Recipes for when your weekend is spoken for by the Home Depot gods
Have you guys heard of Facebook Marketplace?
Hello, chefs.
In lieu of a cute little cabin project, I decided to distract myself with a small redecoration of our guest room this weekend. Please note that I typed that sentence and immediately took a quick break from newsletter writing to peruse Redfin, so no, I wouldn’t say I’m completely cured of the itis, but baby steps.
I tried to make this a fun challenge by giving myself a budget that would put juuuuuust enough pressure on me to find used/secondhand/repurposed things rather than just ordering poorly-made stuff from the internet. I logged into Facebook for the first time in forever to try this Facebook marketplace thing and wow, that place is magical. Cut to me cruising up i65 going 10 below with a massive headboard hanging out the side of Mr. Faith’s, truck trying my hardest not to shit my pants, but also giddy that I bought that sucker for $100 from a kindly guy who was cleaning out his adult daughter’s childhood bedroom, helped me strap it down, and texted me to be sure I made it home safe. So wholesome, so thrilling.
This week I installed an app called onesec that delays your distracting apps from opening when you click them—like Instagram—by serving you a prompt to take a deep breath first. Then you have to click another button that says yes, take me to Instagram. It’s incredible. So if you, too, have been dissociating from your real life to mindlessly scroll pretty kitchens and landscaping, give it a whirl.
Anyway! I’m headed to a sweet friend’s baby shower before jumping into this project for the rest of my precious weekend. I’m sharing a couple quick recipes that only take a few braincells to pull together so if you, too, are planning to be elbows deep in wallpaper glue and paint, at least you can eat something nice.
-Faith
Garlic soy meatballs, crispy scallion potatoes, and peanut cucumber salad: a love story
Here’s a recipe that’s not really a recipe; do with it what you wish.
Potatoes: Chop up a potato into bits that suit your taste and boil them until they’re fork-soft. Drain and toss with olive oil, lots of garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper. Roast at 450 for ~25 minutes, flipping halfway through. Top with a shit ton of chopped scallions and serve.
Meatballs: Combine 1 lb ground meat of your choice, 1/4 cup soy sauce, a generous heap of minced garlic, salt and pepper, an egg, and about 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Shape into balls and put on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for ~15 minutes (and I like to broil for a minute or two to get a little crisp).
Cucumbers: Make a little peanut sauce: spoonful of PB, drizzle each of soy, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, and plenty of red pepper flakes. Toss with some sliced cucumbers and top with more red pepper flakes and some roasted peanuts, if you have them.
Cold brew (cause we’ll need it this weekend)
The night before, in a large jar, combine 3 cups water with 2/3 cups ground coffee. Put the lid on and let sit over night. Strain through a coffee filter the next morning. Note that this is concentrate, so ten cuidado mijas! I go 50/50 concentrate/water in the morning, or if I’m doing an afternoon cup, reduce it to 25/75. It keeps in the fridge all week.