Sorry, Becky...

I was so sure that my daughter stole them. There was just no other feasible answer - shoes do not just walk away by themselves. But there is no way she would do that and not 'fess up....she isn't afraid of me, and she lives too far away for me to come there and spank her...it just didn't make sense, but it was the only answer. Because my house is NOT THAT MESSY. I couldn't lose a pair of size 9's - no WAY.

This whole mystery began back in July, right before Becky and Ethan (my grandson) came home to Oregon for a visit from Georgia. 2 weeks, carefully arranged before the start of school (Georgia apparently likes their summer vacations to end right when it gets REALLY hot and uncomfortable), and luckily during a time I could take 2 full weeks off work and not suffer from a dump truck load on my desk when I got back. I bought two pairs of nice flip flops, one Nike in chic black and white, the other Adida's in a cute and perky black and hot pink. Fast forward to the week after they went home - can't find my Nike's....looked everywhere, nothing. Asked son #1's GF if she perhaps had them - no. Checked with son #1 & 2 - "you sure you didn't wear them?"..."NO, mom...your sandal wouldn't even fit" (a lie, because I had to buy new ones because one of them wore mine so much that he broke the toe thingy out of them). Damn.

Checked all the cars, under beds, in everyone's rooms, beneath furniture, under the multi hamper, even went out and scouted the grounds for pieces of black foam or dog poop with telltale signs...not even a snippet of a swoosh. Crap. So I call Becky, ask if perhaps she accidentally took them home. "No Ma, I don't have your sandals". Son of a....maybe Ethan? Call again - "Did you check to make sure Ethan didn't pack them? NO. Mom, I don't have them. Promise." Son of a....where did they frigging GO??

I gave up. Decided one of the two times I wore them I must have left them on the beach, possibly on my car, only to be blown away unnoticed and picked up by some dude hitchhiking up the coast, then traded with a tourist for a handful of SWEET seashells he later made into a braided hemp necklace ultimately given to his girlfriend Harmony Sunshine to commemorate their pure and undying love that would end as soon as summer was over and she had to go back to court recorder school.

Today we cleaned the house. Hubby vacuumed for perhaps the first time this summer (I say perhaps because maybe when I'm at work, son #2 spends the better part of his day fiendishly vacuuming the entire house, sweat pouring down his brow and singing Queen medley's at the top of his lungs...you never know), and walked into the kitchen holding my black Nike flip flops. "Where did you FIND those?" I asked incredulously, unable to immediately process that he was actually holding them in his hand. "They were behind the french door". Smug SOB. Kind of like how one would say, when your are looking for your glasses "They're on top of your head", or "You're wearing them" (OK that only happened once.) So I finally have my flip flops. On October 2nd. Maybe summer will come early next year.....

So yeah, we worked our butts off, then went to church, then grocery shopping. We were whipped, so we had a Jr. Bacon Double Cheeseburger and a giant diet coke for dinner, and I didn't make my pasta....but I'm not going to go back on my word, so here's the recipe. This is what I found when I went online to find one for the browned butter and Myzithra cheese pasta they have at Spaghetti Factory restaurants - easy peasy, simple but decadently good with a deadly punch of flavor - it's pretty calorie intensive with the butter, so just don't eat it very often, k?

Browned butter and Myzithra Pasta

1 C. butter, salted
1 to 1-1/2 C. Myzithra Cheese, grated finely (found it at WINCO..wow)
1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente

Start your pasta water while you're melting the butter, add plenty of salt to the water before it boils and you won't have to add additional salt to this dish. Put butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt and then bring to a boil. Boil for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and pay attention about 15 minutes into it to watch for color. Butter will burn almost immediately in small amounts in a big skillet, but takes a bit longer in a saucepan when there's a lot.

Stir the sauce continually as it boils the last 5-10 minutes, and when it starts to brown, you will see it start to come up in the foam. It will darken very quickly, so you may want to take it off the burner when it starts, and have a glass Pyrex measuring cup (at least 2 cups) nearby to cool it quickly. Stir faster when you see it color, then pour it off into the measuring cup when it is a little more than golden brown. The solids will rise to the top, just give it a minute or two, then you can pour the fat right out from under it if you go slow - just stop if the solids start getting too close to the edge and let it stand another minute before you pour the rest into another container. You only want to use the clarified browned butter - throw the solids away.

This has a lovely, warm caramel-like scent to it...you will want to drink a little, but I don't suggest that - pretty sure it's a mortal sin. Drain your perfectly cooked pasta, put back in the pan you cooked it in, and pour the fragrant browned butter over all and toss to coat completely. Put most of the cheese in and toss again, heap onto a plate and make sure you scrape or pour every drop of the butter out of the pan on top (or at least lick out the pan). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and serve immediately.

I love buttered noodles, but this is like buttered noodles on crack - it makes you want to sell your house, quit your job and move to wherever they make this cheese and get yourself some goats or cow or whatever they make it and the butter out of, and grow wheat to make your own pasta so you can spend the rest of your days on your own browned-butter Myzithra pasta ranch. I mean villa. Salud!