I’m reasonably smart when I’m awake. But I’m pretty sure I’m a genius when I’m asleep. I know this because I wake up so often with absolutely brilliant ideas.

They aren’t just good ideas, they’re earth-shatteringly good. Ideas that could change the world as we know it.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember any of them long enough to write them down.

Like for instance, this morning. I went to sleep wondering what on earth I was going to find to write about this week, and I woke up laughing, with a fabulous, funny idea for a column.

I just wish I could remember what it was.

I’ve been wracking my brain all day, running through the possibilities. It shouldn’t be that hard. I don’t think my unconscious has been on any trips without the rest of me this month.

I looked through my calendar to try to jog my memory. Although I haven’t had any out-of-body experiences, it did remind me that I’ve been to a number of wonderful food and drink events in the past couple weeks — events that should be providing column fodder for months to come. But still I’m coming up completely dry. At least in my waking life, no funny stories are emerging.

Seriously, what a dull month for comedy.

I tottered in strappy high heels at parties around three different swimming pools without falling into any of them — or even spilling my wine. I sampled potluck dishes made by complete strangers — some of which included mayonnaise as an ingredient, and most of which were sitting out in the hot sun — and still eluded food poisoning. I went to Cocktail Week in San Francisco and attended two back-to-back classes, and didn’t even get tipsy. (I did learn a lot about making bitters and other cool drink ingredients in the home kitchen, though — more on that later this summer, after I try a few experiments.) I attended several large, popular events around the valley, yet managed to avoid running into any old boyfriends.

I drove into the city at rush hour to meet friends for dinner, and didn’t hit bridge traffic — and even got through American Canyon without significant road rage. I did my usual volunteer gig, plating up food at the wine auction, and — unlike last year — none of the chefs had a loud, expletive-laden hissy fit and threw a trashcan across the tent.

At home, I’ve been cooking up a storm, with three recipes going at once — and the closest I’ve come to a kitchen disaster was this morning when my oatmeal boiled over. My appliances are all working. My sink hasn’t stopped up. The bookcase has not collapsed under the weight of my cookbook collection. Even Eddie has been behaving himself, with only the occasional incursion into my legit cats’ food bowl.

Where has the humor gone? I’m giving a big bash this weekend and honestly, I’m thinking about strewing banana peels around my garden just to get the party started.

Let’s face it, summer in Napa can be pretty darn adventure-free.

Yawn. In fact, it’s so sleepy, I can’t keep my eyes open today. I think I’ll go take a nap.

If I’m lucky, I’ll wake up remembering what I wanted to write about in this column.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Just before I fell asleep last weekend, I panicked that I needed to bring a potluck dish to a party the next day — and I knew I wouldn’t have time to go to the market. I really did wake up dreaming of this recipe, which combined random ingredients from my kitchen into a tasty dish. A couple of the secret ingredients — the garlic chili paste and Sriracha hot sauce — may not be in your pantry yet, but they should be. They are both easy to find in the Asian section of most big supermarkets. For the vegetables, many mini-mandolines have a julienne blade, which makes it a breeze to cut perfect shreds in very little time. This is a very flexible recipe — select the vegetables by what’s in season or in your fridge.

Makes: One big bowl for a potluck.

1 lb. whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, linguini or fettucini)

3 Tbsp. sesame oil

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. peanut butter (preferably the natural unsalted kind)

1-2 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce

1 Tbsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce

2 tsp. sugar

Salt, to taste

Some combination of the following vegetables (go for a combination of colors and textures):

2-3 small zucchini, julienne or

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into sticks (it’s easier to do this by hand than on the mandoline)

3-4 carrots, julienne

1-2 fresh or roasted red and/or orange peppers, julienne

1/4 pound fresh string beans, cut in small rounds or bite-sized pieces

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup snow peas

Edamame beans

1/4 cup shredded pickled ginger

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 bunch watercress or arugula, chopped

1 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. In the meantime, in a food processor blend together the sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, chili garlic sauce, Sriracha and sugar. Taste, and add salt if necessary.

When pasta is cooked, drain it and put it in a large bowl. While it is still hot, mix in the dressing and toss. Let cool to room temperature.

Mix in the vegetables in whatever combination you have selected. Toss well. Sprinkle the peanuts and cilantro on top and serve.

Betty Teller had a brilliant dream about what to do with Eddie, but she can’t remember what it was. If you have ideas, you can reach her at amuse-bouche@sbcglobal.net.