Ice Day Bachelor Chow

Today I had the day off due to the effects of an ice-storm that hit last night during my church's Advent midweek service. When I got to church, the ground was dry. When I left, I could scarcely walk down the sidewalk because it was so slippery.

This morning, the icy conditions forbade any thought of driving the twisty, turny country roads to where I work. I thought things might be better in my city neighborhood, but when I tried to take a walk I almost got killed, slipping on glare ice on a section of sidewalk that sloped down toward the street where heavy traffic was whizzing by. By the grace of God, I did not skate into traffic. I didn't even fall down, though I have a record of diving under a (thank God) parked bus in conditions like these.

So it was a cold, stay-at-home kind of day. I ransacked my cupboard for some comfort food, preferably of the zesty persuasion. This is what I came up with.

SHELLS, PEAS & ZING
Start by boiling a couple cups of water. Add the shell pasta from a package of Velveeta Shells & Cheese; also add the packet of cheese sauce (still sealed!), and bring the water back to a boil. After a few miinutes, remove the cheese packet & set it aside to cool; it will still be very warm and soft when you need it to be.

Meanwhile, empty a bag of frozen peas into a ceramic dish, add a couple tablespoons of water, and microwave (covered) at high power for 6 to 8 minutes. Strain the water out of the noodles when they are done (which is best determined by picking one out with a fork from time to time and eating it, until they reach the desired tenderness). Combine the noodles, cheese, and peas with the contents of a can of Hormel "No Beans" Chili and a drained can of Rotel. This makes about four large servings, which for a fat guy like me accounts for lunch and dinner.