i made myself a tasty reward for being such a good boy.
hahaha.
no, i'm serious-
i really did, tho.
after a couple of weeks of racing around,
crashing my car,
mashing my mouth,
losing my voice,
coughing out my insides,
hallowe'en costuming,
and STILL doing all of the other other stuff i always do-
aftre all, it's not just about the biggest or the most beautifullest,
the object is MORE.
and when i'm in the middle of a sh!t-hot mess of doing and going
and moving and shaking,
sometimes i just want to make myself a little something exxxtra-nice for supper.
of course,
because it's november in new england,
the light outside seems like it only lasts about eight and a half minutes.
and that's the grand total, for the whole day.
in turn,
that meant that supper was going to have to be early, to say the least.
why??
because i like to eat pretty food, dudes,
and not only that, but i want to document it for you to enjoy as well.
you and i both can agree that ugly pictures of beautiful things
aren't going to benefit any but the most mean-spirited haters out there.
and we deserve better than that.
so,
i ate early, and i took a picture in the perfect light of late afternoon,
and here it is:
WORDIMUS PRIME!!!
one delicate and delightful delicata squash, halved, hollowed, perforated,
and baked upside down in a quarter of an inch of water, at 375F,
for about half an hour or so.
neighbors,
that filling, tho!!
slow-cooked wild country mixed-grain rice, boiled in broth and pressed garlic,
soaked, fluffed, and fired into a blend of shallot, celery, butternut squash,
pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, butterish, and herbs.
what sort of herbs and flavorings?
man, c'mon-
GPOP, black peps, rosemary, sage, thyme, ground mustard, and parsley.
obviously.
it's an autumnal exxxplosion of gourd-bowl barbarian big business,
and it needed all the right flavors to activate the inner excellence for my mouth.
filled, and baked again, upside up this time,
for another 'nother 20 minutes or so.
you can't really overdo a squash like that.
and here's another thing-
the more stuff you add
the better it is.
simplicity is amazing for things that are just naturally awesome.
weirdie, stripey, hard-shelled wintry squashes,
however,
really look their best when their all made up with the right accessories.
that's no joke.
i used baby spinach on the bottom, and i ate every last bit of it.
plus,
i got those thick-cut dry-fried browned mushrooms on there too-
they give it the meaty munch-up magic that really sent it skyrocketing off the charts,
like, right past ten, and up to eleven.
is that a punch of puff-popped quinoa crankles on top?
heck yes it is.
i like a little textural variety in my fancy sh!t.
and duders,
you know i had to hit it up with some parsley sprankles, right?
i'm just sayin',
rules is rules.
homemade gravy is key here.
i'm being very serious right now.
if you're using package-mix gravy,
you're a piece of sh!t.
HAHAHAHAHA.
but, i mean that.
butterish, and flour, roux'd up.
and then some broth, some nootch, and some GPOP,
and you've got an elite base for every gravy you could ever imagine.
i used 4 T butts,
a punch of flour,
^ browned together, until golden, and smelling a little nutty-
and then i added:
1 1/2 cups broth,
a punch of nootch,
and some GPOP,
and that's IT.
it gets thick, it gets gooey, and it stays DOPE when you put it on everything!!!
and when i say everything,
in this instance i mean-
garlic mashed potatoes;
and oven-roasted brussels sprouts and beets,
with fried shallot spranx;
and braised broccolii and asparagus.
mmmmhmmmm.
three sides is what you're gonna wanna get into,
if you're truly being good to yourself.
i mean,
too much is the right amount.
the only downside?
i have a whole other plateful of all of it,
but i don't really hang out with leftovers that often.
i mean,
i don't want used food,
and i'm tired of living with one foot in the past....
awwwwwwwww.
so,
in the interest of moving forward,
it's new and better and more interesting treats for supper and beyond,
every day, all the time, for your face.
word.
***********
good food, and long walks, and this effing dog.
that's how i do a day off in the woodsly goodness.
sure,
i ran errands, and did chores, and caught up on some correspondence,
but mostly,
it was dinner prep, and baking before and after,
with bread-dough shaping,
and snack-attacking thrown in for good measure.
my little pupper and i are good and bad for each other.
i don't want to do less with my life,
which makes me wish he could help with my ambitions,
and he doesn't want to amuse himself for even one short second,
so, he keeps my multitasking mind redlined all day,
and helps split my focus into a prismatic perspective of advantageous activities.
crabtree forces me to pay attention to ten things at once,
and seven of them are him.
our styles are hard,
but the job gets done.
that's teamwork?
we make it work, he keeps me company,
and i generally hate having company,
but being all alonely isn't much good either-
better him, i guess, than a nancypantsed non-participant.
besides, until he figures out door handles,
he can't leave,
and there's something commiserative about us both being trapped here together;
never quiet, never soft.....
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