Awhile back, I joined the Northshore Vegetarian Meetup group. I figured it would be a nice way to meet people who were into vegetarian food and maybe some casual socializing.
This weekend we were supposed to have a St. Patrick's Day potluck. I was concerned over what to make. Many people in this group, it seems, are raw foodists. Vegan, militant raw foodists. Me? Not so much. Life without pasta and mozzarella? For that matter, without bagels and butter? Puhleeze. But after reassurances from the group founder that cooked food was OK, I decided to make my infamous stuffed peppers.
Now, what was I thinking? I could have easily made anything, why did I decide to make an ingredient heavy, prep heavy dish? Oy vey. My stuffed peppers require at least three canned items, two boxed items, much vegetable cutting, assorted sauteeing, and copious mixing. And that's all pre-baking and "plating."
Saturday a.m. I journeyed the hour down to the nearest Whole Foods. If I was going to force these people to eat cooked food, the least I could do was make it organic. The price tag? $88. I spent all of Saturday night cooking like a madwoman. I made three trays of stuffed peppers. They looked and smelled gorgeous.
Alas, at noon, I drove the 35 minutes over potholed terrain to the house, only to find it dark and empty. The potluck had been cancelled -- the victim of flu and family emergencies. I hadn't checked my email; I hadn't been alerted.
Now I'm a hundred bucks poorer and I have three trays of stuffed peppers to dispose of. Here's hoping they freeze well.
