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Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Tuesday Tip: Maximizing Mouth Money

Alison Krauss & Union Station - The Lucky One


Growing up, I generally didn't like what I was served. Pork chops, cheap cuts of cow, tuna-noodle casserole. [blech] Often, my bologna-and-Velveeta sandwich was the best thing I ate during the day. The only things I liked were tacos & pizza (which I often made, and only when my dad was working) and cheeseburgers & steaks (the latter were always a special occasion).

Except when we went to a seafood restaurant [double blech] going out to eat (also always a special occasion) was a fantastic reprieve for my tastebuds. 

This idea - restaurants good!** - was so ingrained that it took me decades to realize that what Anne and I ate every day was as good or better than what we would get at (or from) a restaurant. 

For example, my favorite recipe is better than nearly anything I've ever had at a restaurant. Anne prefers our green curry. (Two versions* - 1, 2 - although we don't get anywhere near that fancy: Potato, sweet potato, soy curls, carrots, peas, maybe some apple; the sauce is coconut milk, Thai Kitchen green curry paste, a bit of peanut butter, soy sauce - all to taste.)

This pie is easy and extremely tasty. Not the healthiest thing, but better than many of the ice creams out there.

*Just as restaurants aren't necessarily better than what you can cook, a fancier recipe isn't necessarily better than simple. There must be some algorithm that drives many vegans to publish such difficult and many-ingredient recipes. But: protein, veggies, sauce, carb. Loads of possibilities, minimal time and investment. Done and done.

**Heard on a podcast: "Restaurants are an expensive way to get fat."

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