Jackfruit: nature's extremely mild prank

My experimentation with my new Penzey's spices continues this week, and possibly into future weeks, and maybe just until I use up all my nice free spices, who knows. First I put some of the Adobo Seasoning into these Jackfruit Tacos. Adobo: good. Jackfruit: weird. It has a texture like artichoke hearts but it looks disconcertingly like shredded meat, so if that's what you're in the market for you're in luck.

Way off to the side note: I had to abandon the original jackfruit taco recipe I was looking at because it kept referring to "tortillas" as "soft tacos" as though a tortilla is called a taco and I started to feel like I was losing my mind

I also sprinkled some Florida Seasoned Pepper onto pan-seared salmon. I really liked how the citrus element brightened the flavor of the fish.

"Too peppery" raved my children

Anna has been killing it at school this week with various presentations and entire stop-motion animation videos and such.

I find this especially impressive because I'm not sure how much I would accomplish if I attended a school with a mystical rock maze in the middle of it.

Like...not a ton

Should've taken them to Cake Vegas

My big box of free spices is heeeeeeeeeeeere!

I've never felt so rich, in 16th century Dutchman sort of way

First I used the cinnamon for some Morning Glory Oatmeal.

The whole point of this dish is to be bright and sunny so my advice is not to use such a deep bowl that it looks like it's at the bottom of a well

Then I used the suggested meatloaf recipe from the Ozark Seasoning card.

I wasn't quite sure what the Ozarks would taste like, but I thought it turned out great. It's a really nice savory flavor that complements the meat without overwhelming it. Of course, it is impossible to take a truly appealing picture of meatloaf, but here are a couple of attempts:

Maybe if I make it lean against the potatoes, all casual-like

Anyway, here are two children who BOTH managed to win a cake on their very first Cake Walk attempts.

On the other hand, it kind of feels like fifty years

Yesterday I was added to a Facebook group for my 20th high school reunion, which means I am now ten years older than Romy and Michele, which made me think I knew I should have deleted Facebook last month. Haha, no, it's fine, it's fine, death comes for us all, etc. Anyway, I made some giant cookies.

My first notification from that group involved a Pepe the Frog avatar, so it's all PRETTY PROMISING

Back on Wednesday, when I was still in the prime of my youth, I made some Sesame Cauliflower. It was good, although that might be because I added a bunch of cashews to it.

The fact that my children are entirely ready for the school year to end is reflected in their increasing loopiness at the bus stop. Sometimes, for example, Ivy is a sheep. Who eats grass.

If I go to the reunion this is the picture of her I'm taking

Spice world

Over the weekend, Penzey's was giving away an entire box of free spices literally because they love America, which really got to me for some reason! Maybe because I tend to spend my time online whipping between "here are things and people to be very angry at" and "here's why you should feel bad for not personally making everything better," the sudden intrusion of "here are some free spices and a missive on the importance of cooking in healing and sharing and continuing old traditions and connecting with new ones and also a recipe for apple pie" was genuinely moving.

Listen, the pie was a huge mess. But it tasted good.

I feel like this pie is really reaching for a metaphor. Relax, pie.

Also, the one downside of having a child who loves watching The Great British Bake Off with you is a very noticeable uptick in bakery criticism.

She was one "helpful note" away from forfeiting her ugly pile of pie.

Anyway, I'm about to find out how Ugly But Delicious Patriotism Pie tastes for breakfast. LIKE FREEDOM, I BET.


Meanwhile, Ivy and Isabelle are 100% conspiring but it's probably fine.

Keep reminding myself that what she really wanted was a drum set

Every once in a while I feel the need to justify the bottle of malt vinegar I keep in the fridge, so yesterday I made some fish and chips and mushy peas. I don't know where to find marrowfat peas around here so I just used green split peas and I thought they were great. Basically any legume paste will do for me personally. Also, frying things is not my strong suit and my entire house still smells like grease, but I feel like this is the most surprised and delighted Dan has been by a meal in...forever? So, noted.

I would be slightly insulted that he was so impressed that I could pull this off but frankly so was I 

Anna is in choir this semester, so she has been rehearsing at home, complete with documentarian.

She also has a recorder now. Our lives are filled with music, is what I'm saying.

I almost put on some Christmas carols

Winter appears to have misplaced an entire February weekend in early April here, which confused me into baking pumpkin gingerbread.

And also some lemon muffins.

"Unseasonably cold" is not a phenomenon I have a lot of experience with, I don't know what to do other than throw butter and flour at it

Last week's spinach and berry smoothies failed to restore us to our normal state of glowing health, so this week we're trying "miso soup through a straw."

She didn't even recoil at the bok choy, that's how I know her body's desire to feel better has overridden her primal urge to whine about dinner

Everything is so painfully full of life

I can't hear out of one ear and my eyes are itchy and I got a call from the school nurse yesterday about my sneezy mess of a child and everything is covered in yellow dust and I never know how to dress in the morning and I have to spend all day today at the zoo with a passel of kindergarteners and every recipe I made this week was sort of healthy and forgettable so we are at PEAK SPRING here.

Healthy

Forgettable

The thing about PEAK SPRING is, unpleasant though I find it, I must cherish every moment because I know INTERMINABLE SUMMER is fast on its heels. So we'll be here mainlining berry and spinach smoothies in our efforts to survive the pollen.

I can feel it watching us through the window

Dunk

I checked out a painfully healthy-looking cookbook from the library with the intention of making things from the "spring" section this week, before remembering that "healthy spring recipes" are maybe my least favorite category of recipes earth. I mean, no shade to asparagus, but ugh. Spring is already a gross pollen-encrusted nightmare, I don't really want to further punish myself by only eating bitter green things in its honor. So instead of doing that I have been meal-prepping for the brand-new-baby-having people in my life, which is way more fun and involves way more cheese.

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Baked Ziti

Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Sandwiches

Hey so here's a question: is it a sign that a child is starting to age out of Easter egg hunting if she off-handedly says "DUNK" when she drops an egg in her basket?

No? That's cool? Okay, cool.