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What I ate last week. Ranked #182 in food podcasts in Mexico according to an email I just got.
NEWS AND UPDATES
I got an email yesterday from a man named Carlos letting me know that this is the #182 rated food podcast in Mexico which made me wonder, “would it be funny if I renamed this podcast “Top Ranked Food Podcast”? In the style of pizza slice and Chinese restaurants that are named #1 or best. Please contact me to vote.
Pistachio wars https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/the-5-billion-pistachio-war-how-us-and-turkey-are-wiping-iran-off-the-map/articleshow/129755938.cms
Sysco the food distributor, not the artist behind the thong song, is acquiring restaurant depot https://www.reuters.com/business/sysco-acquire-restaurant-depot-29-billion-deal-wsj-reports-2026-03-30/
Not food related but there’s a new space mission to scope out the dark side of the moon. I wish they would send Katy Perry back into space for good this time. Get her out of here. They could play baby you’re a firework as she blasts away.
What to do with beans:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/773768265-broccoli-and-white-bean-caesar?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025423-butter-bean-dip-with-frizzled-onions-and-preserved-lemon?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8b358ke/
Further thoughts on Hot Chicken Salad: When I first had it I was new to the south and the novelty of a hot casserole topped with crispy, salty potato chips was a delight. Time began to pass and the reality of eating hot mayonnaise and soggy potato chips sunk in. You really have to top it with potato chips after cooking it, for very little time.
“A Taste of Paradise” Hawaiian recipe book from 1992 from the military base wives. Brian’s mom gave me all of these spiral bound community cook books with titles like “our favorite recipes” where the “our” is a long list of women who have passed away and the recipes are really just different lists of canned foods that you can open and pour into a casserole dish. Brian’s mom was like “but I couldn’t cook like this everyday it’s too much work. You don’t cook like this, do you?” If only she knew that I literally cook every day and write about it and have a podcast about it.
MOCK CHICKEN
1 Ib. hamburger, uncooked
Grated onion to taste
1 beaten egg
1C. milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can condensed chicken noodle soup
2 C. seasoned croutons
Mix all ingredients together and place in a buttered casserole. Bake at 350° for 45 to 60 minutes, uncovered. This is a quick meat dish to make and has a chicken and dressing flavor.
MOTHER'S STICKY CHICKEN
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
¾ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. white pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. black pepper
1-3 Ib. chicken
1 C. onions, chopped
In small bowl, combine all spices. Rub mixture into chicken, inside and out, patting mixture into skin to make sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in sealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions. Roast, uncovered, at 250° about 5 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices, or until pan juices start to caramelize on bottom of pan and chicken is golden brown. Serves 4.
ROBIN LEACH'S REALLY RICH AND EXPENSIVE CHICKEN
1 whole chicken, cut into parts
Black pepper, oregano or your own favorite spices to taste
2 med. onion, sliced
1 can baby peas
1 can baby carrots
1 can mushroom soup
1 can sliced potatoes or 1 Ib. sliced fresh potatoes
1 bottle champagne
Wash and dry chicken. Roll chicken parts in the spice mixture. Place sliced onions in deep dish baking pan. Add dash of champagne on bottom of pan, then place chicken, peas, more herbs and carrots over onions. Add dash more champagne on top of mixture; then smooth on mushroom soup over chicken and vegetables. Add sliced potatoes on top of mixture; pour more champagne over that. Make sure you have enough champagne to level covering vegetables. The alcohol in the champagne will be cooked off. Cover dish and bake in 425° oven for 1 hour. Remove lid and brown 15 minutes.
COWTOWN SCREWS AND NUTS
SEASONING SAUCE:
1½ C. bacon drippings
1C. butter, melted
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. Tabasco
1 T. garlic powder
CEREAL MIX:
1 box Cheerios
1 Ig. bag pretzels
1 box Corn Chex
1 box Wheat Chex
1 box Rice Chex
1 sm. bag Fritos
4 C. nuts, any combination
Heat seasoning sauce ingredients and mix thoroughly. Combine cereal mix in 2 large roasting pans. Pour seasoning sauce over top and mix well. Bake at 225° for 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently. Let cool before storing in plastic bags or in airtight containers. Can be frozen and thawed as needed.
SCENTS
Ffern Samhain
Official description: Elodie Durande says: "I wanted to reflect Samhain's transitional nature with a fragrance that feels both green and introspective. To me, this batch smells like walking through a wild garden at dusk, with the scent of leaves and memory all around." Samhain is described as: A souler girl makes her way through the forest. Tread softly as you pass through, for you are treading on dreams. The way is lit with honeyed florals, glowing like lanterns. An accord of neroli, jasmine grandiflorum and mandarin shines, notes of nectar and apricot chiming with the citrus. For the sylvan notes of the forest, they blended red cedar and nutmeg, dry and spiced, Beneath this they laid an earthy base of vetiver and patchouli, cushioned by vanilla-like tonka bean with its edge of musk. Around, the land is still green, with ferns and late flowers underfoot, a tapestry of shadows. Samhain night can turn - mischievous spirits are abroad as well as good ones. With a basket full of soul cakes she has sung for in the village, our souler girl tires. The sugar-sharp sweetness of rare davana is called up as her eyelids droop. Humming a lament to keep herself awake, she dings her golden bell. The forest gives up its creatures. A fox, a hare, black cats, strangely familiar. And amid the trees, that elusive omen of good fortune - a white stag appears. A messenger from the Otherworld, bringing adventure and foot fate.
Samhain features top notes of blackcurrant bud, Timut pepper, sweet orange rind, davana, nutmeg, green mandarin rind, lemon rind and galbanum; middle notes of neroli, carrot seed, bergamot rind, violet leaf, petitgrain, Rose de Mai, basil grand vert and jasmine grandiflorum; and base notes of tonka bean, orris, brown-eyed rock rose, red cedar, vetiver root, patchouli and Siam benzoin. It is an eau de parfum, edp.
My review: Super peppery and vetiver up front, but not in a musty way; softens and becomes more powdery, soapy, and iris emerges. This is nice and makes me excited to try the other Ffern samples but my socks have not been blown off. Tonka bean too strong.
INTERNET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berger_Cookies
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8boQpU2/
Fromage fort is leftover cheese nubs and wine. Saw a video of Elizabeth Minchilli visiting an Italian making meatballs with white wine instead of milk and adding the meatballs raw and off the heart and just swirling them around until cooked. Best wishes. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8bKdbTo/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8bKS6P8/
I just found out who Morgan McGraw is kind of. I still don’t actually know who she is besides like she was on a reality. Show about Beverly Hills kids who are wealthy and she’s currently married to Dr. Phil’s son. Actually saw Dr. Phil and his entire family in Monaco. The country once he was on a yacht I was not on a yacht. I was 16 and I don’t know why my school took us to Monaco because there’s nothing to do there when you are too young to gamble or be wealthy, and own a yacht. The 20 year olds quickly realized this and took us back to our school (it was in Switzerland so it wasn’t too far). What an educational trip to Monaco where the only thing I remember is seeing Dr. Phil. This was also the same summer where I lived with 17 Puerto Rican girls. We were all on the same floor of a dorm of the school. My room mate bought a bottle of white rum and hid it in her closet and made me take a swig before I went off on this weekend trip around the south of France and Monaco. It was my first time drinking alcohol so I immediately blacked out and forgot my wallet, giving us even more reason for me to not be in Monaco. Imagine being Dr. Phil’s daughter in law and you’re on your annual family yacht trip to Monaco and you have to sit across from him at dinner while Dr. Phil clips are blasting full volume in your head on a loop. “Open the door or I’m going to throw rocks through your windows you dumb whore”. https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/s4bfjw/open_da_doar/
Anyway, I’m enjoying her content. It’s taking over my TikTok algorithm and she’s starting to do these videos where she’s in her closet talking about what she’s wearing. She’s always wearing clothes from the row. I actually do have clothes from the row that I got insanely inexpensively from when I was a Vintage and secondhand clothing buyer and they are fabulous. Maybe the quality was better ten years ago when I acquired them. Fabulous pants that I wear only on special occasions but it’s inspiring me to maybe do videos of what I wear, which is like choosing which style of Adam Sandler shorts I wanna put on that day my go to are these black champion mesh basketball shorts they really are my best look that in a black turtleneck. I don’t feel comfortable wearing this out in public, but I think I should start. Brians says that I need to stop dressing like Adam Sandler. I think he’s embarrassed by me, but I saw who’s the person who played Barbie I saw her in an outfit the other day those basically like a nice version of Adam Sandler shorts they were maybe silk long and loose boxy, black shorts maybe they had a drawstring and then she had like a boxy black top maybe with 3/4 sleeves and it was such a good look on her and that’s basically what I’m wearing so I think if she can pull that off on my level on my lower level, I can wear Adam Sandler shorts and maybe start a trend. I did a lot of trends in my high school. I was always reading the fashion magazines and every time I would buy something got really mad actually cause I bought these blue rain boots that had dogs on them from J.Crew in high school and then everybody else commented on them and then would show up to school with them and I was like what’s the point that happened a few times so I think I mean, I think girls are already wearing Adam Sandler gear out in the wild but I think I’m gonna think we need to go full force with it and I’m gonna start that trend. I mean everybody in this county already dresses like that and Will for the rest of the time so I’m really just blending into my surroundings.
Corn dog donut; I remember showing my Korean roommate in college a corn dog for the first time and now Korea is the king of corn dog culture https://www.instagram.com/p/DWWsdnxkYUK/?igsh=OGh5MmZrMDA4NTc5
America’s Test Kitchen English muffins; should I make bread again now that it’s warm enough to proof bread in my house even though my starter has passed away?
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/8604-how-to-make-english-muffins
Rebranding of froyo https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8bTmPdU/
Ideals Easter special https://www.instagram.com/p/DWokPPLkTQP/?img_index=1&igsh=YTl4cmZsemo1N280
Words with bones does a breakdown of why Korean snacks and dishes are so sweet https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8gJqQy2/
Lady requesting that we cover the alligator on the walk of the tiki bar I worked at
America’s Culinary Cup Season 1 Episode 5
My TV colors are broken so food looks weird so I’m basically watching this show blindfolded
“Thank you for scouring the nation for these contestants Padma” - Brian. Then he fell asleep.
They’re interviewing the contestants who are saying things like “I definitely want to win the prize money” wow thanks for asking the tough questions
These people won’t stop talking about themselves and revealing weaknesses / preferences which is so idiotic in a show like this but chefs cannot help but talk about themselves
We’re back in the hideous kitchen with a vegetable display; some of these greens are looking very past their prime. This week’s commandment is vegetables I guess. I think I missed it.
There are three teams of three, each team has to cook a three course meal of vegetables. Brought to you by Dawn Powerwash.
A bunch of Padma’s friends show up to eat the vegetables and they do an Ocean’s 11 style montage to introduce each of them. Priya Krishna formerly of the Bon Appetit test kitchen original crew is there and a bunch of Michelin starred chefs.
Appetizer round: Keith, despite sweating profusely, wins with a miso-glazed eggplant steak.
Main dish round: Beverly is making broccoli steak and doing well overall in this competition except when she started jumping up and down and clapping when she won an elimination round and her competitor was sent home. I lost interest in her. Maybe it was just the way it was edited but it appears that she completely ignored the other person. She seems a little self-involved and unhinged. Matt makes a potato-scaled eggplant which goes over well although Priya, who is sitting in a penthouse designed to look like Grand Central at a table of Michelin starred chefs, says it’s too fussy. Padma comes out to reveal the scores and says “the tension is very tense” thank you. Beverly wins by a mile.
Dessert round: Buddha is making cauliflower ice cream on a date cake. Katie is making beetroot parfait. Cara is making a sakoo, a Burmese street food style dessert with garlic and onion in it. The judges said it was interesting.
Beverly’s team won and she immediately started screaming. Buddha’s dessert saved his team and Katie, Emily, and Matt’s team lost so they have to cook against each other using the three sisters (bean, corn and squash). Katie is freaking out because apparently she’s never made succotash. Apparently she’s never cooked in the summer before. I’d sear some chicken thighs and finish them in a tomato, garlic, and butter sauce with butter beans and squash and finish with sweet corn and basil. Matt is using grits as his corn component. Summer squash is kind of a waste of space for me. No flavor. Katie made arroz meloso. Katie has decided to use delicata squash which Buddha describes as a cousin rather than a sister. At this point Brian woke up and yelled that the judges were speaking gibberish. Matt made undercooked vegetables with popcorn. Emily made a tartar. Spoiler alert, Emily is sent home, but not before asking Padma if she wants to hang out.
Top Chef Season 23 Episode 4
Here we are again in Charlotte, where every building looks like it’s been built in the last year using legos and could be the set of any reality show.
Tristan, former winner, is the guest judge for the quickfire. Tristan is a level 1 somm, whatever that means. This segment is hosted by Josh wine thank god. The challenge is to work in teams to create a food flight that pairs with a Josh wine flight.
Duyen owns a wine and champagne company so let’s see how quickly she goes down.
Justin is making artichokes which he says are notoriously difficult to pair with wine, so great idea. His wife Jessica’s shoulder is still broken so he’s helping her flip toast.
Green team does a seafood flight (bad pairing; seafood was too broad of a theme)
Red team does a cheese flight (Duyen the wine company owner actually did a great job pairing everything, shocker. Maybe she also owns a grocery store wine brand.)
Blue team did an egg flight (they won)
Cream Team did a mochi flight (mochi dough was underdone)
Elimination challenge: Turn a southern side dish into a main and serve to a 40 person dining room. But first they get to visit an urban farm and meet a person named Wisdom. One of the contestants immediately declares upon arrival that the turkeys are ugly. Then someone shouts “main dish energy” so that you don’t forget that you’re watching Bravo.
Sherry facetimes her son who is in bootcamp in the army so the episode briefly becomes an army recruitment commercial
Brittany realizes that the sausage and collards dish she thought was cooking in the oven the whole time goes to take her dish out and realizes it’s still raw. She still manages to put something on the plate that flops. Judges describe it as room temperature, no sausage to be found, sharp and mushy at the same time.
Seeger won even though he was the only person to opt for okra, which Tom Colicchio notoriously hates
Anthony, Jen, and Brittany are in the bottom. Brittany is sent home which is fine because she lives in Charlotte. Also she’s going to be on last chance kitchen which is my favorite part of the show, mostly because of Tom Colicchio, who I love even though he did agree to participate in Megan Markle’s Netflix special.
Brittany goes head to head with Nana who I am shocked was invited to be on last chance kitchen, which is more stressful than the main show. They show a clip of her being zen and praying which she was probably legally, contractually obligated to do. They both have 30 minutes to make a dish that is reflective of who they are. There is always so little time given to them on last chance kitchen that everyone is forced to make fish and salads. Brittany says she’s still trying to figure out what kind of chef she is which is an insane thing to say as a restaurant owner, but maybe not an insane thing to say as someone who owns a restaurant in the nebulous city of Charlotte, the backdrop of any and every reality show that doubles as the world’s largest Ikea showroom.
Brittany and Nana basically make the same thing. Nana wins without having a breakdown which is a win within itself.
March 30, 2026 (Monday)
8am: Little Waves coffee with half & half, made at home.
10am: Bran flakes with milk.
12:30pm: Whole Foods garlic and herb water crackers with Good Culture chive cream cheese.
6pm: A cajun ranch chicken wrap and cheese curds at Cook Out in Creedmoor, North Carolina.
8pm: Popcorn and part of a Full Steam pilsner at Carolina Theater in Durham, North Carolina.
Some days (or most days) I just eat a series of different combinations of a carb and a dairy.
Coke zero at both Cook Out and Carolina Theater
March 31, 2026 (Tuesday)
7:30am: Little Waves coffee with half & half, made at home.
9am: Three sunny eggs with sriracha over olive oil toasted La Farm sourdough, made at home.
12pm: Whole Foods garlic and herb water crackers with Good Culture chive cream cheese.
6:30pm: Thai red curry with pork, green peppers, potatoes, and green beans over basmati rice, made at home.
7:30pm: A slice of chocolate buttermilk cake with chocolate icing, made at home.
Had a package of green beans that I got on sale at Whole Foods that I needed to use up in some sort of red sauce – either tomato or curry-based. I love green beans in a Thai curry. Slow cooked small, mixed potatoes until fluffy and tender.
I keep encountering people who hate chocolate cake, which feels insane to me. It could be too chocolatey like a Matilda style chocolate cake like in the movie I mean, maybe too many kids. My age watched Bruce on Matilda, eat a hole, giant chocolate cake, and the thought of chocolate cake sickens them now it’s quite possible. But to universally hate the concept of chocolate cake doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I remember sitting around the lunch table when I worked on the farm and we were all talking about our favorite flavor cake and cohort formed. That was Vietnam against chocolate cake and they started yelling about how much they hated. Our boss said come on guys that’s my favorite flavor that there’s no need to have hatred for a genre of cake my mom for instance, hates layer cake, which doesn’t make sense to me. You’re just gonna universally hate a cake because it happens to have layers? A lot of layer cakes are dry and awful so I get it but let’s not put cakes into boxes because it usually crushes them. I like a cold slice of chocolate cake and I’ve been wanting one for a while so now that I have cocoa powder in my cabinet, I’m going for it. Decided to gamble my groceries away on a recipe from a blog called Southern Bite which sounds like a regional variant of lockjaw. You could google recipes every day for twenty years and still get a list of google results of blogs you’ve never heard of every time. Stacy’s spicy kitchen. Almost made a Pioneer Woman recipe for a texas sheet cake that was fudgier and had pecans in the frosting but I then regained consciousness.
https://southernbite.com/buttermilk-chocolate-cake/
Chose this off the photo of the frosting alone
I skimped on the sugar and was heavy with the salt and this was still way too sweet
Baked for less time than the original 35-45 minutes since I only did a halved recipe in an 8x8 and took the cake out at 24 minutes for as it read 200 degrees but the edges still tasted burnt.
I would not make this again. Southern Bite bites. The frosting was not at all like the photo; I could have and should have whipped it.
I would make depression cake instead https://iambaker.net/depression-cake/
Because I was standing over the stove making curry and chocolate cake I thought it would also be a good day to try making beans again. Soaked Rancho Gordo white lima beans in a cambro with water filled to the 3 quart line for four hours, brought to a boil with all of the remaining soaking liquid, which was 2 quarts, brought to a low boil for about ten minutes and skimmed the scum off. Kept at a low simmer for about two hours and let cool on the stove. Added salt about 1.5 hours into the cook. Perfectly tender and kept their shape.
April 1, 2026 (Wednesday)
8am: Little Waves coffee with half & half, made at home.
10am: Leftover curry and basmati rice.
1pm: A slice of chocolate cake and a small cup of milk.
6:30pm: Screamin’ Sicilian cheese pizza and romaine lettuce with parmesan and white lima beans marinated in La Tourangelle olive oil, lemon juice, chives, and black pepper, made at home.
7:30pm: A slice of chocolate cake.
I overslept to make it to the office in time for a 9am meeting so I stayed home which is unfortunate for my cake room report and my walking routine. I even packed a lunch. But also my boss is out for passover so why even bother going in especially when gas is as much as it is.
This frozen pizza looked so cheesy and almost like a white pizza on the box and was pretty disappointing. Not cheesy enough when you think about how plentiful they are with the pepperoni.
April 2, 2026 (Thursday)
8am: Little Waves coffee with half & half, made at home.
10am: Leftover curry over basmati rice.
12pm: Leftover white lima beans and four garlic and herb water crackers.
Cake room: Box of matzah.
3:30pm: A slice of chocolate cake.
5:30pm: Pasta e fagioli with white lima beans, orzo, parmesan, and La Tourangelle olive oil, made at home.
7pm: A slice of chocolate cake.
I had a single small purple potato in my curry and it tasted like the ocean; maybe the salt and fish from the curry paste?
https://iambaker.net/depression-cake/ feels apt since we are at war
CHOCOLATE CAKE [MY VERSION]
187g all-purpose flour
175g granulated sugar
29g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup water
FROSTING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Dave’s coffee syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
I believe this was the recipe that I originally used; I remember the strange URL and it being a 8x8 cake recipe with whipped frosting
Reduced sugar in cake to 175 grams
Used buttermilk instead of water and white vinegar but added a splash of water for extra liquid because I think my oven runs hot and I’m using a metal pan. I also lowered the temperature to 325 to avoid the slightly burnt, rubbery edges on the last cake. Took about 32 minutes. Pulled the cake when the thermometer registered 195 and was making a crinkling sound. I wonder if blooming the cocoa also contributed to the over-done flavor, plus the previous addition of eggs. This batter was much thicker than the Southern Bite recipe, which poured. This was more like a dump and spread batter.
Upped the butter to four tablespoons because I like frosting; it’s why I eat cake. Added a tablespoon of Dave’s coffee syrup instead of honey. Saw a creator on Tiktok say that the best american buttercream requires part syrup. I don’t fully understand sugar science but it prevents it from hardening I guess. Added salt. Skimped on the sugar. This cake is so much better, especially for the amount of labor it takes. So much easier than the previous recipe. Incredible ROI.
https://www.donnasdailydish.com/p/what-can-i-make-for-you
Dry version of pasta e fagioli via Arthur Schwartz
April 3, 2026 (Friday)
8:30am: Leftover coffee with half & half.
12:30pm: A jalapeno honey mustard crispy chicken crunchwrap slider, steak and guac nacho fries, and a cantina chicken rolled quesadilla with avocado salsa from Taco Bell in Oxford, North Carolina.
3:30pm: An iced coffee with half & half and a can of Fuji Apple Spindrift from Boulted Bread in Raleigh.
6pm: Babaganoush and tabouli from Neomonde in Raleigh.
8pm: A slice of chocolate cake.
Spent the first part of the morning deciding which of the six Food Lion locations within a 15 to 20 minute drive of me I would go to today. Having the opportunity to choose in which of the Food Lion locations I would browse the same mediocre products is so sick and but to be honest if the Piggly Wiggly with the hole in the floor was still open I’d definitely just go there.
My trip was delayed by Daddy choosing to go to sleep on me. He usually only sits on me when I’m watching house wives, which he loves, except I don’t have any seasons on right now although I might check out Rhode Island or ladies of London. I think daddy was sleeping on me because I was truly relaxed this morning because I have the best energy when I don’t have work but Brian does so I get to do whatever I want. Like go to food lion. I have a rich inner life.
Brian asked that we never go to Taco Bell again but then immediately wanted to go when he saw the commercial for the crispy chicken crunch wrap sliders and began making excuses. Some people can’t handle Taco Bell. My dad has been training me my whole life like a Williams sister.
Jalapeno honey mustard was great even though the chicken was soggy. On the commercial the crunchwrap is not fully enclosed, which is how they should package it. Steak and guac nacho fries were so smothered in sauces that it was too soggy and I didn’t finish it. Cantina chicken rolled quesadilla was pretty decent because of the chipotle ranch but it was weird that they cut it in half for me as if I was a child.
Bolted bread was basically out of stock of everything except rye shortbread. Barista was chatting with someone while tickets streamed out.
Apple flavor feels like a reaction to the Lena Dunham Apple flavor comment where she claimed it activated her brain or some shit.
Spent the day with cows who were drinking out of the big tub of water, and I was shocked to learn that they slurp the water instead of laughing it up with their tongue like a dog they put their face down into it and they suck the water up.
Neomonde was pretty good; I didn’t eat a lot of it because I wasn’t hungry but it was also purchased for a goodbye party for an apprentice that I didn’t really know so I felt weird about eating the food. Also, someone tore up all of the pita bread with their hands so I sat out on that.
On the drive home I saw someone who wrote the word Trump on a satellite dish with paint, but the t was pretty far away from the bar, so it looked like it said T rump like a cut of meat.
Went home and ate a cold slice of chocolate cake. I usually don’t like cold chocolate but cold chocolate cake is perfect and the frosting the cake ratio is perfect. It’s like 1/3 frosting 2/3 cake.
April 4, 2026 (Saturday)
8am: Little Waves coffee with half & half, made at home, and a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit and Bo-Tato Rounds from Bojangles in Oxford, North Carolina.
1pm: Hummus, babaganoush, beets, and mujadara from Sassool in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2pm: A slice of chocolate cake.
5pm: Sausage and tortellini soup with parmesan, made at home.
Brian got up at five to go get fertilizer so we could plant potatoes and got us a proper farm work breakfast. Sometimes the bo-tato rounds are a miss but these were perfect.
Brian stopped at Sassool on his way home despite already eating Neomonde. Sassool is better. Brighter, more flavorful, and lemony. The difference was kind of astounding. The mujadara was more of a cold lentil salad; Brian insisted it was mujadara and if so then this version is not it. Prefer a more rice-heavy, drier version with heaps of caramelized onions.
All my garlic finally dried out so I had to buy more; as I was smashing the cloves for the soup I was reminded of how 90s and early 2000s Food Network was just a 24 hour channel of footage of people telling you to smash your garlic cloves by hitting the heel of your hand your knife. Using cheap Food Lion tortellini and Johnsonville sausage really affects the flavor - I can taste the dirty processing facilities that they’re making these products in. I forgot why I stopped buying the tortellini and then remembered that it tastes like a dirty sink.
Sausage and tortellini soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 chiltepin peppers
1 teaspoon Gustiamo oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 parmesan rind
2 small carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 cup of leftover large white lima beans, rinced
Half of a leftover can of 28oz diced tomatoes from the pasta e fagioli
1 quart homemade chicken stock
Food Lion cheese tortellini
April 5, 2026 (Sunday)
9am: Little Waves coffee with half & half, made at home.
11am: Scrambled eggs with chives and leftover pasta e fagioli, made at home.
12:30pm: A slice of chocolate cake.
2pm: A Bubba burger on a sesame seeded hamburger bun with white American cheese, ketchup, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion, coleslaw, Cape Cod salt and vinegar potato chips, half a can of Blue Moon, and pound cake with Cool Whip and strawberries at Brian’s parents house.
6pm: A handful of garlic and herb water crackers.
Had Easter hamburgers instead of ham. Bubba burgers are disgusting.
My next cake project is a coconut snack cake; my grandmother always made a bunny-shaped coconut cake for easter
Brian revealed that he does not care for cake so we’re probably breaking up
Brian’s mom told us that she sank in quicksand