NOT QUITES!

so,
i make a lot of food.
i do.
and i eat it all.
however,
while i document most of them,
i don't necessarily curate all the recipes.
huh?
you don't believe me?
well, it's for sure a real thing.
the number of bang-bang double-meals alone that i do to myself
keeps me from showcasing what a fanatical adherent i am
to the idea that too much is the right amount.
it's almost embarrassing, except for the part where i keep doing it.  
and then there's the poorly-lit and/or improperly-plated finished products
that occasionally even happen to the best of us,
and certainly occur more often for all the rest of us...
also,
i eat a TON of pizza.
sometimes for days in a row,
and that means there's going to be a few pizzas
that don't make it to the internet.
oh,
i've got the pictures to prove it,
and most of the stuff that has been archived tastes great.
which is why i'm about to give you guys a little glimpse behind-the-scenes,
at some of the stuff that's been patiently queued-up for days, weeks,
and in some instances, months, to be discussed, even in passing.
today is that day, neighbors.
uh-huh.
check the teleport:

hash brown sandwiches!
that's fried tofu, crusted with arrowroot and GPOP,
and mashed-up, roasted paprika-and-pepper-laced potato hashies,
that's olive oil and ho'sauce and a dash of soy,
plus those 'tato cubes roasted with a bit of onion and garlic,
easy easy.
but, you can't SEE it, and that kind of ruins the vibe for me.
the bigger picture is completed with pickles,
ripped radicchio and baby spinach,
and a heap of blackened sweet onions,
all activated on a big buttery bun of crusty homemade bread,
and slathered with some turmeric-smoked-paprika major magic mayo.
plus,
that pile of fattie boombatie chips, and more of that sauce for dippin'.
it was a tasty bite, bros.
no joke.
-
and speaking of sandwiches,
here's one that fell by the wayside during sandwich week.
yup:

awwwwww.
provolonely portabella with parsley and pesto!
damn.
it sucks when the same sized circles compound each other.
tomato over a heavily olive-oiled basil-almond pesto,
with a baked, balsamic glazed mushroom cap, covered in that daiya chee',
with a whole mess of slippey, luscious onions of course.
(that's my favorite sarnie ingredient)
there's pesto on the top bun, but, you can't see it.
and the balsamic glaze is making a mess everywhere.
again,
it was a nice bite, but when there's an overabundance of sandwiches,
we can be a little bit picky about which ones make the album.
awwww.
-
on the topic of being picky-
check out the november-rainy-night-type teleport:

homemade vegan sausages,
braised broccoli rabe,
and fancy macaroni.
my daughters were into this one,
while they were here for the long weekend of shark-gluttony
and family togetherness.
here's the thing-
i was so bummed that it was dark as heck outside,
that by the time i was done preparing dinner,
i was just making patterns with the pasta,
and doing what i could to cover my disappointment at the relatively off-timed finale.
dang.
the kids didn't notice, or care,
but i still vividly remember that feeling of winning and failing at the same time.
for some reason,
it's the same sensation i get thinking back on previous relationships.
at least i don't have any pictures of THOSE.
ha.
-
the worst, though, is when the plating just isn't there.
take a look:

see?!
it's just a jumbled pile of delicious sh!t.
that's the result of a ferocious, furious bang-bang.
the second one sometimes just doesn't have the same urgency.
that's just life, i guess.
damn.
food is basically the ever-lovin' waking representation of my real life.
*
i cook a LOT, friends.
and it is NOT always the sexxiest.
i'm sharing that with you because that's an important piece of information.
make it.
keep making it.
it's more than likely you'll improve with time,
...provided you try hard,
pay attention,
and know stuff
i'm being serious.
make the thing.
that's step one.
if it isn't what you'd hoped for,
try harder next time.
pay more attention to the details,
maybe do an internet search, for spices, or techniques, or even plating options.
i mean, for realsies, it isn't even just food that that trifecta applies to.
it's EVERYthing.
it's all really happening, friends,
and you get back the effort you put in,
over time.
these tasty stumbles only made me more determined to get better, faster,
and do all the things i do even louder and harder.
make it, make it better, then make it again.
too much is the right amount.
word up.
***********
i'll leave you on a high note,
with a couple of pictures of my MOST favorite thing.
teleport:

yeah!!
and again:

hell yeah!!!
i started february with a few nice pies, buddy.
and those are two MORE tasty semi-sourdough semolina pizzas,
just because i LOVE it so much that i make it in relative secrecy sometimes.
-
food is a huge part of this Folk Life.
it isn't always the biggest, nor is it the most beautiful,
but it sure is always poppin' off.
real life and true stories,
now available in retroactive retrospective documentation;
never quiet, never soft.....