This wasn't supposed to be a Way. Wasn't even supposed to be a meal. It just happened. A pot of the most flavorful, satisfying, soul-warming soup. A beef brodo with everything in it.
Like all first-Mondays-of-the-month that don't come with New Year's hangovers, today's comes with a simple, gentle one-minute Way to improve your health. Get up! C'mon, you can read standing up. By the time you finish reading this, you're done with the first rep of today's healthy exercise.
I was thinking about the totally weird and beautiful skyline of New Mexico's Tent Rocks while I walked down the suddenly deserted Park Avenue canyon last week. The wind chill was below zero. I was the only human. A landscape I take for granted became a new world. I wonder if the Cochiti Indians notice these Tent Rocks.
It's a weird thing, fish skin. It can be as a good as a really good potato chip. Thin, light, crisp, dry, slightly salty. Or it can be slippery, oily, chewy and even a little fatty. Something that could strike you as ... gross. Here's how you make the really good version.
Jamming to finish the last unfinished business before vacation. Delighted to make a great meal in six minutes. A fish entree that's thoroughly satisfying, hugely flavorful and completely healthful. Light but hearty, high-protein, zero glycemic load.
Next week: vacation. This week: lots of work to do - and great appreciation for batches of leftover deliciousness that require no real cooking. Like salsa verde-topped "tostadas" made from leftover polenta. Tart, sweet, spicy, warm, soft and crispy in each bite.
It's that time of year when everything conspires to make you think about time. But I have to admit, I'm thinking less about time and more about sand. Where my toes would like to be. Press Play, put your feet up and let your toes watch.
Molten Chocolate Cake. The last course of the last meal of the year. Out with a bang. A warm, soft semi-sweet one with a super-low glycemic load. Spectacular in your mouth, with or without Champagne.