Thoughts turn to food

The November 4th New Yorker magazine was dedicated entirely to food stories, including an article called "Beastly Appetites."  It described illegal sushi restaurants where if you have enough money and know how to ask, the chef will serve up endangered species or make instant sashimi of live critters he keeps under the counter for special customers.  Literally, live on your table.

Well, sorry-- that's too much detail for this hour of the morning. But it does make a person wonder, with all the wonderful, nice things we have to eat in this country, why someone would pay $80 for a little slice of raw sea mammal?  Not to mention, consume something while it watches you.

The best deal in town right now is $1.79 butternut squash at Trader Joe's.  Same price as last year, and you can dig around for the biggest one in the pile.  I cut it up with my machete knife and peeled it raw (a chore requiring mindfulness) then baked the pieces with butter, brown sugar and some fresh Penzey's cinnamon a friend just gave me.

John's words were, "Wow! That is a lot of squash!"
I said,  "Yes, and we're going to eat it all. Eventually."

It was perfect fall food last night, with a pork loin and the new plum chutney. We're headed into the dark time now.  I don't have a food processor, but maybe I can put the leftovers in the blender with broth and spices and make butternut squash soup?  If you've done this, let me know. 

Speaking of spices, I was bored a couple of weeks ago and cleaned out my spice black hole. We have a tiny kitchen where every inch of space must be used, even this mostly worthless corner cupboard. Bottles fall off into the back, never to be seen again. My goodness, there were jars back there from 2000.

 Of course spices don't "spoil" in the way of sending you to the emergency room, but they do get stale and dusty so I threw out a pail full.  A good excuse (not that I need one) to head to Trader Joe's.