That shorter, plumper women have more kids is news, but that natural selection selects for fertility should hardly end up in the headline. Reproductive success IS natural selection for crying out loud.

We are staying at my mother-in-law’s while our landlord is rebuilding the kitchen, which means I have to cook kosher and use kosher products. Most of the lunch meats and such that I would like to eat are not kosher, so I am either stuck with sweet quick lunches like cereals, or my new invention.

Pirogies are a stuffed pasta filled with a potato filling. My favorite is the onion and potato pierogi. My beloved prefers to fry his pierogi in lots of butter, but I prefer mine steamed in a broth. This quick and easy lunch is half a can of kosher chicken broth with four pierogies and a drizzle of fresh parsley on top.

The other day I took it all the way and made pan seared tuna with a very lush salad and a really garlicky yogurt parsley dressing. The salad consisted of red leaf lettuce, cored cucumbers, radish wedges, cherry tomatoes, green beans, button mushrooms, Miranda’s mom’s home pickled beets (Thanks Miranda, they were lovely! Yeah, I have killed off the jar you left me.), scallions, fresh corn off the cob, eggs, and it was all raw. I apologize for the lack of pictures, I guess I will have to start taking them if I am going to be adventurous with food.

One of the most amazing things about this process was all the love that I received from my friends in Missouri. I miss you guys as much as you evidently miss me. You are welcome to visit us in Philly at any time, and I promise to make sure you have a great time.

I have been preparing for the on campus interview at Washington University in St. Louis that is scheduled for Thursday and Friday next week. I am so excited about this job that some of my friends thinks I care too much and worry that it will be rough if I don’t get the job. I understand their concern; but I am really excited about going to Philly as well.