Farewell, August

I do not love you as much as July or June, but you have been a good month, full of monsoons and rainbows. 

Beef Brisket Sausage Pizza

Another souvenir from H-E-B in Midland. 

Good, not great. 

K-Pop Idol Korean Beef Sausages

 

There is a farmstand in the East Mountains with a very interesting selection of sausages. (I am bringing one of them back to Pasadena with me in two weeks.) 

If you like Korean beef, you would love this sausage. It is everything you think of when you hear the name: salty, soy, sesame, etc. 

I made a tortilla-crust pizza that was delicious, even though I overcooked it. 

But the tacos were even better: with pickled ginger, green onion, and creamy taco sauce. 

Wagyu Road Kill Jam Burgers

My friend Faye went to West Virginia for something - I don't remember what - and asked if I wanted any souvenirs. 

Being a smartass, I said "roadkill." Because it's Appalachia, get it?

(Not my strongest joke, I will be the first to admit.)

So she brought me back this jam.

And I decided to make burgers for her and her girlfriend. 

 

Wagyu burgers with the jam, arugula, Trader Joe's English cheddar with caramelized onions, and wagyu bacon. 

They were... well, do I really need to tell you? 

In The Garden

There has been a massive amount of monsoon rain this summer so the courtyard garden looks beautiful. 

I bought a bistro table & chairs set to eat as many meals outside as I can until the weather gets cold and everything dies. 

Like these chicken shawarma tacos with garlic sauce and garlic achaar. 

Taco Bell Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch

I went to Taco Bell for only one reason: to acquire some of their Bell dipping sauce, because it's freaking delicious. 

They didn't have any. 

But... I was already there... and I was hungry... so I got this. 

It was fine. I ate it all. 

I can't say much more than that about it.  

Trader Joe's Mini Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

There was a brief period as a child when I loved Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but sometime in my teens I realized that I don't actually like cinnamon. 

So I didn't really like these. They weren't bad, but reminded me of breakfast cereal.

Another Celebration

Okay, this is just a dinner I made for myself. 

But any time I make Asian food is a celebration in my book.

Celebration

For the last couple of months, I have been helping my friend and former coworker Angela find a new job. 

She got one, so she brought a bottle of champagne and homemade cheesecake to thank me. 

I made a (gluten-free) Asian dinner for us. 

DiGiorno Wood Fired Style Crust Supreme Special

This has turned into Frozen Pizza Week, I guess. 

This is definitely better than your average frozen pizza. I will get this again. 

Maybe. 

I can't really recommend it.

Tombstone Loaded Bacon Cheddar French Fry Style Crust Pizza

The crust is made of potato, so it's gluten-free. 

It is GREAT for gluten-free pizza. 

Because gluten-free pizza sucks. 

It is not particularly good and I will never get it again. 

Home Run Inn Ultra Thin Sausage & Uncured Pepperoni Pizza

 

I also bought this in Texas. 

I have had Home Run Inn frozen pizza 5 or 6 times over the last decade. It is good... for frozen pizza. 

But I had never tried the "Ultra Thin" variety, as they are not sold in New Mexico, and were not sold in California when I lived there. 

It is good... for frozen pizza. 

Every single one of my lavash pizzas is better. 

Bola Pizza La Texana

 

When I was in Texas two years ago, I discovered Bola frozen pizza - although calling it "frozen pizza," while technically true, does not quite do it justice. It's more like frozen "take-and-bake" pizza that is sold at supermarkets. 

At Troy's house, I ate a version with caramelized onions and smoked mozzarella, and it was great.

This version was even better. 

There are a lot of things I love about Northern New Mexico, but our supermarkets are not one of them.