SAUTE THIS . . .

I'm no Mario Batali, but I didn't do too badly tonight, if I do say so myself. Culled from my memory of other similar dishes I've had in the past and thoroughly enjoyed, I rustled up:

farfalle pasta, boiling away in salt water ... sliced and halved turkey sausage, sauteed with diced onions in olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper ... later joined by baby spinach leaves, left to wilt with minced garlic and even more olive oil ... and finally blended with the cooked farfalle and topped off with more olive oil, fresh ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, sauteed until the flavors are fully baked and caked onto the pasta.

Yum. I stink to high heaven right now, but who cares? I just carbo-loaded!

***

CHARMING . . .

There's just something so lovable about the photos of Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe scarfing down humongous burgers and french fries dipped in ketchup, and drinking soda out of bright red Coca-Cola cups through straws, at the Astro Burger on Santa Monica Boulevard after their round of Oscar parties.

I love it.

And it's making me crave an In n' Out burger. We might have to make a special stop on our way out of the airport when I land in L.A. in a couple of weeks ...

***

SPRING FORWARD . . .

I hate this, the kind of cold that settles in my bones and makes them more painful, more grating, more stiff than they already are ...