for that beautiful feeling
birthday eats, food court ramen, and sandwich bread
Hello again, friends. This week seems to be flying by, maybe because I was doing so much more than usual. I am not usually an “it’s my birthday week” bitch but since I don’t really have much else going for me and the world is awful I decided to just embrace it. I put up the holiday decor a bit early this year, on December 1st, because I like making the house festive and cozy for my birthday when people come over, and the party was on the 2nd this year. Usually I put on Muppet Christmas Carol while I do this, but I was just playing records instead. This is our 5th Christmas with the same tree, and it’s so big now!
Friday, House of Funk was doing their Debauchery release party, so we braved the rain and walked the couple of blocks down there for it. Debauchery is their barrel-aged imperial stout, and each year they have a couple variations on it for the release party, so Jeff and I each got a flight of three. We agreed that the classic— on nitro— was still the superior version, but the amaretto one was a close second. I also had to try the chocolate mint, because every beer I’ve had in the past with mint in it has been gross and I figured if they couldn’t make a good one it simply wasn’t possible (it was good). It felt very cozy being in a roomful of people drinking dark beer with the icy rain pouring down outside, and the fact that the beer is 10.5% kept us warm on the walk home.
On Sunday, we had to make a semi-annual trip to Coquitlam Centre, because I needed to go to Uniqlo for some holiday gifts and I hate Coquitlam Centre less than I hate Metrotown. We got there around lunchtime and went to the food court, expecting to end up at New York Fries for poutine or something, and were pleasantly surprised to find a new (to us) ramen spot, Menbow Ramen. Jeff got the spicy miso and I got the regular miso, and they were massive and delicious. Neither of us could finish our portions— we could have probably split one between us, but instead we combined the leftovers and I took them home to eat for dinner. It’s a bit expensive for a mall food court experience, but I’d rather pay $15 for a really tasty lunch than $8-9 for one that kinda sucks. And being at the mall is always something better done when you aren’t hungry.
For my birthday on Tuesday, I went to Bodega with Jeff and my dad, because there is nothing better than eating small amounts of many different things. I liked everything we ordered— marcona almonds two ways (salted, and in rosemary glaze), mixed olives, patatas bravas, chorizo Iberico, and calamares— but I think the favourite was the piquillos rellenos, sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese, basil, dates, and almonds. We split a bottle of wine and ordered the churros with vanilla mascarpone for dessert. No photos of anything because we were too busy eating and talking, which is as it should be.
As I mentioned last week, I had my annual birthday dinner & movie night on Saturday. For my birthday cake I chose to make this buttermilk chocolate cake with milk chocolate icing, because I made it a few years ago and loved it and lately I’ve been craving just some really good chocolate cake. Then I was feeling guilty because it wouldn’t be vegan, and Jeff reminded me, “it’s your birthday and you’re making your own cake,” which is fair. Luckily, Krystyna brought some donuts from Cartems so the people who don’t eat dairy could still enjoy some dessert. This cake is pretty straightforward; as the recipe name implies, you can make it in one bowl. And I like that it uses oil instead of butter because it’s a) cheaper and b) tends to result in a more moist texture than a butter cake. It also has a nice bitter note to it from the addition of coffee (I use instant), which is really great against the richness of the icing.
The icing is a bit more finicky because you’re using melted chocolate and softened butter, so you have to be careful with the temperature. The first time I made this, the milk I added was too cold, and the chocolate re-solidified in the icing and I had to start over from scratch, necessitating a trip to the store for more chocolate wafers. This time, I tried adding the milk to the chocolate as I was melting it, and I don’t know if it was just the specific oat milk I used, but it started to thicken and get kind of fudgy, so I had to stir it like mad and add to the whipped butter and icing sugar mixture while it was really still too warm to do so. Luckily, it all worked out and only needed a couple minutes in the fridge to get it to a nicely spreadable texture again. I sprinkled fleur de sel over the top to complement. The friends who had cake said it was delicious, and that my lazy icing decorating technique reminded them of a frozen McCain cake (in a good way).
For dinner, I broke out the stockpot and made a truly staggering amount of this chili by tripling my usual recipe in order to feed all thirteen of us. I used Beyond patties, which crumble nicely once they’re thawed out, and only did kidney & black beans since I didn’t have enough dry white beans for such a big batch. Jeff did all the chopping of onions and peppers and garlic, my most disliked part of cooking, so that was a nice little gift. This chili is so good and satisfying and has just the right amount of heat for a mix of tastes, though you can make it hotter by leaving the seeds in the peppers, or using all ancho chili powder (I use a mix of that and a milder one). Make sure to use fire-roasted canned tomatoes, if you can. They add so much more flavour than the plain ones!
To go with it, I made the cornbread recipe from the Veganomicon, with sliced sautéed jalapeños on top. It’s so easy to throw together and works great in a 12” cast iron. I made it in the morning and warmed it in the oven for ten minutes just before serving. Everyone loved both the chili and the cornbread, and I have converted a few more people into the Church of Loving Star Trek: The Motion Picture, as is my goal. The other two movies were a blast as well. It’s always fun to watch something you love with people who are seeing it for the first time— I can’t fault anyone for never having seen When Harry Met Sally, when I only watched it for the first time early last year. We always have to have the subtitles going because when you’ve got that many people who get along together, it’s impossible to be quiet and pay attention the whole time, and I like that part just as much.
I didn’t make a sourdough boule this week because I kept forgetting to set up the dough the night before, so I made this lovely rye & whole wheat sandwich bread, without the seeds and spices. This is a nice one because it has a bit more flavour and texture than a traditional yeasted bread thanks to the sourdough starter, and is still something you can make in an afternoon and have ready by dinner. I made the Isa Does It potato leek soup, which is a really excellent recipe because it’s got only a few ingredients but doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything. It’s just perfect and comforting as is, and yeah, maybe it’s overkill to have a grilled cheese with such a thick and creamy soup, but also it’s December and the sun sets at 4pm, go ahead and sue me.
Also this week we made these sesame noodles again. I like making more of the sauce than needed for one meal so I can make it again midweek for lunch if I don’t have other leftovers, and because I almost never seem to be able to use up all the cucumber before it turns to mush otherwise. We use instant ramen since we always have it, but I keep meaning to buy a slightly thicker noodle to try with this, which would probably make it even more enjoyable to eat. Because we still have way more carrots than any household without horses should have, we added a grated carrot in and I really liked it.
On our pizza night we made something like a bee sting, with pepper salami, roasted red pepper, feta, and hot honey in addition to the base sauce and fresh mozza. It tasted amazing and looked fantastic.
Thanks for reading— if you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with someone new! I like providing this to you for free, but it does still involve time and effort, so donations to get me a little birthday treat (or support eventual moving costs 😓) are much appreciated.
This week, the professor, author, and activist Refaat Alareer was one of the many people killed in Gaza. Every loss has been needless and heartbreaking but I have felt this one keenly. Please honour his memory by reading his poem.