8 Miles High, And When You Touch Down

16 Bean Soup in the Crock Pot 

Do you ever get wild hairs up your arse and haul off and make a bunch of meals at one time, just because you have the extra energy but fear it may go away for awhile?  I did just that and it did just that.  Firstly, a supremely hearty 16 Bean Soup in the crockpot with roasted peppers and smoked turkey necks, carrots and kale, garlic, smashed up at the end a bit to create a creamy texture.  

I also schlepped to the grocery store and found rice paper wrappers for these amazing Vietnamese (Goi Cuon) Shrimp Summer Rolls.  

These were slightly more work than I realized with all the precise chopping of the vegetables and herbs.  The just-right boil and slice of the shrimp.  Plus, to do it right, boiled pork sliced very thin needed to be added and boy was that worth it. Plus who knew you could boil pork so quickly and have it come out so tender???

And because this heavenly muse stayed with me all day, I made an equally divine peanut sauce for dipping.

Don't get me started on the hardship of rolling these sticky bitches!  You have to keep your hands wet and work faster than a Times Square hooker on Fleet Week. 

Somehow I felt it was the best idea to roast a chicken during all of this creative commotion.  

The next day I was sick as a dog with P's bug but I flew high before that flu struck.