It took me three days to paint the master bedroom, three days of Jeff-awayness that meant I spent most of my painting time trying very very hard to coax sprightly conversation out of my painting utensils (and failing, I might add). The first two days were spent painting and doing chores at a rather leisurely pace, since I believed I had until Thursday night to complete the painting of the room.

Last night's phone call changed that. "I'm coming home a day earlier than planned."

1. Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2. I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3. You'll update your website with my five questions, and your five answers.
4. You'll include this explanation.
5. You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

My questions are from Heather of gravitylens.org. Her questions and her answers are archived on her site as well.

Pesto Orzo with Pine Nuts

1 package Orzo (1 lb usually)

2 packages Knorr Pesto Sauce mix (green package, they finally have it at Target, YES!)

1 package pine nuts (approx. size on this, Misty?)

2-3 broiled chicken breasts, cut up (optional)

Much freshly ground black pepper

A white cheese (Romano, mozzarella, etc.) of your choice to taste

Misty's getting a little annoyed with us; her recipes that take much time and effort to prepare never manage to win her quite the rapturous accolades that her (as she puts it) utterly brainless recipes get her.

This cake is possibly the best example. I do not like the idea of standing between Jeff and this cake. I suspect the results would be quite detrimental to both me and the cake. Stake your cake claims early, or my spouse will stake his in your stead.

I'm going to file this statement under "death wish fulfillment":

Or, that's what Jody calls it; I can't say that I've had the pleasure of tasting this particular recipe yet. When I mentioned that I had been a little lacking on writing material lately, I found an email from Jody waiting on me the next morning with the following statement:

"I am sending you my all-time favorite recipe. My family routinely goes through 4 bowls of this stuff at gatherings. It so rules."

So, in my ongoing effort to diversify things a bit around here, I present yet another famed recipe from Jodyland.

"Best Damned Cobb Salad In History" part 1: the greens

• ½ head chopped Napa cabbage (bok choy in a pinch...but find Napa if you can)
• ½ head chopped romaine lettuce (pick off the outside big leaves)
• ½ head chopped cored iceberg lettuce (don't use the inner rings ... they are kind of bitter)
• 3 large green onions, chopped