THAI THURSDAY!

guys,
i've been tattooing pretty hard these days.
hmm?
no, i'm not complaining.
not one little bit.
busy is good.
productivity and purpose are two of my most prized attributes.
and so, i've been ON it.
hard styles and fresh zips and long days are what's up-
but,
when i'm finally not at work?
it's immediately time to make something super delicious happen
at the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress.
real talk.
therefore, on thai thursday,
the name of the day has already determined dinner's subject matter,
and all we have to do is fill in the blanks in the storyline.
check out what we came up with:

EXXXPLOSIONS OF FLAVOR!!!
neighbors,
i still had those FAT triangle noods, so i boiled up a batch exxxxtra-fast.
kayla was in charge of the tofu,
and she made sure it was shallow-pan-fried in coconut oil to prefection.
so crisp and so clean-
i tried a new technique,
and browned up some brussels and cabbage in coconut oil,
and it was so toasty, and so creamy, and so expert.
we all kept a constant stream of commentary about 'em.
okay,
so, there's crsipy tofu, and there's browned brussies and charred cabbage-
but what else was going on?
...there's a powerful SAUCE of course.
obviously.
-
*
POWERSAUCE!
-
2 T sriracha;
3 T rice vinegar;
2 T tamari;
2 T chili garlic paste;
2 T mae ploy;
1 T lime juice;
2 T agave;
2 cloves crushed garlic;
1/2 tsp ea GPOP;
1/2 tsp ground mustard powder;
1/2 tsp coriander seed powder;
sriracha flakes, hot paprika, cayenne; black pepper.
kaBOOM!
it's got alllllll the power, for sure.
-
*
but that's not it, either-
nope.
c'mon.
there's ALSO the stir-fry:
1/2 head cauliflower;
3 shishito peppers;
1 orange carrot;
1/2 red onion;
1/2 cup mini super-sweet tiny baby red peppers;
1 tsp minced skin-on organic fresh ginger;
1 clove crushed garlic;
that got 50% of the powersauce, and a few tablespoons of water,
and a lid, after sauteeing for a bit.
to soften everything jusssssst this side of raw.
how many minutes?
a few, bro. what do i look like? a stopwatch. you'll know when they look good.
add the brussies and cabbage back to it, and stir it all around.....
-
*
i pan fried those fat soft noods, post boil (which only takes like 4 minutes or something)
in the other other 50% of the powersauce,
and a tablespoon of sesame oil,
in the pan that still had the ghosts of crispy tofu coconut in it's aether.
that was a good idea.
i even added a couple tablespoons of water to 'em, to keep 'em supple while they sizzled.
i'm like that.
-
*
and the exxxtras?
c'mon, kid-
THAT'S where the main tenet of Folk Life shark-gluttony came into play.
uh-huh.
too much IS the right amount-
and for those about to (albie) rock, we have:
purple carrot.
radish.
spinach.
microgreens.
cukes.
purple cabbage.
and, because rules is rules, a whole F*ing buttload of sprankles.
yup.
cilantro, mint, basil, and green onion.
all that cool hottness, plus all that hot coolness,
plus all those fat noodies,
and that powerbottom fire all over everything.
there's no time for faking the fuego, yo.
we'd only be cheating ourselves, and that's just not done around here.
***********
it's friday the 13th.
the big jinx.
the unluckiest one.
well, that's lovely.
and as much as i'm super at superstition,
i'd like to go on record as saying that i'm ready for this one.
i am.
my fingers and my heart and my tees, and maybe even my eyes are crossed,
or dotted?
or dashing, or morse coded in blips and bleeps,
for a magical mystery of a day.
all day.
because numbers aren't important unless it's 11.
tattoos are on the schedule.
pizza is on the lunchboard.
real life is ready to unfold.
this is it.
and even on a day dedicated to misfortune,
i'm grateful for what's going on.
the worst of my worst is still better than the best of the rest,
and there's a whole helluva lot to be said for that-
like: thanks, secret universal plan!! i appreciate it!!
gratitude and generosity and professional appreciation and active participation-
these are the things that make today, and every day, the best day;
never quiet, never soft.....