1/2 Cup of Fresh Parsley is not the Same as 1/2 of Dried Parsley

Fun recipe I found in a recent issue of the Real Simple magazine:

Tortellini with Eggplant and Peppers

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (NOTE: 1/2 cup of fresh parsley is a little less than 1/2 dried parsley.....)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

1. Heat the oil in a very large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, bell peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring 1 minute.
3. Add the broth and tortellini. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Fold in the parsley and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Again, note, 1/2 cup of fresh parsley so not the same as 1/2 cup of dried parsley. I think I could have used 1 tablespoon of the dried parsley.

Motivation

This morning I had to get up earlier than the chickens at 5 am in order to be in Corbin by 8 am. Part of me is thinking that, if I was wise, I would get up at 5 am again tomorrow morning (and the next, and the next, and the next) to exercise. In fact, I know that would be a really good thing for me to do. But, the other part of me is a realist and knows that there is no way that's going to happen.

And Today's Dumb Thing that I Did....

Went to the Reds' game in Cincinnati and got REALLY sunburned. I SO know better than that. Now I look super cool with the ballpark sunburn - two bright red stripes on your knees where your shorts ended. Argh.

But, the Reds won!

I'll Be Glad When November 5 is Here

Is anybody else sick of all the political ads yet? And the signs in the yards already?! (Though somebody told me recently that it's illegal in our county to have political signs in yards this early....) I've picked the candidate that I will be voting for on November 4, and if you know me at all I'm sure you know who that candidate is, but, my gosh, I'm already sick of hearing about both parties at this point. Not to mention that MBM has many international co-workers....try explaining our political system to them sometime!

2 Hour Bladder vs. 5 Hour Bladder

Car trips with the husband are always a, well, um, experience. I like to joke that I have a 2 hour bladder while the husband has a 5 + hour bladder. The problem is that the owner of the 5 hour bladder is usually driving so it requires serious nagging, pleading, and threats of an accident before he will begrudgingly pull over, engine still running, let me jump out, and do my best to jump through the passenger side window before he pulls back onto the interstate.

Before you get concerned about my health or the husband's driving, I am, of course, exaggerating .....

How NOT to Communicate with Your Spouse

1. Taping something important they need to see to the garage door.

2. Leaving an Evite that was sent to you open on the home computer in hopes that your spouse will, one, see it, and, two, actually read it.

3. Make sighing noises whenever your spouse is around in hopes that they will read your mind and know what you want them to do.

4. Nag.

What have I left off?

The kiss or the handshake?

As you may or may not remember, my husband MBM works with people from all over the world. Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Switzerland, France, Germany, South Africa, etc.

Today, we had about 15 of his co-workers over. Several Americans (though not all from Kentucky) and several from Switzerland and France.

Here's the question: do you shake hands or do the cheek-to-cheek kiss? I didn't do so well this time. But I think I'm going to need to know this for future work-related events.

If I have NEVER met the person before, what do I do? At the beginning? And then at the end?