The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window

A lovely break as always

April 14, 2009

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It's been one of those crazy weeks and listening to the show was a lovely break as always. As was the "Lamentation of the Peeps" dream I had Saturday night, where, all the Peeps on the shelves at my grocery store came to life after the store closed. They all put on these little monk-like shroud robes and paraded through the store humming in the near-dark until the sun rose Easter morning. Then they all threw off their shrouds and began dancing in the aisles — partly out of Easter joy and partly because my grocery store only closes twice a year and that's a long time to go without dancing. And then I woke up.

I know what you're thinking. That I had a glass of wine too many while I stayed up late Saturday night making coffeecake for Sunday's breakfast. Or that I accidentally mixed my allergy medicine with my headache pills. Or that Mr. Sundberg didn't cook the salmon steaks long enough. Perhaps you're unfazed by it all and not even thinking a dream about Peeps dancing at midnight in a grocery store is all that unusual.

Well, it is. Because just about every night of my born and blessed life, I have dreamt about flying. Still do. Not flying in a plane or a spaceship or anything mechanical or fumey like that. A hot air balloon on occasion, but mostly it's just me up there in the sky, soaring over fields and cities and forests and lakes. It's not so much what I see while I fly (though I have flown over Tibetan villages and volcanoes and nude beaches); it's more how I feel. Trying to describe the feeling is just plain silly. Let's say it's right up there in the top five, closer to one than five. Then again, so is dancing. Ask any Peep.

Pepperoni Pizza Hotdish

5 cups cooked penne rigate pasta (1 box)
1 26 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I use Prego ricotta parmesan)
1 14 oz jar of your favorite pizza sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
12-16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced pepperoni

Mix first four items in lightly olive-oiled 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle with about a cup of mozzarella and about a dozen pepperoni slices cut in half.
Mix again. Pat down evenly. Cover with remaining mozzarella, 8-12 pepperoni, and sprinkle with garlic salt,
oregano, and basil as you wish.

Bake at 375 uncovered for about 20 minutes.