Busy day dinner

I was having Suzanne and my auntie for lunch today, and I had a plan. I would shop on Tuesday before work, get up early today, and clean and cook. Monday evening at work, however, was gruesome and I didn’t get home till nearly 1 a.m. I woke up in a fog, very late, and was good for nothing. I could barely rouse enough energy to go back to work. I did manage that, but not shopping. So this morning, I was planing to get up early, shop, and forget cleaning. I woke up, looked at the clock and it said eight-thirty. “Good”, I thought. “Plenty of time.” I looked at it again seemingly thirty seconds later, and it said ten-thirty. I struggled from the arms of Morpheus, had some tea and read the paper. I cannot begin the day without these two rituals, no matter how late I am. I looked out the window, and it was snowing! I could not believe it. Oh well! God’s little joke for April Fools day. My menu was a spring dinner (so much for spring – when it’s snowing) with several easy dishes, but I was forgetting that several easy dishes add up. Suzanne was to arrive at two. “Not to worry. She is always late,” I told my aunt, as I flew about the kitchen. Meanwhile, “I am always late,” thought Suzanne. “I’ll make a special effort today!” So she was only a tiny bit late. I was an hour late. Not too bad really, given the circumstances. I had planned to demonstrate pressure cooking to her as I made Pope’s Risotto, which is quick and easy in a pressure cooker - no standing and stirring for half an hour. I did, she was impressed and vowed to finally use the cooker she inherited from Tom. I also made my special “soup in one minute.” Here is its recipe – and it really is about one minute as you can see, and très yummy! This and some nice New York Times bread would make a nice supper.
1½ cups of chopped potatoes, boiled till fork tender,
One carrot, cut up into chunks,
¼ cup of parsley,
1 ½ inch of a leek or 4 inches of a green onion, chopped into little pieces
3T tomato paste,
1 tsp salt, pepper,
3 cups of boiling water.
In your food processer, whirl the vegetables and then add the potatoes and whirl them. Whirl in the tomato paste, add the salt and pepper, whirl, add two cups of boiling water, whirl. Add more water if you wish. It is really good and tastes like you slaved over a hot stove for hours.
Rachael had been to our favorite grocery store for cereal and cookies, and left the bag hanging on a kitchen chair. I peeked into the bag and was horrified to see this thing in it. “What is it?” I gasped. “I don’t know, but it is nicely creepy,” she said.