I like to celebrate nontraditional holidays.  Natural events like the first day of spring are favorites, & it brings me joy to observe events promoting equity, like the International Day of Transgender Visibility & Juneteenth.  Random food holidays are a great excuse to cook.  National Enchilada Day falls on Cinco de Mayo.  National Surf & Turf Day only happens once every four years, on February 29th.  This year I even bought a National Holidays Calendar to broaden my options.

Here's May 1st, just to give you an example.

    But there's a biggie coming up this weekend that I've been really looking forward to: Independent Bookstore Day!  It always falls on the last Saturday of April.  Participating bookstores mark the occasion by throwing parties, or sales, or other kinds of events to raise awareness & draw in new customers.  In the past there have been challenges for book lovers, such as visiting every participating bookstore within so many miles.  Given the challenges of COVID-19, however, this year they're doing things a little differently in my neck of the woods.

    The challenge: ten bookstores in ten days, & a purchase at each store.*  Go alone.  Take your friends. Go on Tuesday, which is usually the slowest day for any business.  Or go virtually.  And blog & tag & read & chat & read & tweet & read & read & READ!

    If you live in the U.S., here's a hand-dandy map to help you find participating bookstores near you.  I already know where I'll be starting, I have a couple favorites I've been missing for awhile.**  But I'm also looking forward to discovering new stores--places I've wanted to visit, but somehow never found the time.  Kind of like making chicken cordon bleu...so delicious, yet I never make the time...unless it's National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day, which happened on April 4th.  Guess I'll have something else to look forward to next year.

*Yeah, that last part is going to be dangerously easy!  Don't tell my wallet!

**Ahh, Third Place Books...surely you didn't think I'd forgotten you?  And Brick & Mortar, we've only hung out online since the pandemic started, but you know I've just been waiting for an opportunity to get together!  And BookTree, it was so nice to run into you that one time!  I'm quite looking forward to getting to know you better.  

      I just looked at my calendar, and October 4th is National Taco Day.
      This year, it falls on a Tuesday.
      It is a federally sanctioned Taco Tuesday.  Life just got so, so awesome.

When I announced National Taco (Tues)Day to my Mom, she wanted to know which came first: "Taco Tuesday," or "The Lego Movie."  I couldn't tell her, and I'm too lazy to look it up.

      When I was growing up, tacos were made with ground beef cooked with a spice packet that probably contained more salt than the Atlantic Ocean.  It was then spooned into hard, yellow taco shells, sprinkled with shredded orange cheese, and popped in the oven until said cheese melted.  We ate this with jarred salsa and shredded ice burg lettuce.  And I absolutely loved it.*
      These days I eat two kinds of tacos: awesome gourmet tacos I get off the happy hour menus of restaurants I otherwise can't afford, and my own super-cheat tacos that probably have nothing to do with Mexico.  I'll lay out the recipe here (don't judge me).  Sorry there are no photos to go with, but my schedule doesn't allow for much whim-of-the-moment cooking these days, much less amateur food photography:

Z.D.'s I-Want-to-Make-Something-Like-a-Taco Recipe
serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper (you choose your color), finely chopped
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adopo sauce, minced (for spicy tacos)
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt to taste
1/2 to 1 full Cup leftover steamed white rice (optional)**
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup water
1 lime, cut into quarters

Serve with:
fresh flour tortillas
fresh diced tomato
fresh sliced avocado
baby arugula and/or shredded cabbage
minced cilantro

Directions:
 - In a large non-stick pan, warm the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the bell pepper, sauté just until the edges start to brown.

- Stir in the chipotle chiles, oregano, and salt.  Add in the rice and stir until fully incorporated and heated through, about 1 minute.  Stir in the beans and the water, bring to a boil.

 - Reduce to a low simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until flavors are melded and water has entirely evaporated.  Squeeze one quarter lime over mixture and stir.  Taste, adjust lime and other seasonings as desired.

 - Serve with gently warmed tortillas, remaining lime, and toppings

Something random.  You're welcome.

      If you're not down with spicy, you can substitute 2-4 tsp of ground cumin for the chipotle chiles.  If you want MORE spice, double (or even triple) the chipotle.  And of course you can serve with whatever toppings you want: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, diced green onion, toasted pepitas, hot sauce....  Not all of those are authentically Mexican, but then again, little about this recipe is authentic.  And I would be very, VERY surprised if Mexico had an National Taco Day.
      Or maybe I wouldn't.  A lot of awesome things come out of Mexico, and Latin America in general.
      If you're going to go out for tacos next Tuesday, I want to know where.  And if you're making your own, I want the recipe.  Gracias.




*Except for the salsa.  Even as a kid, I didn't care for jarred salsa.  If I eat it now, it has to be fresh, and preferably homemade.

**This is something I add to stretch the recipe, and to use up leftover rice when I'm all burnt out on fried rice.  If you omit the rice, halve the spices to start, then adjust the seasoning as you go.

    I was going to post something about writing today - I really was, it was going to be deep and inspiring - but then I looked at the morning paper.  For the first time in a long time, the headline made he ridiculously happy.  And the best thing to do with happiness is to pass it around.  So here you go:

Read the story - and watch the videos!!! - of the local rescue of this baby sea otter.  And remember: most human beings are kind.  Many of them are very kind, and generous.  Our empathy and generosity is such that it touches other humans, and even other animals.  There's hope for us yet.

      I'll post something deep and moving about writing this weekend.  It's a four day weekend, so yeeeaaay!

P.S. - Today (Aug 30th) is National Toasted Marshmallow Day!

      If you live in the U.S., and are acquainted with more than three people under the age of 40, you are probably aware of the Pokémon GO craze.  Or maybe not, because they've mysteriously disappeared, and aren't answering your calls or texts.  Now you know why: Pokémon GO.  It's a game on a smart phone.  And apparently, it turns people into zombies.

Borrowed from: http://crazzfiles.com/pokemon-for-a-brain-dead-culture-will-pokemon-go-be-used-to-catch-us-all/

      Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

According to an article in The Washington Times, in the last few days a significant number of people have been playing Pokémon GO at the Holocaust Museum.  Which begs a lot of questions, more even more raised eyebrows.

      I'm not playing this game, because I've never been into Pokémon, and I don't own a smart phone.  (Waits for readers to recover from their faint of astonishment.)  But a number of my friends - and my therapy patients - are playing.  So I'm getting a contact buzz, so to speak.  I'm also getting emails from my agency directors specifically asking the therapists to get to the office early and catch the various critters in and around our building.
      Yes, that's right: a mental health therapy building has had strangers entering the lobby, trying to enter the rooms, and circling the building (which is posted with "no trespassing" signs) trying to catch imaginary critters on their phone. AND taking augmented reality photos of these spaces to show off which little goombas* they're catching.  This is pretty distressing for clients who have been, say, stalked in the past.  Or are seeking therapy without anybody knowing.  Or...fill in the blank.  In any event, I never thought I could get an official email at work instructing us to play video games for the sake of maintaining client confidentiality.  Then again, that's one of the reasons why I love being a psychotherapist: there's always something new.
      Nintendo has it's U.S. headquarters only a few miles away, in Redmond, WA.  I wonder how many Pokémon are wandering the halls in their building?  I vote we all take our phones there and find out!

Maybe there's a really awesome Pokémon gym in there!  Go, hoards of game zombies!  Go and swarm!

      Other news: today is National French Fry Day.  I've been debating long and hard over the best way to celebrate.  Steak cut?  Shoe string?  Curly fries?  Waffle cut?  If only I could catch 'em all!



*Yes, I know that goombas are from Mario Bros.  It's still Nintendo, and the it's a fun word.  So hush.

      ...aaaaand I'm back!  No, for reals.  I'm really back this time.

      The move happened, and then it happened again as I went from temporary crash-pad to new studio apartment.  Then the spouse followed, flying the cat from Ohio to Washington, with a layover in Midway. Then where was the hustle and bustle of visits and furnishings and may I just say how awesome I am at assembling Ikea furniture?  But now it's all over, and I can breathe again, and be creative again.  Hurray!

The fuzzy heart flew under the seat in a carrier.  She was not pleased.

      Here's the updates in a nutshell:

Bad News #1 - the Shadows On the Sound podcast is no more.  :-(  It was tremendously fun, but proved too time-consuming and expensive for two struggling writers to maintain.  Camela and I may switch to the occasional vlog, but that's still to be determined.

Bad News #2 - the therapy firm where I work was hit by a computer virus called - and I am not making this up - the "CryptoLocker virus."  Which begs the question, who the heck names these things?  It sounds like something a 7th grade boy might come up with in his first attempt at writing a sci-fi story.

Billy's hands were so sweaty he could barely hold his LaserBlaster 5000. He followed his team through the enemy ship, trying to ignore the stickiness of alien blood and guts under his boots. When they finally reached the CryptoLocker on deck 72, he overcame the HyperGravity bolts on the door by setting a SuperNova SpaceBomb on the heavy metal doors. Shards of meteor titanium flew everywhere. When the spacedust finally settled, he heard Commander Ramsgroin swear in his native Plutonian. "They've used Ionian Sub-ice to cryogenically freeze the TimeSpace Ambassador at -42 degrees Kalvin! It'll take us two hours to safely thaw them! We'll have to hold the bastards off! At least half of us are going to die, men, but we'll take as many of them with us to hell as possible!"

Good News #1 - Tomorrow is National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  Dori Greenspan has the best shortcake recipe I've ever tasted, but try the biscuit from this recipe for an extra layer of flavor.  And for the love of Julia, go get your strawberries from the local farmer's market!

Good News #2 - Camela and I will be hosting my "Brainy Anime Babes Who Know More Science Than You" at Geek Girl Con this year!  If you are a geeky girl - or think geeky girls are awesome - or if you're just awesome - or if you're just a geek - then mark your calendar and come join us!  Major kudos to Camela who took the time and effort to get our submissions in and organize all of this. We can hardly wait to indulge in a full weekend of geeking out with the best in the Pacific Northwest!

Not this year's poster, but I love it soooo much!

      Just in case you haven't heard about this yet, I wanted to share teh awesome.  Apparently, at a historical reenactment a few days ago in Russia (read: Ren Faire), some guy brought his drone to take some cool aerial footage.  He didn't seem to grasp the fact that this was a historical reenactment. People take this stuff very seriously, they go all out finding materials and tools for historically accurate costumes and props. So no surprise, people were pretty bent out of shape about the drone.
      So much so, one warrior decked out in full costume with shield and helmet chucked his spear at the thing.  And hit it.  And down, down, down it went.

      I want to buy that man a flagon of mead.
      Or whatever they drank in medieval Russia. I'm sure it'll put hair on my chest.
      In other news, tomorrow is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day here in the good ol' US of A. You can use my recipe if you want. Otherwise, I recommend Alton Brown's.  Just remember to serve them fresh and warm, with plenty of butter, honey, and/or gravy!

      April 1st is National Soylent Green Day!
      I cracked up when I read that listed on one of my Food Holiday websites the other day.  But when I told some of my co-workers, they looked at me with blank expressions.  And of course since I had to explain it, it wasn't funny at all, and if anything they thought I was even more weird.

The movie is supposed to take place in 2022.  Go ahead and give it a viewing--the parts they got right will get you thinking.

         
 
      Why would I know about a mediocre Charlton Heston sci-fi film from 1973?  Because that's the sort of crowd in which I move: the nerdy kind. The same people who know the origin of "All your base are belong to us," and can sing all the lyrics to one or more of the songs from "Labyrinth."*  The social reinforcement for this kind of behavior has been frequent and life-long.  I was making a presentation to some high school students the other day, and at the end I asked if anybody had any questions.  One kid raised his hand and asked, "What's the answer to life, the universe, and everything?"
     "Forty-two," I replied without missing a beat.  About 85% of the kids looked confused.  To the 15% who looked impressed, I added, "Don't question my Geek Cred."
      But today, as I pointedly avoid eating anything evenly vaguely green or cracker-ish, I find myself wondering what exactly that means.  Geek cred.  What does qualify one as true geek?  We used to be easy to identify: back in the 80's most people thought video games were stupid, and any affection for fantasy fiction labeled one a social pariah.  Today, people can barely to keep from trampling one another to purchase the latest gaming console.  And it's hard to find people who don't watch "Star Wars."  Slowly, as interest and artistry has refined the industries, the audience has grown.
       In today's conversations, the words "geek" and "nerd" get thrown about without any negativity.  You hear people say things like, "I'm a fashion nerd," or "I'm really into music geeks."  To those who associate the central nouns with being stuffed into lockers, the addition of such mundane specifiers is dumbfounding.  Of course, the bullying has gone down, so most of us aren't complaining.  But it does beg a re-examination of the identity claim.
      It seems to me that an accurate contemporary use the words refers to an individual's intensity of interest in a topic, coupled with a fearlessness in it's demonstration.  For example: it's one thing for an NFL player in designer threads to be in a chic club talking about the upcoming season of "Game of Thrones."  It's another for an ordinary, middle-aged guy to be at the same location wearing a T-shirt with an 80's-like design of a big dragon.

When I see somebody wearing a shirt like this, I want to invite them to my D&D game.

      And that is what I really love: the fearlessness.  Whether it's old movies or anime, music or computer programming, people who take such joy that they don't care what people think, they want to share what they know with the world.  Those are the kind of people I'm drawn to--and if they are willing to hang out and watch "The Dark Crystal," all the better.

P.S. - if my husband is reading this, you can totally get me this T-shirt for my birthday.  Totally.

*Whether they can sing it in key is another matter entirely.

      Because I love food, and frankly enjoy any excuse to celebrate just about anything positive, I get a big kick out of food holidays.  This is why in the past few weeks, I've informed readers about National Cherry Pie Day (February 20th), National Sticky Bun Day (February 21st), and National Surf n' Turf Day (February 29th--only happens once every four years, so you know it's important).

The years may change, but food is always delicious!

      Coming up in March I intend to celebrate a lot of things: St. Patrick's Day I'll do corned beef and potato hash; Spring Equinox I'll cook something with saffron and either leeks or asparagus (probably this); and Easter I'll bake a lemon dessert of some kind, per family tradition.  Also in the third month of the year I will observe National "Eat Your Noodles" Day (March 11th), National Oatmeal Cookie Day (March 19th), National Water Day (March 22nd--and if you live in Flint, Michigan, you know just how important this holiday is), and probably National Clam Day on March 31st.  Alas, I missed National Poundcake Day on March 4th, but I'll make up for it later.
      But now you have a chance to influence history.  You have a chance to add your voice - and your vote - to the culinary calendar of celebrations.  There is currently a petition before the White House to make March National Hazelnut Appreciation Month!  To make this happen, we need people to sign the petition.  Specifically, we need over 900,000 people to sign this petition.  You can be one of them.
      No gimmicks, no sales, no spam.  Just add your name.  Why hazelnuts?  Nutella, for one thing. Hazelnut Brown Ale for another.  Or a lovely gluten-free flour.  And how about as a source of vitamins, protein, and deliciousness in general?

Also known as filberts.  But that just sounds silly.

      Let's face it: this is the most divisive election year in U.S. living history.  But certainly we can all rally around the delicious hazelnut for, dare I say it, an entire month!*  I call on all good citizens to do their duty by one of Oregon state's primary crops, and add a little patriotism to your kitchen.






*Unless, of course, you're allergic to tree nuts.  In which case I apologize for my insensitivity.

      Monday, February 29th is Leap Year--a day that only happens once every four years.  More importantly, however, it is National Surf & Turf Day!  Go out and eat a cheap-ass meal of steak and over-cooked shrimp!
      (Or maybe a fabulous steak, or lamb chop, paired with a perfectly prepared sashimi spread, or crab cake.)

      ...and I'm going to have just arrived in Hawaii.  From Ohio.  That's a 5 hour time difference.  Add in the bizarre exhaustion that comes with doing nothing but sitting on a plane, and I will be in no state to be baking anything.  So I want to live vicariously through you!
      Your mission - and you'd be insane not to accept it - is to celebrate National Sticky Bun Day* by making the best gosh darn breakfast buns you've ever eaten this weekend!  Now go forth, my comrades, and BAKE!

Are you drooling yet?

      A sticky bun is defined here in the U.S. as a strip of leavened dough, rolled into a tight spiral bun, tucked side-by-side with it's fellows into a pan lined with a sugary, buttery, and often nutty mixture.  When the buns are done baking they are flipped out of the pan upside down, so that the yummy sugary bottom is now the scrumptious top, rather like a tarte tartin.  But there are those who will bake them individually, or right-side-up, or with no nuts, or use a cream cheese glaze, and frankly I love breakfast so much I don't really care.
      If you need inspiration, here are some recipes I can personally recommend.  This first one really does make the best darn sticky rolls I've ever eaten.  The honey in the glaze adds that perfect extra flavor, so don't go with the cheap processed stuff, get some good, raw, wildflower honey.  I also recommend adding 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg in with the cinnamon, just because I love it so much.
      Now for those of you who prefer cinnamon rolls to sticky buns, I hear where you're coming from.  And I am not so much a purist that I would discount a delicious cinnamon roll as a tribute to the coming holiday.  So: here is Alton Brown's recipe for cinnamon rolls, which can be made the night before (always a good thing).  They served my in-laws very well this last Christmas, and I am happy to eat them any time.
      And finally, the last word in cinnamon rolls, ever: this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine is my all-time, hands-down, no-arguments favorite breakfast roll.  They call for Yukon Gold potatoes (which you MUST NOT substitute), and they can't really be made the day before, but they are worth every minute and every penny.  Trust me.
      So, what did you make, and how did it turn out?  Tellmetellmetellme!  I've spent enough time eating pastry and dreaming about Hawaii.  Now I want to spend time in Hawaii dreaming of pastry.



*Not a breakfast bun person?  Well, February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day.  So get crackin'!

      Typically, I like to start the day by indulging my sweet tooth.  Having dessert first gives me a reason to get out of bed when I'm feeling utterly grog-tastic.  But lately I seem to be having a savory craving, and lots of egg dishes have been making their way onto my breakfast plate.  I realize I already hit you with Joe's Special only a couple weeks ago, but the farmer's market was experiencing a cross-over of two lovely garden goodies last week, which I simply couldn't pass up.  Specifically: early basil and late garlic scapes.

Meet the food that inspired Dr. Seuss.

     Garlic scapes are the stalks of the garlic plant. They're long, tall, single reeds, with a circular curl and a nobby bud that turns into a kind of white balloon blossom.  Like most herbs, once they blossom (or "bolt") they become bitter, so if you can, get them before that happens.  The flavor is a nice, crispy garlic taste, and diced up they make a nice addition to just about any sautéed vegetable.  But my favorite way to prep them is to use them in lieu of garlic cloves when concocting a tasty pesto.

Z.D.'s Easy Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:
1/2 C walnuts, freshly toasted
1/2 C freshly shredded parmesan cheese
10 mature garlic scapes, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 Cup basil, tightly packed
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 Cup olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
 - Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Purée using long pulses, and scraping down the sides in between.

Green and beautiful!

      Pesto is one of the best inventions ever.  Toss it with noodles and fresh diced tomatoes for instant summer lunch.  Spread it on french bread and toast it for an easy accompaniment to soup or salad (or put a poached egg on top and call it breakfast, my fav).

     
      You can also stir pesto into scrambled eggs, as in today's breakfast delight: Eggs Scrambled with Garlic Scape Pesto and Serrano Ham.  Except - to be honest - it turns the eggs rather drab olive color, not vibrantly green.  But one bite and you will not care!

Z.D.'s Pesto Eggs with Serrano Ham
2 servings

Ingredients:
butter for greasing the pan
4 large eggs
3 T whole milk
2 - 4 tsp garlic scape pesto, depending on the strength of flavor
1/4 C loosely packed chopped serrano ham
freshly ground pepper

Unlike prosciutto, serrano can take on a bitter note if you try to fry it. I say just let it warm to room temperature and enjoy it's silky texture and amazing flavor as is!

Directions:
 - Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.  As it melts, beat the eggs with the milk until thoroughly homogenized.  Pour into the skillet, and slowly stir with a heat-proof rubber spatula until soft curds begin to form.

 - Raise the heat to medium high and continue to stir non-stop, scraping along the bottom and flipping the curds.  When your eggs are almost half set, sprinkle in the pesto in small dollops.  Give a couple quick stirs, then return to regular stirring.

Not that vibrant green, but such a lovely flavor!

 - When eggs are about 3/4 set, sprinkle in the ham.  Continue to stir/scrape until eggs are almost set, then plate.  Remember, the eggs will finish cooking on the plate from residual heat.  Season to taste with freshly ground pepper.

Don't add salt to the eggs, there's already enough salt in the ham and the pesto.

      A word of caution: every batch of pesto you make is going to taste different.  That's because the herbs will be more or less strong depending on the time of year and how many times the basil has been harvested.  My last batch of garlic scape pesto was delicious, but so garlicky that it could have killed a vampire from 10 feet away.  Fortunately, my husband had eaten the same thing, so we didn't really care.
      Tomorrow (July 6th) is National Fried Chicken Day.  I desperately want to make fried chicken, but I have to work late.  And two of the best fried chicken places in town aren't open on Mondays.  *rolls eyes*  I'm going to try ordering take out from a third...I'll let you know how it turns out.