So I have found myself working nights this week and besides the fact that I feel old as I have realized that I can't stay up until 0230 effortlessly like I use to I have also found that I can't sleep in. Does anyone remember those glorious college days when you would stumble into bed in the wee hours of the morning and sleep until noon? Those were the days when you didn't have to worry about how dark your bedroom was or whether or not you needed to take sleeping pills or a sleeping mask or how loud your neighbors are or how hot/cold your bedroom is. Well those days are over.

This week I have been trying to go to bed at 0300 but unfortunately I have found myself wide awake at 0800. And oh my room is too hot, too light and the cat is too loud. Really?

So what do I do? I get up and cook! Yes, I know that is not the normal response but it works for me and it allows you to make new friends as you bring snacks to work. So this week I made Artichoke Spinach Lasagna http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Artichoke-Spinach-Lasagna/Detail.aspx and Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dessert-recipes/Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Fudge-Crunch Yum-o!

So I got off work late tonight and I had visions of guilty pleasures in my head as I drove home. Hmmm but those dreams were shattered as I opened my pantry and realized someone had been in my pantry and had cleaned it. Nope it wasn't my new cleaning lady....because Johanna is heaven on Earth. And I am pretty sure it wasn't the dog or the cat...however there is someone else who lives in my residence and loves to clean....

So these were the guilty pleasures I was picturing...

1. More Nutella...red wine had been poured and I scoured the shelves for the remnants of the Nutella from last weekends baking experience. Couldn't find it and pretty sure I wasn't looking like a man. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about have you ever had the experience with the male gender where they ask you where something is and its right in front of their face..."Babe where is the milk." And they are looking in the fridge and its in front of them on the main shelf. Ok so Nutella gone!

2. Marshmallows...so I love to snack on shmallows...nope also purged from the pantry

3. Thin Mints...just heard a comedian recently who was talking about how Girl Scouts put crack in these cookies to make them so addicting...totally think he is right. I am not a person who craves sugar and sweets....but holly heck Girl Scout cookies turn me into a crack whore.

4. Cheese and crackers...yup found the crackers but this is how spoiled I am...I was like crap no sliced cheese...that means I have to slice the cheese myself...WTF think I will just drink wine

So here I sit with a glass of wine, a few peanut butter pretzels to appease myself and a big glass of bitterness over the guilty pleasures that were not meant to be. Ok on a side note I do have to say my pantry looks damn go...but do you really care about a clean pantry when its 10pm and you have needs? I think not!

Ok and for those of you who actually want some good ideas related to cooking and don't just read this because I am damn funny here is a good jambalaya recipe that I dedicate to Carolyn who is actually in New Orleans...miss you

Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

1lb fully cooked smoked sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups sliced celery
2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped jalapeno...I removed the seeds
1 T minced garlic
28oz chopped tomatoes...the recipe called for whole tomatoes but for some reason I have an aversion to them
3 cups water
2 cups cubed cooked chicken...I bought the cooked chicken in a bag and it worked well
2 cups cubed ham
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 T chicken bouillon
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 lb shrimp shelled and deveined...this made my house smell nasty because I forgot to take out the trash and just put the shells in there
hot pepper sauce, optional

1. In a pot over med heat saute the sausage, onion, celery, peppers and garlic until tender. Add remaining ingredients except shrimp and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 20-25 min or until rice is tender. ***I found it took longer like 30-35 min *** Add shrimp. Cook 2-3 min or until shrimp turns pink. Remove bay leaves. Serve with hot pepper sauce
Makes 12 servings and calories: 370

And I did not take a pic cause it looked like crap
Ok need to go get some sleep as I have to be back at work at 7am...oy

So seriously don't you hate when you set your mind to cooking/baking and you think you have all of the ingredients...and well you just don't. So as you all know I am trying to perfect my baking skills so tonight I decided I was going to make Nutella hazelnut cookies...they looked so good and they are chocolaty and rolled in powdered sugar and I already had visions of bringing them to work tomorrow and impressing my co-workers. So I set to baking and in order to bake well you have to drink some wine, right? Therefore, I pour myself a glass of red wine, light my candles and I hit my first road block...ugh my jazz channel on the tv is gone. So I text my husband in a panic,"where are the music channels on the tv?" And I get NOTHING!!! I start trying to problem solve through the first cooking dilemma, where is my cooking music? And I soon realize ahhh Internet radio on the iphone will get me through the night.

I am now on my 2nd glass of wine as I start mixing the dough for the cookies. I add in the Nutella and OH MY GOD I start eating the Nutella with a spoon with the red wine. It's ok to swear here because it is so worth it! Nutella and red wine...oh my fucking god...its like an orgasm on a spoon! By the time I pry myself away from the Nutella so there is enough to actually make the cookies I am needless to say a little buzzed (bet you are all wondering what kind of state I am in right now as I write this...hmmm some things we just don't talk about).

So I complete the cookie dough and it says that the dough needs to sit in the fridge for a few hours to harden up before I roll the dough in hazelnuts and powdered sugar. I put the dough in the fridge and I start scouring the pantry for powdered sugar. Let me just say I have a pantry with everything known to man it...random stuff, staples and everything in between...hmm but no powdered sugar. Well hell!!! I then start the debate-how do I get powdered sugar? Its 7:15 at night and here are my options-do I?
A. Beg the neighbor for powdered sugar-I don't know kind of awkward, right?
B. Drive to the store and get powdered sugar-normally the best option but after the amount of wine I have consumed hmmm...no, I don't think powdered sugar is worth a DUI and no job
C. Put the cookie dough in the fridge until tomorrow, continue to drink and write my blog

Guess what option I chose? So you see I chose option C. Wish I could enamor you all with stories of beautiful chocolaty heavenly cookies but alas all I have for you tonight is a funny story, a wine buzz and some leftover Xmas cookies that have been in a tin for 4 months. Love you all and sorry ladies no cookies tomorrow unless one of you wants to deliver some powdered sugar! Good night!