MOVES.

neighbors,
i'm puttin' the moves on my meals.
yup.
like,
if i can't be baking the big biz i love?
then i'm loving the one i'm with.
why, you ask, might i be making do,
instead of making sweet love to the platter of my choice?
that's easy-
i haven't been chasing groceries as hard as i'm used to.
nope.
busy business, friendly hang outs, dog management,
and early studio times have been interfering
with the accrual of ingredients for a little minute-
and it's a little bit stressful,
not seeing backups for my backups in the back of the cupboard.
the thing is-
that just means i have to get frisky with what's on hand.
in this case,
i had seitan, from my day off doings,
and i am always in the mood for seitan.
once i saw the rest of those red beans in the fridge, too?
the dinner basically planned itself.
check the teleport:

mmmmmmmmm.
masarepa cornmeal, cornstarch, smoked paprika, black pepper,
sage, GPOP, dried oregano and basil,
double dipped on circles of wheaty wonder,
for a chicken-fried herb-crusted crucial call-and-respond cause-and-full-effect flavor
that you KNOW had the hottness well in hand.
naturally, that was just the beginning-
baby kale on the bottom, because leafy greens have those eagle-egg nutrients on lock.
and thick-cut braised and amazed heavy-butter-fired crispy red maine potato chips!
yup.
i love my mandoline, and it loves me right back.
those potatoes are the TRUTH, kids.
and truth tellers can never stop.
caramelized thin sweet onion strips, too?
damn.
i guess making it work with what you've got is relatively easy,
when what i consider not much, and what y'all might think that means are probably
skewed based on the comparative scales we use to define it.
for me,
too much is the right amount,
so just having some is like not having any.
oh, and i totally made some simple but super-succulent homemade gravy-
a big ol' punch of flour, a hearty pat of soy butts, roux'd to a golden brown,
plus bouillon, a cup of water, nootch, GPOP,
and a hard boil for a minute or ten.
word.
gravy is dope,
and that's no joke.
while the seitan was getting southern-style buttery braised and confused,
i tossed those asparagus spears in there for a good time.
i like asparagus a lot, and when there's a mystery bundle in the crisper,.
i think i'd be some kind of total A*-hole if i didn't take advantage, right?
you know it.
i freaked it off, and tossed some 'matoes and cukes together,
because a little cold salad never hurt anybody who was any good.
plus, the juice and the crunch make my mouth more appreciative
of the hot crisp corn crust on the main event.
here's the thing, tho, kids-
i still had to activate those beans!
red beans, crushed garlic. and broccolini stems, GPOP, (obvi),
salt and peps, and the rangy florets of that mustard's cousin.
broccolini is skinny, but it is pretty darn delicious.
just like me.
ha!
that got gravied, too.
because, like i already told you-
gravy is dope.
beige and green, guys, i guess that was my palette for the evening.
all told, it only took twenty minutes from start to finish,
and then crabtree and i took off for an extensive ride around the back roads
of the woodsly goodness.
we span time like a couple of weird lookin' homeboys,
and we make the best of whatever is on hand.
in the kitchen,
in the bathroom,
in the wider waking world.
*
tonight?
i'm thinking it's been a minute since i last shared my favorite thing with you.
uh-huh.
to that end,
i woke up early and blasted up some underchee',
and i blended, pureed, sauteed, steamed and generally activated
some all-around all-star expert vegan sausages:

wu-TANG!
half will remain as they are,
the others will become pepperoni.
that's the way we doo-do that freaky sh!t,
and when it's happening, it's lovely.
i'm sure i'll stop at the grocer today.
once in a while, using up what's around is cool,
but having MORE to make everything else is my preference.
it's all really happening,
and it's going to be a saturday night worth a damn;
never quiet, never soft.....