well well well. it’s been a minute hasn’t it!!!

what has everyone been up to recently? i’ve been buying a lot of big floppy hats in an attempt to be as extra as possible because when i die when i die, i’ll rot, but when i live when i live, i’ll give it all i’ve got.

i’ve also been experimenting with lots of food and lots of art and with a little bit of teaching my dog to heel. these are all works-in-progresses, okay?

and as promised i’ve been out here tryna step up my breakfast game. (though i admit that my discovery of strawberry krispies (my dream cereal because i am an Unable To Resist-er of all things strawberry and because it turns your milk a beaut shade of millennial pink, whatever that even means) has not been entirely conducive to this journey but whatever)

what this means for me is trying to cook myself at least one Big Beautiful Breakfast (bbb) a week. you ask what a bbb is? well, if you, like me, jump at the chance to eat vegetables for breakfast, then you’re like me. the ideal beautiful breakfast is not cereal or waffles or donuts or even cake. i like my coffee as sweet as can be, and if you give a mouse a mug of sugary coffee, she’s going to need something salty or sour or spicy to go with it.

a bbb can be whatever you want it to be but this series is an attempt to focus on big, mostly savory, plates or bowls of food that will have you leaping out of bed like a very leap-y garden snake and shuffling to the kitchen faster than the world’s speediest snail. they will start your day in the best possible way and it’s even probable that you’ll never have problems again, probably. you used to have problems, but now they’re gone. phew!

and now, for something not completely different, here’s a lil thai cucumber salad just for you. make it the night before and serve yourself a big early morning plate of it with a sunny side egg. find new spiritual depths in the mingling of the egg yolk and the sweet-and-sour salad juices as you finally begin to appreciate the most important meal of the day, serving it up gary’s way. enjoy buddy.

-kara

cucumber salad (lightly adapted from night + market by kris yenbamroong
serves 4-6

ingredients

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 english cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and then thinly sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, shredded
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
  • paprika

instructions

combine the sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. bring to a boil, stirring often, until its consistency is slightly thinner than maple syrup. remove from heat and let cool. meanwhile, toss the cucumber, carrots, and onion together in a medium bowl. when the dressing has cooled, pour over the vegetables and toss again. transfer to a plate and garnish with the cilantro and paprika. serve a big helping alongside a fabulously sunny side egg.