Budget cooking: tasty thigh topping

You wanna get real? Let's get real. Life is a mix of good and bad, up and down, sweet, spicy, savory, and everything in between. There's pleasure and pain, sunshine and rain. Fuck, I sound like a country song.

Mushrooms, radishes, red bell pepper, green onion, and cherry tomatoes

Money's tight, not just for me, but for just about all of us. Interest rates are up, inflation is bending us all over the barrel. Gas, necessities, luxuries, fucking groceries all cost more than they seem like they should. It's not fun, it's not fair. It's just bullshit.

Chicken thighs, bones removed, with salt, pepper, and paprika

Beyond the financial concerns, building and maintaining relationships is some bullshit. I mean, it's always been a shitty situation if you're a middle-aged introvert, but tack on the realities of living in a post-Covid world and things get worse. Add in a few shots of anxiety and depression and you've got a cocktail of loneliness. Granted, my girlfriend and I have been getting to know each other better and have braved a few storms so far; if only I could see more of her, you know? At least then I'm able to be lonely with someone else.

Dumped in the mushroom, radish, and some green onion while the chicken finished

You know, I do miss sleep. I've had a hell of a time getting to sleep for a while anyway, but the waking up every 30-45 minutes all night fucking sucks. I spend all day fucking exhausted, then get to lie in bed most of the night wishing that exhaustion would lead to something beneficial. One day I'll sleep, though, right?

Confit garlic and red pepper flakes in the drippings/butter/oil

So what's the point of all this bitching?

Tomatoes and green onion; added some spinach, balsamic, honey, and capers later

Life's hard for most of us. Every single day we're given the choice of whether we're going to keep fighting or give it up. I'm proud of you for still being here, same as I'm proud of myself. We've seen some shit, haven't we? We've been through it, fought through it all. No matter how hard those demons are who are pushing us constantly to give up, we've persevered so far.

Chicken topped with tomato/spinach/onion, veggies on the side with parsley

So we find a way to stretch those dollars, we make the sparse moments we have together count as much as they can, we work when we have to and rest when we can. I'm keeping my chin up and face forward, and I know you are, too. We'll keep working, we'll keep loving, and we'll keep eating. In the words of Anthony Bourdain, "Fuck it. Let's do this." We got this shit.

Comments

Voices in my head, or: Why do I cook?

Every time I chop a vegetable, slice a steak, drop garlic into oil, or scrub a pan, I hear voices in my head: my mom, my dad, my grandmothers, friends from college like James and Liz, friends from adulthood like Rick and Claudio, internet friends like NerdyCap , and tv chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jeff Smith, Anthony Bourdain, Jacques Pepin, and Alton Brown, all of the folks who have taught me, directly in person or indirectly through books, tv episodes, or live streams, about cooking. Steak frying with minced onion and minced garlic Sometimes I hear them instructing me on what I'm doing, the same words I've heard repeat in my head hundreds or thousands of times. "Don't let the garlic overcook or you'll get a bitter taste," mom says every time. Claudio often hits me with "If you hear them sizzling, they're sautéing. If they're quiet, they're caramelizing." "Why the fuck are you fucking doing this, you stupid donkey?!" ...

My Mexican restaurant

Some nights (and weekends), I just don't feel like cooking, so I do go out to local restaurants from time to time. My most frequent haunt is El Idolo, a Mexican place just on the edge of Bartlett, TN. It sits a good 1/8 of a mile from the geographic center of the county, so it's reached easily enough from everywhere. They also have the best damn margaritas in town. I've come here frequently and long enough (since they opened, to be honest), that I don't order a drink - my server brings my drink when I've been seated. Incidentally, I go for the medium (used to be large, but they added a new size that's for my Sundays only) margarita on the rocks, no ice, no salt. When a new server starts at "the 'Dolo" (as we call it), it usually takes them 2-3 visits before they remember, and then it's smooth sailing again. Most places that I've ordered this just mix a normal margarita, then top it off with their mix; the 'Dolo says, "nah, hermano,...

A Spicy Tuesday Night

In my younger years, I did not enjoy spicy foods. Luckily, I grew up... Recipe for habanero cream sauce Tonight for dinner, I made chicken and veggies with a new favorite: habanero cream sauce. I started with a couple mushrooms, a couple radishes, some shallot, a little yellow bell pepper, and a few cloves of garlic. I generally try to group ingredients by when I want to add them (I call them "firm," "soft," "aromatic," etc.). In this case, the sliced baby bellas and diced bell pepper were "soft," the sliced radish and slivered garlic were "hard," and the minced shallot and minced garlic were "aromatic." A little knife work, and they were ready to go, which meant it was time to tackle the habanero. I cut it up last just to help prevent getting that heat mixed in anywhere it didn't need to go. I mince that shit down so I can mix it around pretty thoroughly, and I threw that into the a...

ODG Eats

Search This Blog