Cellulite Cream?? Grilled shrimp and rhubarb soup

I got to work early yesterday and noticed that my hands felt really dry. I walked over to CVS to get some lotion. An older lady who works there found me indecisively picking up bottles and putting them down. She approached me with a communique in her hand. Her glasses on the tip of her nose, she showed me all the rave in print about Nivea's new "Good-bye Cellulite" patch and cream system. "Tyra will be promoting this in May," she warned, "It will fly off the shelves then." It is recommended to apply one patch to each problem area for eight hours 2 - 3 times a week, and apply the cream to those areas 2 - 3 times a day. Noticeable change is promised in 4 weeks. What's there to lose?

I had another rather long break in my day, and instead of parking myself at Kate Mantilini for a feast of corn chowder and mac and cheese, I walked 20 minutes to the nail shop, got a mani-pedi and walked back. With clean nails, soft skin, empty stomach and cellulite patches all over my body, I feel like a million bucks this morning! It's the small gains...

What to eat tonight though? It has to be easy because I don't want to chip my nails. That rhubarb was so good, I think we'll stick with it again. Here's Grilled Shrimp Cocktail with Rhubarb Soup:

Rhubarb Soup:

4 Stalks rhubarb, peeled and cut into 1” lengths

Juice of 3 blood oranges (if using regular oranges, delete sugar)

2 T sugar

3 cloves

2” piece of cinnamon bark

5 cardamom pods, crushed

salt and pepper

Bring all ingredients to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Remove cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and puree with a fork. Serve hot in a martini glass, with grilled shrimp arranged on the rim.

To grill the shrimp, marinate peeled and deveined shrimp in fresh lemon juice, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes for 15 minutes at room temperature. Grill on an open flame or grill pan for 2 minutes each side, until pink.