked my walk after work. Didn't even nap on bus. (Predictably, the black Hummer was parked in the handicapped spot outside Flanigan's.) Cleaned cat box. Making meat sauce for pasta. They had some really nice-looking ground sirloin on sale the other day. Forgot to get Italian sausage at the last minute, so added fennel and crushed red pepper to sauce. It also has sliced portobello mushrooms, chopped onion and green pepper, minced garlic, basil, oregano, marjoram, a bay leaf, and grated Locatelli Romano cheese. I start out with a large container of Ragu sauce "flavored with meat."

It came out good but will taste better once it has sat in the fridge for a day or two. It's cooling off on the stove now. Made angel hair to go with it. (I think Publix's angel hair is its old vermicelli.) The sauce started out a little thin but I simmered it down over the stove with the lid off, but with a wire-mesh spatter guard on top. It's thick and chunky now.

Watching "Hoarders" on A&E (not that I am one). I had a landlady in Tallahassee who lived like that. Once I went to her house to pay the rent, and I couldn't believe what I saw. (The front door was open but she didn't appear to be home.) Stuff everywhere, every surface covered with crap. I think I even remember seeing an old jar of mayonnaise left out in the living room, rotting, among other food items. Maybe roaches running around. This was a nice Victorian house down the street from FSU's Old Campus. I'd never seen anything like it, nor have I since. This was a wealthy woman (Mrs. McPeak) who owned a lot of "student" rental properties around Tallahassee.

Had a lousy lunch today. A Greek restaurant was making stuffed peppers as a special. One of my co-workers got me enthused. It turned out there was no meat in the pepper, just rice. $7.99 plus tax and tip for some vegetables and no protein. Fortunately I'd brought the roast beef to work. What a waste of money. Co-worker wasn't pleased either. If you like stuffed peppers, Stouffer's has some really good ones, though I always add Crystal hot sauce for more flavor.