before the final rose

there was gnocchi carbonara.

i'd bought this at trader joe's a few weeks ago, but i had no idea what to do with it. and so i just stuck it in the pantry and forgot all about it - until a couple of days ago.

i love spaghetti carbonara. my mom used to make it all the time, and i'd made a version of it for the hub and the teen a couple of times, too. and i thought, why not just use the gnocchi instead of spaghetti or linguine?

so when the bean (and the dog) fell asleep, i hit up my buddy google and found this recipe. pretty simple, sounded tasty, and didn't require a lot of time. i decided to add some sauteed mushrooms and got the rest of the ingredients ready to go.

(i forgot the parmesan in that picture, but don't fret - it was most definitely in the mix)

and when the hub finally walked through the door, i had dinner plated and ready to go within a few minutes. look - mmmmmm. aaaaahhhhhh.

it was a huge hit, and i'm thinking the teen will dig it, too - minus the 'shrooms. she's not a fan. i may toss in some grilled chicken and asparagus next time, too. sounds good to me.

after i'd cleaned the kitchen and got the bean settled, i turned on "the bachelor" to see if reality steve was right all along. i didn't really have any doubts, but watching it unfold was like the classic train wreck - it's horrific and terrible, and yet you can't. stop. watching. i was SO damn angry by the end of the night. and there's yet ANOTHER installment of "after the rose" tonight? how much are you going to drag this shit out, ABC? it makes me want to boycott future installments of this show, but i know i'll watch because i'm a glutton for punishment.

jason mesnick is a dripping wet douchenozzle. his stupid crying made me want to retch. and i'm a sympathy crier, people! i can't stand to see grown people cry, especially those of the male persuasion. but jason's tears just made me angry.

when melissa muttered "you are SUCH a bastard," i wanted to stand up and applaud. i was so glad she'd said exactly what i was thinking, although said bastard didn't seem to react to it at all. he was too busy making sad faces and pretending to be totally upset at himself for BEING EXACTLY LIKE THAT STUPID BITCH DEANNA.

i mean, come on. that lame ass stunt she tried to pull with the whole "i'm just visiting you" - in new zealand! - and then trying to get him to take her back? isn't that just what jason just did with molly? and how lame is she - hi, you dumped me and said you were in love with someone else, and now you've changed your mind and you want another shot? - and she TOOK HIM BACK. i kept wagging my fingers in the direction of the tv in an effort to send her "don't waste your time, keep your dignity intact, turn his ass down flat" vibes, but the dumb broad put her hand right on his leg and kissed and canoodled with the asshole not an hour after he'd broken things off with his fiance. ugh!

the biggest irony in all of this is that melissa's parents had balked at meeting jason in front of the cameras because they wanted to avoid the publicity of it (or "publicness," as melissa kept saying as the hub and i cringed on the couch). and what did this pig do? instead of handling it quietly and off-camera, he decided the best way to do it was to humiliate the poor girl on national tv.

way to go, ratings whore, way to go. i hope people give you what-for as they see you on the street, if you're brave enough to go outside.

that's quite a lesson to teach your four-year-old son, dude. it's so nice to see that future generations won't be deprived of learning how to treat people like shit. real fucking nice.

jerk.