Monday, March 19, 2007

Cooking with dilated pupils

Why do I have dilated pupils? Pick one:

(1) Sheri has become a drug addict.
(2) Sheri lives in the dark.
(3) Sheri had an eye appointment today.

If you guessed (1), I am probably one of the most anti-drug people you will ever meet. I don't even like to take my necessary prescription medication or something as simple as Advil.

If you guessed (2), I only live in the dark when I have a migraine or if the power went out.

If you guessed (3), you can just imagine how huge my pupils are. I had to drive my stupid butt home after the doc dilated my eyes, holding those cheesy sunglass things up to my face because they're too wide for my head and don't stay. It's a good thing I live less than a mile from the optometrist's office.

But I have some kickass Prada frames on order and I am also getting a trial pair of extended wear soft contacts. I have worn contacts since I was 17, but I have only worn the gas-permeable kind because no one made soft contacts for nearsightedness and astigmatism together. And, well...I am blind as can be, without correction. In fact, when I take my glasses off, I am legally blind and can't see 2 inches in front of my face. But over the last couple of years, someone made soft lenses that correct both problems. The doc said that my gas perms (which I am keeping - there's nothing wrong with them) will give me better vision, but when I explained that I have issues at night....

...more than once, I have scared at least a year off of The Man's life because I woke up in the middle of the night and panicked because I couldn't see. Imagine it - 2 or 3 AM - pitch black room - wife sitting straight up in bed shrieking like a banshee.

...the cats like to knock my glasses off the nightstand, necessitating a search of the floor in the dark just so I can pee.

So he said that I could try the extended wear, but under no circumstances am I to actually leave them in for the 30 days advertised. I am kind of excited and hope they work out, because the thought of waking up in the morning and being able to see without groping for a pair of glasses...well, I haven't been able to do that since third grade. I don't even know what my glasses prescription is anymore.

So, I have been shying away from daylight since I got home. A simple dinner was in order, one that didn't involve a run to the grocery store. I ruminated on what to make while I tried on frames; he dilated my eyes, then I slapped in my contacts long enough to see to pick new frames, then I popped them back out so he could do the evil shine-the-light-through-a-mirror-while-you-look-in-every-direction thing.

So here's dinner. To go with, I made The Gluten Free Pantry's French Bread and Pizza Mix as French bread. Blech.

Somehow I feel like I have posted something very similar before, but if I didn't I couldn't find it anywhere. If I did, sorry. If I didn't, try it. You might like it!



Shrimp & Parmesan Spaghetti

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter (not the lightest recipe in the world -sorry)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
8 ounces gluten-free spaghetti

Prepare the spaghetti per the package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, stirring often to insure it doesn't burn; saute 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, about 4 minutes or so, depending on the size of the shrimp. Add the cooked spaghetti, pasta water, basil, parsley, and cheese to the skillet, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.

1 comment:

Lynn Barry said...

Helen Keller to the rescue, she cooks, she cracks jokes, and all in the dark with THE MAN at her side, sort of...thanks for the laughs...sorry it is at your expense but you crack me up with your MAN posts and poking fun at yourself stuff. HUGS