My mind has been elsewhere these past few weeks. It’s been consumed with thoughts of losing weight, eating better, exercising more, as well as more mundane thoughts of snow removal and getting all of my work done on time. I miss the leisurely days of last summer, when fresh vegetables were only a walk away and afternoons were for swinging on swingsets and backyard picnics. These days, the scenery is much different. And my office, my could-be-awesome office is still being dug out from the rubble of the holidays. It hasn’t done wonders for my ability to put words on paper.

Meanwhile, Weather.gov and I have become bosom buddies. I must check that site at least thrice daily. It’s reliable, honest and tells you like it is. But right now, I want to toss tomatoes at the head of the twit who wrote that there is a 40 percent chance of snow tonight. I am so sick of snow. Every time it seems like we are almost in for relief and – gasp – a little thawing, it snows again. If I could drive up my ridiculously steep and long driveway, I might just drive to Florida for some relief.

No such luck.

Enough about that. No food today, folks – sorry. Instead, I wanted to share something a little … odd that I like to do while I am cooking. I didn’t think it was that strange until I mentioned it to a few friends and received mixed reactions — some envying my energy level (really? me?) and others wondering how I can pull it off whilst stirring sauces and preparing roasts. So what is it that I do?

I dance.

Yes, folks, it’s true. I throw some Elvis Presley or Def Leppard on the iPod and I twirl, bop and twist around the kitchen. Will and Paige join in too, which is really cute to watch (hello, a one year old bopping to Friend of the Devil is priceless). My playlist also includes the Grateful Dead, Stray Cats, Pure Prairie League and other classics. Shawn says that I was born in the wrong era. But then Third Eye Blind comes on …

If I had to narrow it down, it’s a certain beat or tempo that I look for in the music I like to listen to while cooking. It has to be on the upbeat side.

So, spill! What do you listen to (or watch) while cooking?

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