this is a blog about the food in my life. what I eat, what I wanna eat, what I make, what I bake, what I wanna make and bake, ideas and recipes. it's also my thoughts on food or stories behind the meals. The lyric references are from my lifelong love of classic rock and funk and from working a hunnerd years in music retail.
A Mexican Plate from an Alternative Universe - Spinach low carb tortillas filled with seasoned pork and onions, topped with Jalapeno Jack cheese, Spanish yellow rice and doctored canned Vegan 'refried' beans.
Just when I was living back in the mindset of my Midwestern hometown at 20 years old, bored beyond repair at the scenery, when old conservative white men seemed to dominate my world, and I was hopeless for the future, Bill Burr hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Jack White. What an incredible show that slathered salve on so many wounds. First of all, Jack White's performance was beyond phenomenal, it was transcending, something out of my dreams!! Those songs each gave me that feeling of the floor dropping from beneath my feet at live concerts. How we watch rock stars with envy, pride, and yearning as wild abandonment takes over every cell in our bodies. He has successfully found that sound that perhaps he has chased his whole career and hand carried it to us at just the perfect moment in time. Maybe it could get better but I'm not sure I could handle that greatness at this particular time without completely falling apart.
As if being airlifted spiritually wasn't enough, I was blessed with the monologue of Bill Burr. I've been secretly adding his comedy sketches to my nightly YouTube feed for months and have found him so refreshingly hysterical. His particular brand of honest humor hits at a time when it's downright dangerous to draw attention to this ongoing insanity, to make fun of the ultra liberal silliness that for some reason, smart people are getting behind, leaving critical thought behind. He's not perfect and his vulnerability is restorative, and what the world needs more of right now, caring people calling out blatant hypocrisy within their own party. Bill is married to a black woman and is neither racist, nor right leaning. He's a normal thinking person who's bringing to light the utter ridiculousness of how far, the far left have gone to shut down opinion and free speech, taking over the role of judge and jury for the world. He has joined Dave Chappelle, Norm McDonald and many others to throw cold water on so many of these bigots. Comedy needs to remain free because you can only bring humor out of truth. If we squash that, we may as well kill art in the public square. But knowing him a bit and by his expression at the end of his opening, I'm not sure if he deliberately spoke to his target which would be brilliant or if he actually looked out unto his audience unknowingly at the end and realized the crowd was his target. The New Yorkers who were able to attend that show, were most likely the elite and ultra single-minded trendsetters that would be offended by those jokes. But I have to believe there is plenty more of us living smack dab in the middle of all this absurdity, shaking our heads at many of these laws, rules and kowtowing to victimhood. I won't believe this is the healthy way to evolve. This show, although skewed in the sketches for sure, also successfully brought comedic spotlight to the left party's failures, and reminds us no one is looking too good right now, except for maybe Jack White!
All the stars aligned: As a side note, the producers of the show cancelled the original musical guest Morgan Wallen for not social distancing and potentially putting the crews in COVID jeopardy, which was the best chance occurrence to happen since a thin crust pizza place opened next door to me. It ended up being a double win and probably the best press he could hope for because Wallen professes maybe it changed his life in his equally genuine apology video.
So during our road trip one night we did a Chopped marathon because it was a little cold and rainy but the room was so cool, facing a river out back it was cool to spend time in it.
So I became addicted to this great show again. When we got back, I also got my food groove back a little and found my love again. We did a speed round after work. It only lasted two times before I got bored but this was fun. In my basket: Old mushrooms, boneless chicken thighs and leeks. I was able to use potatoes from my pantry and the key was cutting them into Campbell's sized chunks so they'd cook in time. The leeks were sauteed with celery & mushrooms before adding the chicken stock and potatoes. I cooked the seasoned small cut up chicken pieces separately and added them in last minute to make sure they were done. I was disqualified because I went over 5 minutes in time. But we don't eat desert so no need to go onto the next round.
Who needs the Botanical gardens either when you can wander and find all the trees blooming even in the Red Hook housing where apple blossoms were full on white, whereas last year the same trees were filled with tiny red flowers.
The Eastern Redbud was in bloom all the way from Brooklyn to Kentucky.
