POTATO TACOS

I've been noshing on potato tacos for the past couple of days.  All I can say is that people who snub potato tacos are some sorry suckers!  From memory, the recipe...

Ingredients:

15 fingerling potatoes, cut into bits

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bits

1 t kosher salt

1 t cumin

1 t chili powder 

1 t Mexican oregano 

11/2 T olive oil

1 1/2 T mayonnaise

2 T sour cream

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

A good five-finger pinch of cilantro

lime wedge

taco sized flour tortillas

How:

Pre-heat oven to 420.

In a bowl, put cut potatoes & add all herbs, spices, & oil.  Toss by hand.

On a baking sheet with parchment paper (use parchment paper!), spread the perfeckly seasoned potatoes evenly and pop into the oven.

Meanwhile, mix together mayo, sour cream, minced garlic, jalapeno, cilantro + a squeeze of lime in a bowl.

After anywhere from 15 to 25 mins, check potatoes for tenderness.  Pull when ready!

Warm tortillas, stuff with potatoes, top with creamy garlic sauce.  Bon appetit!  

Feeds two, about three tacos each.

LIGHTS OUT

I WANNA DESTROY YOU

BIG MESS

ONLY 1 U

STROLL ON

+ + +

I love the current pace we've got going. We don't have much planned, it's c-c-c-cold outside, I spend hazy, lazy evenings watching hockey, reading + listening to music.  On weekends, I cook + bake.  We have friends over for supper. Conducting 'business' from bed under a pile of blankets and clothes that I am too lazy to put away happens.  January.

Yesterday evening, I dimmed the lights, lit some candles, a bit of incense, + rolled out the mats. ATM + I did a half-hour guided meditation.  Taking time out for yourself is hard.  Whenever I get reminded that I am allowed to treat myself right, it makes me misty eyed sometimes.  I forget that.  Anyway, it went well + we're hoping to work it into our schedule.  Once or twice a week maybe. You feel like a million bucks afterward, you know?  You do have to kick the cats out, though. 

Day before yesterday, I got an Egyptian paste locust in the mail from a woman I do not know except on social media. We have friends in common + now we are kinda pals.  When ATM + I were in Colorado last year, she was in the same area!  It was fun to "see" her around town in Cortez.  Her name is Jennifer + she lives in Chicago.  I'm excited at the prospect of assembling her a little package.  I love mail!

Cooking projects for the weekend: start another batch of tofu misozuke + bake treats for Tết. 

FEED

This morning, I finally got around to making homemade everything bagels.  A moment of silence now. ... ... ... ... ... ... They are incredible.  I feel like I really achieved something major here, like nirvana or something pretty damn close to it.  Behold!

As I chow down on them, I wonder how many could I eat before people start judging me negatively.  Or would they be understanding?  Natch, I'm gonna write about how I can't even buy store bought ones anymore and that they hold up when compared to a bakery or even something from NYC.  I know what I'm saying! 

***

Last Friday, ATM & I met our friend Ben for supper at Mt. Fuji to discuss business.  After dinner, we motored over to South On Main for drinks.  I've had exactly one meal there and it was good.  The food was completely well-prepared, but there was no WOW factor & it was a touch pricey.  Another time, I met pals for drinks there and we had an appetizer because we didn't want to spend a great deal of money on so-so food.  Again, well-prepared, no wow factor, and expensive, especially for the size. Long story long, while we were having cocktails with Ben, Chef Bell stopped by to say hello.  He informed us that he was sending us snacks, which was a pleasant surprise, because I've always wished that they had snacks for drinkers to nosh on, so that they wouldn't have to buy costly entrees.  Anyway, I have to take everything back about what I've said about the food.  The grilled oysters were better than anything I've had in New Orleans.  Yes, very big words!  The just-made pork rinds were heavenly.  Somehow, they were crunchy and creamy.  It was my favorite treat.  Ben seemed especially keen on the spiced pecans.  There was some polite-but-strained fork fighting over the duck confit.  Chef's refreshments gratis were so damn good, that I stand corrected.  I should've given him more time to settle in and do what he does well.  

***

It's funny how the brain works; last weekend, I got a craving for a food that I haven't had since I was 4 or 5.  I've never made almond jelly before, it was something my Viet aunts prepared for us when we were little, but it was simple, really.  So light, tasty, refreshing.

***

Kitchen is closed.

PLAY WITH FIRE

FEELIN'

Like I said earlier, I'd get my employment situation sorted and. I. did.  I phoned the two candidates running for the judicial position that I represent and they said they'd keep me on as staff.  While it's not ideal, it buys me the time I need before [           ].

You know how new businesses, before they open, they conceal the goings on inside of their building by taping newspaper or craft paper over the windows?  That is exactly what my future in a couple/few years looks like.

TUSK

TOFU MISOZUKE

It's really important to me to find foods that keep us in the line with the vegan diet.  A texture & flavor depth that I crave the most is the kind that a good, soft cheese, like Humboldt Fog, provides. Creamy, fatty, savory. This desire can lure me off the path that I choose and want to be on, and I always get so disappointed in myself when I cave to my whims. I do that more than I care to admit.  SMDH

I stumbled across tofu misozuke while researching miso pastes.  Tofu misozuke is a miso-cured and aged tofu.  It's a traditional Japanese delicacy from the Fukuoka district, a near-forgotten specialty that is pretty difficult to find, even in Japan. It's been compared to a cross of butter and foie gras and it's the closest thing to cheese a vegan can get!  I immediately ordered two kinds from Rau Om, the only place you can get it in the United States.  I ordered it before the holidays and then promptly forgot about it.  It arrived yesterday.

I didn't bust open the package and grab the nearest cracker.  We'd eaten so much earlier in the day that I didn't want to mar the tasting, so I waited until this morning, on an empty stomach. ATM and I opened the beautiful little package and schmeared some on a saltine.  

It's good.  It's really, really good.  It's bloody divine is what it is, and it totally lives up to it's reputation.  But, at $7.50 (+S/H) for 2.5 oz, tsk, I have already assembled the ingredients to make it myself.  Between this kale and tofu misozuke, I'll go broke if I don't DIY.

If I can successfully produce tofu misozuke, whatever I don't keep myself, I'll sell.  First, I'll offer it to my friends, my people.  From there, I'll offer to chefs and restaurants.  It's that good.  If I'm successful, and you're interested in having some, please let me know.  Price is TBD (definitely comparable to Rau Om) and locals only, as it's perishable.

I've already pressed my tofu and now I'm going to mix the marinade.  We'll see what happens in two months time.  Here's to success!

I nearly forgot to mention that this is an open source recipe! 

*Looks in mirror* I'M OK

I'm off to a terrific start this year.  Read an entire book in one afternoon, got a wonderful hike in.  Reeling in the shite eating habits.  Getting enough rest, staying warm.  

Internally, I'm a bit of a wreck.  Paralyzed with fear.  I will be without a job at the end of this year and I do not have my next gig lined up.  I mean, I'll sort it, but I don't like where I'm at.

New vintage pieces for the liquor cart:

Hiking with Brittany, Andrew 2 & ATM:

Gal!

Sign me up!

More Cities In Dust love. I got these because they remind me of the petroglyphs in SW Colorado (and also because they were on hella sale):

ATM got around to hanging our newest Navajo rug last night.  So gorgeous:

Happy New Year!

HERE is my playlist for the night, if you want.

Everything Goes My Way

So, this is Christmas.

It's Dec 27 and I'm beat, done in, dead on one's feet, wiped out, run down, spent, and tired.  I'm also stuffed with holiday "food".  That stuff is delightful, but it hardly qualifies as proper sustenance.  And spirits.  The intoxicating kind.  I feel terrible down there. *points to intestines and liver* I'm about to run to the grocery store to buy a load of fruit, vegetables, green tea, and miso paste.  Then, a long soak in the bathtub.  And a good night's rest.  Reset. RESET!

Because the big day (Dec 25) was on a Wednesday and some of us had to go back to to work the next day (not it!), we figured we'd get our family time on the front end. A couple of weekends ago, ATM, KMHD & I went to Fort Smith to visit with my father, aunt & cousin. It was a good visit except for the debilitating toothache that I developed. Thankfully, my old man had 'something for that' in the form of hydrocodone.  As usual, my aunt fed us a lot of excellent (soft) homemade Vietnamese food. When I'm at my Dad's, I become the parent, at my aunt's I revert back to childhood.  It's a lot to go through in such a short amount of time.

The photo album got busted out @ my aunt's. I adore this photo of KMHD and I, enough to get it framed. Love that gal:

Dad gave ATM stacks of well-kept 45s. It was exciting:

The following weekend, ATM & I headed south to Mississippi to visit his mum, stepdad, brother & sister in-laws, and our nephews.  Unfortunately, his dad & stepmum were sick with the flu, so we could not see them at all.  I was so absorbed in hanging out, that I didn't take very many photographs.  I did manage to get a snapshot of one of my nephews modeling his new skivvies that he got for Xmas.  He was stoked about it!

When we got back to (N)LR, I was able to get QT in with Keiko & LP:

I'm really proud of LP's kitty cookie that she made for the Jolly Man:

When I am bored & there is no one around to stop me, I do things like dump an entire box of biodegradable packing peanuts into the toilet to see what happens.  I had my doubts for a moment, but they all went away with a single flush!

One evening, we met Jonathan for oysters & red beans/rice, and then headed over to a party @ Everett's.  I made cookies for it:

At one point, there were three pairs of siblings in the kitchen.  Lauren, Natalie, Collins, Hank, me & KMHD:

I got myself jewelry from CITIES IN DUST (Hello, Siouxsie reference!) Those door-knockers make me feel something powerful:

Every time my coworker tires of her tree, she gives it to us.  This is our second one from her.  There's actually the tiniest bit of space between the topper & ceiling:

A present!

Try: Blood & Sand cocktail:

STAHP HELPING KITTY:

Inclement weather makes the locals do this, it's a sight to behold:

Gorgeous, vintage stamps on a package I received:

Three out of four ain't bad:

Louise:

Photo by Zach

My new, pricey addiction.  So good, I can eat a box in a sitting.  ;(

My new bag:

I believe I've covered everything.  Hope you had a really great holiday.

CITIES IN DUST

23

NOVEMBER

It was liberating to admit to my Thxgiving companions, who certainly could not care less, that I simply did not feel like working on FEAR ANTS.  It was more of an acknowledgement, really.  It took an ice storm and being stuck at home for a few days to get me motivated to tend to things that I've put off. 

November came & went.

I turned 35.

SOLO getting her check-up.  She is now on a very special renal diet:


Brittany needed to decorate an apron for the Our House Tie One On benefit, so we did shibori.


Tooting my own trumpet here, they turned out totally first-rate. I want to make one for myself:




We went to Petit Jean State Park to gander at autumnal splendor with my cousin.  Arkansas really impressed, as usual:










C'mon, Andre, move!


Thx


green+purple+orange=greetings!


We are down to one Victory St. kitty.  Her name is Louise.  ATM captured her & had her spayed with help from FURR, a really great organization that deals with feral colonies and individual cases like ours.  Louise especially loves ATM; I believe she's deemed him her go-to human.  If we did not have a near-17 year old cat in residence, we'd take her.  Still looking for an amazing permanent solution.  What a looker!


Met Brittany and visiting Kristina (Deutschland) for coffee one Saturday morning. We ended up visiting the State Capitol Building, having drinks @ Capital Bar & Grill, and eating at Gus's.  I love that kind of unplanned, easy day.




My amazing souvenir from the State Capitol Bldg. ladies restroom:


Moscow Mule from CB&G:


ATM playing Olivia's wee leetle drumbs at Victory St. space:


For Thxgiving, ATM + I went down to Hot Springs to stay at the lake house with KMHD, Everett, and Brittany.  We did it up proper!  

Thxgiving Eve @ Waffle House:


Cross-country cousin Thxgiving video chat:




Them apples are fake, but that turkey is not:


Morning view from bed:


Geese in a row:


Canadians:




We got to see John Mark, Lindsay, Collin and other lovelies from out of town during the holiday, too:
 

N O V E M B E R