There's a reason they call it 'comfort food'

I came home crabby and cold--really cold, the kind of cold that comes from sitting too close to the air-conditioning vent while observing a colleague's teaching and then running across campus through a sudden downpour and then sitting at my desk dripping wet while meeting with one advisee after another in my cold dark cave-like office and then driving home still damp, and did I mention crabby?

But with my husband's help, I soon discovered the recipe for warmth. First step: dry clothes. Next step: hot stove. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic in olive oil, then add salt, pepper, fresh basil, a touch of wine vinegar, and tomato paste made from our own tomatoes and still carrying the glow of the sunshine they absorbed all summer long. Simmer a while and serve with tortellini and garlic bread.

Finally I'm warm, dry, and well fed. Now I can read some student papers!