zesty_pinto | Yeah/No NaNo

I feel like I've been anticipating this monthly writing event more than I should be. I think I just want to write D&D stuff for a long, long, time and this would give me an opportunity to finish my Baldur's Gate-sized campaign concept.

I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with friend content; work has been crapping on me hard and only now have I really got some time aside to make an update like this.

It's Halloween and I will say for the party I made a cheese head. I used a black olive for an eye and the other wasn't coming out right, so left it gaping open and threw in tomato sauce. Also filled the bottom with grilled chicken andouille "worms" on the bottom. It was the first time I got to use the food processor (my birthday gift from Michelle) and made a mess in the process. It must have gone over well though because I asked if she could take a photo of it for me and showed me a photo of what looks like a head without the top of its skull.

For the weekend update, I reveled in it.

-Apple picking? Sort of! I picked up a bunch of apples! And ginger cider, my favorite kind! It was the last day of the orchard, so we *just* made the cut!

-Hiking? Sort of! On a rainy Sunday, we went to the park only to find all the trails closed. Someone shot holes in the "trail crossing" signs as we drove through. Still, it was a scenic drive.

-Cleaning out the garden? Yup! We rooted out all the dying plants. A few tomatoes were salvaged and an even smaller handful of beans that ended up becoming part of last night's egg drop wonton soup.

We also ate sushi. Oh, glorious, glorious, sushi. Michelle was okay with it, and even better, we were full from it, meaning our bodies were adjusting to not eating that much. This is a good sign!

I also sous vided the two pork shoulders, reduced the drippings and then reintegrated it with some more barbecue sauce. The reduction has a good earthy smokeyness to it that I think will reflect well, although the cuts are not as fatty so I feel like it's drier than the last batch. I shredded the bigger portions just to see if that fixes the problem. Alternatively, I might have been better giving it a 12 hour cook instead of 16 like I did with this one.

We kept the kitchen clean, and Michelle got a new mattress top to install. Some new resistant bands came in and I'm trying to use them as potential stress relief as I try to not break down from the job.

I'll try to keep up with the rest of you. As I said, I'm sorry, I just haven't had the time to digest your days in the life and will do so just as soon as I hit that publish button.