It’s a funny morning I’m having.  I am sleepy and half of my mouth is numb, as I am just home from the dentist after having a filling replaced.  It was tiny, and fell out sometime over the past six months since my last cleaning, which is kind of weird to think about.  Was it one of those times that felt like I had dirt in my salad or sand in my scallops?  Maybe.  Anyhoo, Dr. Dewey did me up (for free) with a bright pink topical numbing agent that reminded me of Raspberry Razzles.  I was rather fond of Razzles, part sweet-tart, part gum, all goodness for about five minutes.  Am I the only person around that likes to chew gum for five minutes?  Seriously, any longer and it just isn’t a pleasant experience.

The Razzle talk has me thinking about Thirteen Going on Thirty, with Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo (I like him a lot), a film in which many Razzles are consumed.  I’ve seen it about five times, mostly on random afternoons of couch potato-ing.  It’s fun, silly, and cute except for the mean girl who played the woman with the wonky boobs on Arrested Development.  I’d definitely watch it again.

So the picture above is of our compost.  Well, the bits ready for the heap, at least.  I couldn’t believe how pretty it looked – purple kale stems and Meyer lemon halves are quite lovely.  I read somewhere that about 30% of the garbage put in landfills is food waste like this.  Why aren’t more people composting?  Is it a concern over the smell, because it doesn’t really, unless you put animal protein in it.  If you’re worried about it, keep it far from the house, but, seriously, someone farting is a lot worse than the smell of compost, and according to Dr. Oz, it’s happening inside the house six to twenty-four times a day, per person.  Think about that for a minute.  Besides, composting is also super simple and requires no fancy equipment.  We’ve got a giant bin into which we are constantly putting vegetable waste, leaves, and grass clippings.  We rarely stir it and have amazing compost.  It really couldn’t be easier.

Finally, when in doubt, roast.  I bought a head of cabbage the other day and decided I would roast it rather than the usual braise.  Holy smokes people, this makes awesome cabbage!  I cut each half into four wedges, drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and baked for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  The outer layer was a little crispy, and the inner leaves were creamy – so delicious.

Oh yes, before I forget.  Thank you so very much for your kind words about both the watercolor painting and my new job (which is going quite well).  You are the best!