Migraine Day

It turns out that Ev was not "sick" as I so cynically reported yesterday. He was gearing up for a whopper of a migraine that started at 1:15 am this morning. He gets them regularly, but they are kind of random in that we've never been able to find trigger patterns or identify clear auras to let us know one is coming. So, today, except for Sara's ortho appointment, I basically cleared the schedule and stroked my moaning little boy's back all day. He is better now, but he'll feel physically ill and tired for about another 24 hours. Poor tyke. All the literature says he'll outgrow them at puberty. They won't put kids on the usual migraine meds unless they get no relief from OTC drugs. So far, Ev's can be somewhat controlled with a cocktail of Excedrin migraine and ibuprofen or ibuprofen taken with a caffeinated drink. So, he gets to deal with it for another couple of years and then hopefully he'll be done.

I did get to spend my 30 minutes in the garden and I met my goal of digging up 50 dandelions and filling two buckets with weeds and debris. A good half-hour's work.

I am now going to get my book group questions ready, work on my lesson and start some dinner. I'm thinking just a nice pasta salad for a lovely warm day like today. Here is my basic plan for Pantry Pasta Salad:

Makes a lot.
1 box of pasta, cooked al dente, drained, then rinsed in cold water and cooled.
1/2-1 cup of any kind of cooked meat (bacon, leftover chicken, pepperoni, lunchmeat, proscuitto), chopped. OR use 1 can of black or kidney beans, drained, instead of meat.
1/2-1 cup shredded or crumbled cheese of almost any type that you like
1-2 cups chopped fresh veggies in any combination (broccoli, carrots, peppers, cukes, tomatoes, frozen corn or peas, cauliflower, etc)
Enough of your favorite salad dressing to moisten everything and bind it together. I think its usually about a half cup. I have used literally every type in my fridge. Ranch is great, any vinaigrette, even thousand island. It is a great way to use up those bits of dressing that keep you from throwing away the bottle.

Combine everything and pour the dressing over, then chill. Add or leave out ingredients as your pantry dictates. I have been known to add:
craisins
raisins
slivered or chopped almonds
hard boiled or leftover scrambled eggs
onion, especially sweet types like vidalia and walla-walla
green onion
halved grapes
olives
croutons

South of the border rice salad variation:
black beans, monterey jack cheese, chopped green chilies, olives and salsa over rice instead of pasta-serve it warm like rice and beans or cold like a salad over lettuce and chips with a bit of sour cream on top.