CATCHING UP!

well,
that was awful.
grief, loss, mourning, and coping-
plus hours of added travel time in stop and go traffic,
in blistering hot weather,
in every state i drove across didn't help a damned thing.
also,
guess who popped a tire?
yup.
it was me.
aaaaaaaaand,
guess what specific tire had to be special ordered?
c'mon.
have you met me?
really,
how else could it ever even have happened?
that was just a little extra sauce on top of a brutal bludgeon of a weekend.
damn. damn. DAMN.
and when i finally got home to the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress,
and unleashed my high-strung tornado terrier,
i quickly re-leashed him,
and we walked,
and walked,
and walked some more,
until both of us were bleary eyed and dizzy from the heat and the exertion.
you ever been to a wake for a local celebrity?
between my sister anna's ability to make friends EVERYwhere,
and my sister mary's successful business connections,
and my father's notoriety across all levels of the underworld,
and my mother's preposterously enormous extended family,
and her beloved work family,
there were a billion people shaking hands and touching me,
and two billion wet eyes looking to make sense of this all-consuming misery.
-
y'know what i do when i don't know what to do with myself?
i make something to eat.
that's right.
and when i have extra hours to consider what's for supper,
it isn't always a better plate for all that there is added consideration.
however,
last night?
last night was something.
if you're gonna eat your feelings,
and you're the type to have a whole lotta strong feelings,
then really, the objective is clear:
too much is the right amount.
and a big plate of big flavors took a tiny bit of the edge off.....
.....although my body isn't ready to be delighted in any way right now,
and that diminished what i know deep down was some next-level dopeness.
check the teleport:

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS MUSHROOMS, CHICKEN FRIED!!
JALAPENO CORNBREAD WAFFLES!!
HOMEMADE GRAVY!!!
GHETTO GREENS AND ALL THE FIXIN'S!!
BARBECUE LENTILS!!!
damn, dudes.
i came home and saw a bright flash of orange in the woods.
i suspected it was a special treat,
and upon closer inspection, i was rewarded for my suspicions.
backyard-harvested delicacies, bro.
chicken of the woods is the TRUTH.
real talk.
dunked in a soymilk/flax/chia blend,
and dredged in cornstarch/flour/GPOP/salt/pepper/paprika/
cayenne/oregano/ground mustard breading???
woooooooooooooooord.
how can you beat that?
with jalapeno and scallion tossed right in the batter of some big boi-style
little manly cornbread waffles.
yup.
-
*
CORNBREAD WAFFLE BATTER!
-
1/2 cup flour;
1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal;
3 T vegan sour cream;
2 T demerara sugar;
1 1/2 tsp bakey powder;
1 tsp bakey soda;
2 T melted earth balance buttery goodness;
1/4 tsp salt;
11 cracks of black peppercorns;
2 T minced jalapeno;
1 T shredded scallion greens;
2/3 cup non-dairy milk;
^you could totally mix that up, and waffle it out.
i just know you can, and you totally should, too.
...

wilted baby spinach greens, in the same pan as the mushroom sizzlers?
dope.
with pickles and jalapenos, and parsley and scallion sprankles?
expert.
and how about those sexy purple cabbage confetti streamers?
no ugliness is invited to my dinnertable; y'heard, y'turds?
wordimus prime.
-
you know what that's missing?
yup.
GRAVY!!
and here's how you too can conjure up a whole mess of that big beige,
and activate all the excellence contained therein:
-
*
GRAAAAAAAAVVYYYYY!!!!
-
2 T plant-based butterish;
3 T flour;
(toasted together, on medium heat, until golden)
+ 2 T nutritional yeast;
2 tsp each Garlic Powder Onion Powder;
black pepper to taste;
1 1/2 cups broth;
^ dudes, that's all there is-
heat it up, stir it a lot, let it thicken,
and then lose your effing mind over how totally elite everything is with gravy on it.
that's no joke.
-
how could we improve on that?
i mean, honestly, if there was something to add,
what would it be?
ummmm,
OBviously, it's barbecue lentils, because that's what's ON the plate, neighbor.
yeah!
1/4 cup onion;
1 1/4 cup lentils;
olive oil.
sizzle those together,
and add:
3-4 T organic ketchup;
1 T smoked paprika;
4 dashes of liquid smoke;
1 tsp oregano;
1 T red bell pepper, all mincey-minced nicey-nicely;
2 T pickle brine ( i used jalapeno in this instance);
GPOP, black pepper, parsley, and a touch of cayenne.
^^^DAS IT!!^^^
mmm.
with raw red onion garnish?
c'mon, kid.
that's what's good.
***********
it's back to my surreal real life today.
back to work,
and back to the front.
fighting the good fight, of which, no fight is really all that good,
but, sometimes, there are battles that need winning,
and if i can't work ON something,
then i've got to work THROUGH something.
there's no time to adequately feel what's happening.
it's not fair, but it is what's really happening;
never quiet, never soft.....