Parsnips?

Whoever thought I would eat so many vegetables in my life much less be cooking them? Last week, I made a grocery list as I flipped through the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, yeah, I know, so much for a diet but, look I can try to make it work for me especially if I cut back on the butter! Anyway, once again, I digress. So, as I make this grocery list a picture in the book grabs my attention. It's something called a parsnip. It's mixed with carrots and sweet potatoes and it's baked with olive oil, salt and pepper. I add this funny vegetable to the list.

This evening, I decide to make this dish except when I grap the parsnip, I don't know what to do with it. I mean what do you do with this yellow looking squiggly thing? Do I peel it first? Chop it? cut it? What the hell do I do with it? The Barefoot Contessa tells me that I am to cut it in circles or squares but do I peel the damn thing first? So, what is a girl to do? I called my friend and she told me to peel it with a vegetable peeler (my knives are dull). A vegetable peeler? This is getting worse. I don't own that either so, I just start peeling with my dull knife and then I do what I do best, pretend it's okay and by George, I made roasted vegetables! They were excellent. Before Len and I could saute brussle sprouts and cook the meat, we were eating the parsnips and roasted sweet potatoes! The only bad part was that I felt guiltly about enjoying them so much. You see, I was not supposed to eat this so I had to work out. It's nothing but a weight thing baby!