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Week Notes No. 42: Appetites

By Justin G. on 25FEB13THU

Simple meals are the theme this week. Low and unchallenging effort.

1. Cooked
   • Simple meals are usually best. Crispy gyoza, kabocha roasted in half-rings, semi-brown rice. Don’t forget the dipping sauce. Harder to write than to make.
   • Baked sausage and beans and sage served over pasta was an unexpected hit! It’s trivial to make. The substitution potential of this recipe is staggering. It’s more like a framework or philosophy. In the aftermath of all the recent winter storms, sage was just perfect. Note for next time: double or even triple the amount of sage. To round out this meal we made sautéed kale and puree of leftover roasted kabocha. I was surprised by how easily it came together, yet it was still both flavorful and textureful. A complete meal too, which is often a weeknight challenge.
   • Buttermilk waffles, you’re the one. What magic is contained in you? No recipe has ever released clean from this iron. I’m glad I tried you again,¹ after all these years. The rest of my life could have turned out so differently. The griddly grail is firmly in my grasp now.
   • Pizza night.
2. Drinks
   • Oat milk, the Califia Barista, is a good one in black tea. You see, normally, I prefer dairy milk. But we rarely have it, so I’m trying the alternatives we keep on hand.
   • Oat milk in my moka espresso however is not working for me. Dairy milk for me there.
   • I figured I try not adding in the usual salty mixin for my morning glass of water. It was a different experience. I was not compelled to drink it. Now, I enjoy water. It is my favorite beverage. So, I’ll have no trouble drinking it plain. But I learned that I’ll have to be more intentional about it in the morning, if I want to do that.
3. Ingredients
   • The Volpi chorizo is now my preferred alternative to pepperoni, when making pizza at home.

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