Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

I should have gotten some of the caramelized onions in the photo. The last food that I really have been missing in quarantine and hadn't been able to recreate is the tempeh dip at the Bier Stein. (It's a regular dip sandwich, but they have an option to substitute tempeh in any sandwich). I hadn't found a way to prepare tempeh that tastes like the Bier Stein's tempeh, and I had no idea how to go about making au jus without having to touch meat. When my neighbor told me that you can buy instant au jus packets, I decided it was time to make this happen. Maybe the packets are blasphemous to anyone who makes real au jus, but I'm no connoisseur. In fact, if it tastes a little less like it came from real meat, I'm all for it. I did some searching for tempeh marinades and decided to try  this one from Food 52 . It didn't come out exactly like the Bier Stein, but it's close enough. It works perfectly in this kind of sandwich. This tempeh is also deliciou

My strawberries are better than your strawberries. I had some very ripe strawberries and leftover simple syrup, so I was just FORCED to try this cocktail. It's delicious and refreshing and perfect for summer, especially when you've bought sake to steam clams and you have extra in the fridge. I worked from  this recipe , substituting lemon for lime because I had lemons and omitting the mint, because I had none but also I think it would overcomplicate the deliciousness of the strawberry and sake flavors. The Recipe (adapted from  Serious Eats ): 2 ripe strawberries 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (probably half of a lemon or 1 lime) 1 oz simple syrup 2 oz sake 1 1/2 oz seltzer water In a glass, muddle the strawberries with the juice and simple syrup Fill glass with ice Add sake and top with seltzer water The Verdict: Overall grade: A+ Overall reason: Feels special and restaurant-y Time to prepare: 5 minutes Husband quote

SO COMFORTING. I first tasted Japanese curry over 5 years ago, when a friend dropped it off after Miles was born. I loved it, but I never had it again, because restaurants always have meat in their Japanese curries.  So finally, I decided to figure out how to make it myself. It turns out it's very easy (at least with the store-bought curry roux), and it's amazingly delicious. It's the rare kind of comfort food that lets you still feel good after you've eaten it, which seems to be less rare among Asian comfort foods than among American ones. This is the curry mix that I buy. There are an overwhelming number of options at the Asian store, but I saw someone else grab this one, so I thought I'd try it. I'll probably stick with it until someone suggests otherwise. I worked mainly from  this recipe from Just One Cookbook , modifying quantities a little bit according to the box of curry, and substituting my choice of vegetables and protein.