Ina Giveth, and the Stomach Flu Taketh Away...

It seems burning the granola was not the worst part of my day on Friday.  I ended up with a stomach virus. Yep. Good times.

When in the middle of cooking your way through a cookbook, one thing you wouldn't want to have happen (besides ruining the food) is getting a stomach bug. Obviously laying on the bathroom floor and wanting to die is the worst part of it all. Mercifully it passes in 24 hours or less, but the memories and exhaustion like to linger.

The thought of anything other than crackers or pretzels is making my stomach turn 48 hours later, so the idea of the ingredients still sitting in my refrigerator for the meatloaf, squash, and potatoes is just unthinkable at the moment. Even typing this is causing me to get a little queasy.

I did try to watch the newest episode of Barefoot Contessa that was on yesterday. Auntie was celebrating the completion of a new library she had built in the barn of her East Hampton home. She was making a party for the people that helped make it happen. I must have really poor etiquette, because if anyone ever does work on my house they're lucky if they get a red plastic cup with some water in it.  Well, as soon as I saw she was  making mussels, mashed chick peas, and caponata I had to turn it off. I'll have to try again when I'm not feeling so compromised.

I am hoping to get back into the kitchen tomorrow, even if it's to start with just the Fingerling Potatoes.

The upside of it all? Whatever weight came on the first week and a half of the Auntie Ina project is now gone! I'm wondering if when I start to get my appetite back if I should just turn on an episode of Guy Fieri? Watching him always seems to make me feel sick. Hmm, maybe I'm onto something?

In the meantime, here is Auntie's new library....since I can't bear to post any food shots:

Like many others of her generation she still is using her cd collection, I see. I'd bet money that there is some Neil Sedaka, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis and Bette Midler in there. For some reason I just picture her having the same taste as the rest of my older, Jewish, Long Island family does. I know she talks about enjoying some instrumental and world music but I bet when Jeffrey comes home on a Friday night for his roast chicken, there's some "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis playing in the background somewhere while they sit and eat!