It has been fucking cold for the past few days. I’ve grown indifferent to rain, I’m okay with light snow (which dissolves as soon as it hits ground)…but not this. Looking outside this morning…this shit is piling up. Its at a couple inches right now and is still coming down heavy. Winter weather is no good. I am accustomed to extreme heat, whether it be lush tropical or dry desert. You cant slap the smile off my face when the burn sets in-much to the disapproving glare of the sun block slathered.

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The rice crispy treat…ah, the memories. Kids in grade school were forever pulling them out of their sack lunches, while I sat sick with envy. Always ambitious, I got my grubby little hands on them by trading up with my pals…the suckers. My Mama was clueless when it came to packing my lunches-I shit you not when I tell you that she at one point included a non alcoholic beer in my brown bag. Talk about bartering potential. She had no idea what a rice crispy treat was and surely to this day still doesn’t. She refers, not so kindly mind you, to these kinds of foods as “American”-in a snooty and disgusted “I cant believe people eat that garbage” way. Regardless, these lovely little bricks of sweetness- crackling, chewy, sticky, gooey… are entirely just fucking good.

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I have really beautiful memories of my life in Mexico. Not surprisingly a lot of those memories are in relation to food. Fresh handmade tortillas, dark rich beer, pots of beans so savory it makes sense that cooking them is a three day process. Fried plantains, refreshing horchata, chilies that have a flavor other than hot, sweet guanabana…the tropical fruit and vegetables are just one of many reasons I go back. I daydream of the street market stands that adorn my little town as soon as I begin preparations for my trip. I love thinking about what’s new and anticipate my favorites. This goes for the foods as well as the vendors that I’ve befriended over the years.

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Firstly (is that a word?), before I launch into my tirade of nonsense- I need to give credit where credit is due. I came home last night feeling run down with no love in the direction of cooking. My feet ached, my back was sore and I hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast which was thirteen hours prior. You know when you get past the point of hunger? Its as though you get so damn hungry that instead of your body continuing to nag at you, your brain just tells your body to shut the fuck. Suddenly, you find yourself in this state where you no longer need food…you feel a little stoned, a little delirious and a pinch nauseous.

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Yesterday seemed promising weather-wise…little bit of sun, not a whole lot of rain. This being Seattle it took a downward turn relatively quickly. The sky darkened around 5 and with that came the cold and wet. Shitty Seattle weather…I know I have no grounds to be disappointed. I am used to this by now..really… I am. I wanted to at all costs avoid going back out into the mess once I got home so dinner was set to be made up of ingredients I already had around the kitchen. Soup is always the answer in these circumstances.

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Is the holiday really over? Jesus..it is. I spent Thanksgiving day on the road, trudging home from Southern California. We pulled into Seattle Thursday night around eight o clock- dog tired after a long and trying two day drive. A two day drive that made the both of us swear off road trips forever… or until we are able to forget this one entirely. Hungry, dirty and exhausted we swung by the always satisfying Bamboo Garden Restaurant for a full Thanksgiving Feast take out style. They do it up… faux turkey with gravy, mixed veggie stuffing, steamed broccoli, sweet potatoes, corn chowder soup, a puff pastry dumpling appetizer and a sweet slice of apple pie to finish it off.

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Hmmm..vegetable or grain based burgers- I’m usually not a fan. Having tasted the real thing, its difficult to create anything that would even remotely compare to a beef burger pattie. I like my meat bloody rare topped with caramelized onions, fresh tomato slices and pickles with a squish of mustard. If I knew any hunters or made my way out to an acceptable farm I’m sure a burger of that variety would be one of the first things I would eat. Maybe someday… but until then I have created a quinoa burger to stifle the cravings. Quinoa is not only delicious but has the added benefit of being a complete protein.

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A good biscotti…I like it dipped in rich, spitting hot, black coffee. The fragile act of easing it out of the mug for a bite just before it begins to disintegrate, so careful not to lose any of it on the trip up to my mouth. Feeling the warm melt on my tongue and chasing it with a pull of Java. Its a nice little ritual, a comforting cycle of movement…this is my kind of meditation. Unfortunately, vegan biscotti is not so easy to come by. Try as I might, in the sea of biscotti out there I have yet to spy a vegan version stocked amongst the usual butter laden bastards at any of my favorite cafes. I cant say its a disappointment because at this point its expected. Unless you’re at a bakery that specializes in alternative baking you’re pretty much shit out of luck…get your coffee and move on..grab a banana..get over it. I knew the day would come that the craving would drive me to finally just do it myself & quit my internal dialogue of bitching.

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A little while back I reviewed the stellar cookbook “Veganomicon”. One of the authors- Isa Chandra Moskowitz- has a couple other celebrated books under her belt. Theres “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” as well as “Vegan with a Vengeance”…this woman is blessed with magnificent talent. Along with being so skilled shes also very sweet…after I reviewed her book she emailed me a lovely personal “thank you” for my efforts. That gesture won me over. I already respect and applaud Ms. Moskowitz, but now I like her. Jesus…a thrice published celebrity vegan chef that’s polite as well? Unbelievable.

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Getting home from my apprenticeship (more on that later), I find myself unsurprisingly hungry. A beer and good food fast is the first order of business… well, maybe the beer comes in first, followed by food. Tacos. Done deal… quick, convenient and easy. There never seems to be a time when I don’t have the ingredients around my kitchen.. beans and veggies- shells are the only things I have to double check. Spontaneity in the stuffing is what makes it so simple, I use whatever I have. I’ve sampled just about every taco filling imaginable…some good, some bad…all worth trying.

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