Bacon-wrapped Asparagus

I was in a rush one day to get some food for dinner. In the supermarket, I was scanning through their "ready to eat" and "read to cook" options and found some bacon-wrapped asparagus. It was cheap, likely met my dietary needs, so I took it home to cook it.

The instructions were easy enough, but this first attempt failed to impress. The bacon was too soggy, so I extended the cook time but that dried out the asparagus to a char.

The next time I saw bacon-wrapped asparagus in the store, the bacon was wrapped in a different way which looked like it would cook better. So I took the new style home and had a successful meal.

With the original option, the chef wrapped the bacon around the center of the spears of asparagus like they were tying together a bundle of sticks. The second option had the bacon wrapped more like a barber pole.

I didn't love the bacon: it tasted a little too gamey and wasn't as flavorful as the bacon I typically purchase, so I decided to start making my own bacon-wrapped asparagus. The results are below. 

Migraines and Salad

One of the interesting things which happened since I started my diet is that my migraines have all but disappeared.

Since I was in my mid-teens I have suffered from ocular migraines. For me, the ocular part--called a scotoma--always starts with a spot in the center of my vision where I cannot read or focus any more. That spot would expand, become sparkly, turn into a large crescent, and continue to grow until the crescent exited my vision.

Early on, when the crescent left my visual field, I would get slammed with an excruciatingly painful headache, nausea, and a diminished ability to function for the remainder of the day. After a few years, the excruciating headache and nausea stopped occurring, but I would still be impaired for the remainder of the day. My diminished function usually meant that I would have trouble finding nouns, would have a regular-intensity headache, and would be extra negatively emotionally sensitive (e.g. snippy).

Vegan Macerated Strawberry Ice Cream

The flavor of this ice cream is spectacular. Pineapple and I love the taste and texture. Pineapple states that she could "mainline it". Unfortunately, I am sensitive to strawberry seeds so I can only consume this once per week or I pay a digestive price.

One peculiar thing to note is that coconut enhances the strawberry flavor. So although you could substitute standard dairy cream for the coconut cream, I do not recommend doing that. You will enjoy the flavor of this ice cream more if you use coconut cream.

Goat Milk Ice Cream

This particular recipe has been variously called "unctuous," "stinky," and like "moldy laundry." The ice cream definitely leans "goat heavy" which is something that not everyone likes.

Since I am sensitive to cow's milk but not goat milk, I thought this might be a good alternative for me. Because I like the flavor of goat milk, I like the flavor of this ice cream (although I don't love it).

Pineapple, on the other hand, doesn't like the flavor of goat milk, so this ice cream does not work for her.

That being said, this ice cream is definitely an experience which people will talk about. We tried this out with various relatives and friends. They each delighted in seeing each other's reactions to the strong flavors brought by this ice cream. Some people like it. Most do not.

Vegan, Gluten-free Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

It's surprising how well this version of cookies and cream turns out. Typically, Pineapple and I quickly finish off the pint.

This recipe is based off of the recipe for Vegan Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream, so I am supplying a set of short instructions for quick reference

Pineapple Jam

 This is going to be a tricky post to write and read because I need to differentiate between pineapple (the fruit) and Pineapple (the person). But I will try to make sure this is absolutely clear.

I've been making jams, lately, and pineapple was a natural extension of my foray into jam-making. Pineapple worried that this jam would be too sweet, so I took some extra steps to keep the sweetness low, which seems to have worked out wonderfully.

Plumcot Sorbet

I picked up some Speckled Plumcots recently and left them on the counter for a few weeks. They started out with green speckles all over, but after a couple of weeks on the counter they shifted toward a dark red color.

Since they sat out so long, I decided to turn them into a sorbet. This sorbet might be my new favorite! I love the flavor and texture. I also do not need to "re spin" the sorbet so it's extra easy to scoop some out when I want.

When I serve this, I tend to pair it with some grape sorbets.