Signs of Old Age at Mardi Gras

What are the true signs of old age? Is it when your bra looks more like a piece of industrial equipment and less like a piece of lace? Is it the day you freeze a ham bone for the soup you want to make a month from now? Is it when your face is a drag race between pimples and wrinkles, and they're neck and neck?

No way, dude. The truest sign of old age is when it takes as long to recover from a party as it did to prepare for it. Here's a chart that proves it:

See? Told you.

So, The Frugal Hostess had a party to celebrate Mardi Gras (which is a season and not a day, people) on Saturday, and she is still worn out. Isn't that pitiful?

The party was lots of fun, and most of the best stuff happened after FruHo misplaced her camera, but here's a shot of the food table and a recipe for pimento cheese spread. Honestly, that's all she can muster.

Ingredients

• 1 lb block of cheddar cheese (give or take)
• Mayonnaise (like, two or three spoons full)
• 7 oz. jar of pimentos OR roasted red peppers cut into tiny pieces
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated to taste

Directions

1. Grate the cheddar using a box grater or food processor.

2. Stir up with the pimentos (or red peppers) in a bowl.

3. Add mayonnaise. Just watch it; you may like a bit more or less than the three heaping giant spoons full that TFH recommends.

4. Grate in some parmesan using a microplane grater. Be generous with this, but also don't worry if you don't have it. Don't use the kind from a can, though; that would be gross.

5. Stir up, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

6. Serve with pretzel chips, pretzel rods, or pretzels themselves for ultimate taste sensation. For lesser sensation, try a cracker or bread. You will be disappointed, so just stick with a pretzel-based item. Don't say FruHo didn't warn you.