Lines Drawn in Starlight

 1. I went to the University District Farmers Market today. It's small than I remembered, and in the street now instead of that lot. (It's been a long time.) Our Capitol Hill one has more vendors. I coveted the bread at Tall Grass Bakery (mmm, bread). Tiny's Organic had last year's fruit... in jars, as preserves! They taste like fruit, not sugar bomb. They include the skins. I got Aprium (apricot plum hybrid) and Nectarine (Arctic Blast & Arctic Blaze blend). My mouth waters, just thinking of our next breakfast-for-dinner.
There was a honey vendor with something called "bakery honey." It turns out, that's their name for honey dregs, the honey pulled off when cleaning up the wax. It probably has pupa bits, royal jelly, and maybe some dead bees in it, all filtered clear. A blend of blackberry, wildflower, and whatever other they had, it has a fuller flavor and glorious color. I can't wait to eat it!

2. L and I had an early cherry blossom viewing picnic. The trees on UW Campus are not in full bloom yet. I didn't realize that they were white ones. The pink ones around town are going boom.

3. My BFF will be in town in a mere 16 days! I need to draft an itinerary, but I want it to include the Museum of History and Industry, the whiskey bar in Pike Place Market, Sun Liquor, Sake Nomi, Intrigue Chocolate, Pirosky on 3rd (conveniently close to the Arctic Hotel, where she'll be staying), and Vostok Dumpling House. I would have liked to include the Polish Home for their pierogies, but she won't be around on the days they are serving.

Round 1 of waffalafel did not present a winner, but it gave me the start of my falafel-in-a-waffle-maker recipe. Falafel-y goodness is limited when starting with chickpea flour or dry mix. However, it can only make sense to make falafel in a waffle maker if it is a 20 minute process, not an overnight one.
( recipe and considerations )

This is the kind of news I enjoy reading.

NPR.org on diminutive Haas.

Elisabeth Silva, San Diego County's agricultural crime prosecutor who deals every year in a number of avocado theft cases, says there could be foul play behind the sudden flood of tiny avos.

Avocado theft. My day is improved.

As I review my writing as a whole, I see the repetition of ideas (and sometimes, of phrasing). My concept of romantic love seems to be a slow escalation of small increments: friendship, hand holding or similar touches, a first kiss that doesn't end in sex, and so on. Seeing a little bit of my soul for display like that incites a bit of melancholy. It's all made of wish and dream.

Then there are other parts where I am able to convey something I know deep in my core. I find those moments and think, "that is truth."

Rereading and making the effort to edit/rewrite old things that no one cares about gives me confidence. I think that I always like writing (making stories) for myself the most. Sharing is sort of required, but it is not unlike cooking. Cook what will be enjoyable to eat alone; share if there are hungry mouths.

I have a lot to fit in today. I feel that I have a lot to fit in before the end of June. I don't, really, though. It's just a matter of energy level, incentive.

I'm going to try my hand at making applesauce this morning.

EDIT: This was enlightening! The signifcance of plot without conflict

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Dinner last night was grilled cheese (havarti, horseradish cheddar, and sharp provolone with garlic mustard aioli) (on sourdough) and tomato soup.

However, my favorite vegetarian food of all may be L's homemade miso soup, in which she puts pan-toasted pepitas. No other miso soup is as tasty and most aren't vegetarian.

A craving for won ton soup led to a plan to pick up the needed ingredients at Uwajimaya today. L, helped me out. The soup came out deliciously. We didn't have a recipe, but L makes a lot of "Asian flavored soup" as she calls it, and really, it's soup.

For the ghosties, I lucked out with 1/3 lb of organic shitake mushrooms at half price*. About the same amount of black fungus mushroom, then a large button mushroom, fresh garlic, and green onions chopped up, I seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper jelly, with an egg for binding. The soup broth was ginger, mirin, soy sauce, and nappa cabbage, green peas, and carrots.

It was !delicious! and only took a few minutes to cook. All the time is prep, with the chopping of the won ton filling. Rose brand won ton wrappers are as good tasting as their fortune cookies are.

In my dream house, the kitchen is the biggest room after the library. I love being able to cook with other people for company or won ton forming. Parties always gravitate to the kitchen. You can never have too much counter space.




*Hot tip for Seattleites: Ostrom dried mushrooms are also on sale at Uwajimaya right now, for the crazy price of 99 cents. You can find them on an endcap by the rice bags. I bought one of the mixed mushroom packs that has Bolete, Lobster, and Morel mushrooms in it, which I imagine is going to end up in some wild rice.

A friend that I haven't seen in a looong time called me up yesterday. We had dinner at Jones Barbeque, the one only a few blocks south of Jumbo's Chinese, where I like to go for dim sum. They were busy last night, with several people waiting for take-out orders, and we were glad that we went to seek out dinner before actually feeling hungry.

The sauce on mine (2 *pounds* of rib tips!) was a comfortable medium spice. My companion went with ribs in a mild sauce, but the sauce tasted very different, and didn't lack for having less spice. I have to admit, his dish was the tastier. Yay for sharing. I had to take most of mine home, and now I'm very sad that I was counting on being home for a late lunch and left it in my fridge. (So not only does work suck -- in a typical, not rare, kind of suckage -- but I have no lunch. Okay, that a lie; I have an apple.)

There was not a vegetable in sight, unless you count the sweet potato pie (breakfast this morning). That much meat kind of scares me now. I find myself looking for something green, leafy, and not cooked beyond the touch of grace. Even corn and potatoes don't seem vegetable-y enough to qualify. They have a bunch of stuff on the menu, though, and next time I'll see if collard greens will ease my nutritional guilt.

Tasty meat, and worth the wait. Hopefully, I'll enjoy it again on the soon side.