10 Things: Seasonal, Sunscreen, Sischuan
What to eat, read, listen to, think about, ponder, and learn this week.
Spring is really in the air. Can you feel it? I am overflowing with recommendations, my friend. Free subscribers, please enjoy the first three for free. Paid subscribers this week get a few more recipes, some things to buy, some things to read, and a question I ask myself at least five times a year.
The seasonal aesthetic at Target right now.
So, sure, yes, Target is horrible. My husband Luke hates Target more than he hates Walmart, because “they’re both the same but at least Walmart doesn’t act like it doesn’t know what it is.” And it’s true, and we could write a whole screed here about how Target exploits low-wage workers and sweat shop labor to appeal to ignorant millennials who are willing to pay one extra dollar for their low-quality waste baskets to be muted pink. But there’s a Target near the school where I work, and it’s a good place to buy the kids candy, which is something they need, because school is hard. Anyway, so, Target always has cheap dollar-store-adjacent stuff in the front in an area they call The One Spot, and it’s a reliable place to get a good prize or a small sorting box or whatever, and so I do always browse it, and, y’all. The Easter (?) seasonal The One Stop merchandise is so exactly my preferred aesthetic that I dropped like $90 on that stuff, because who knows when I’ll ever be able to buy a wicker chicken for $3 again?
And since we’re here, talking about Target, even though we all know we shouldn’t be talking about Target, let me add this: I am a PRIZE BOX PERSON. I have prize boxes with me no matter where I am, always. There is one in my backpack, there’s one in each of my classrooms, there’s one in my study, there’s one in my car. If you’re with me, and you need a prize, I always have a prize. I think this comes from being a child who wanted more prizes, but who can say for sure. I don’t like to make the prize be candy, because I’m interested in a prize that will last a little longer; a prize that could become a memory for someone. I am always on the lookout for this kind of thing, although it’s weirdly hard to find. It’s almost like most people don’t keep prize boxes anymore? Where are all the dentists these days!? But, so, my point is: Target has some very high-quality prize box things that are masquerading as party favors, and they’re all $5 for 12. This week I bought shark keychains and lip balm shaped like adorable popsicles, and they are some of the best prizes I have right now. So that’s a hot tip, for all you prize box havers out there.
Chili Crisp Breakfast Tacos (and also, some words on chili crisp in general).
My friend Caroline came to our house the other day with the best jar of chili crisp I’ve ever tasted and gave it to us as a gift. Then came the real gift: she said, “Have you ever cooked an egg in chili crisp?” And I had not. She said it was a TikTok trend, but it was really good, and I should try it. Our chickens started laying again recently, and so we have a bunch of eggs; in general, egg tacos is one of the three breakfasts I find acceptable (along with “smoothie” and “oatmeal”), so I decided to try the TikTok idea, and friend: my life has been forever changed.
Some notes: yes, this works equally well with tofu and JustEgg, and it is also good with a little chopped kimchi or strips of kale stirred in. But if you do eat eggs, that’s the most delicious way to eat these: heat up some chili crisp in a cast iron, crack your eggs in there, cook ‘em to your liking, and transfer them to a plate. Then heat up your corn tortilla in the same pan; no need to add more oil, and no need to clean anything off. I’ve started topping these with a simple slaw (shredded red cabbage, shredded kale, chopped cilantro and green onion, mixed with a tablespoon or so of veganaise, the juice of a lime, and salt) and whatever fresh salsa they have at the market; I also have made them with guacamole, or crushed peanuts on top. Whenever I eat this for breakfast I think, “I CANNOT BELIEVE I GET TO EAT THIS.” And that is what you dream of when it comes to food.
So, yes. This Chicago-made small batch chili crisp is my favorite chili crisp so far — but you can only buy it at this one boutique market in Evanston (or maybe you could message the guy on Instagram?) for the time being. I have also tried a few other chili crisps. The popular Fly By Jing’s chili crisp is great, but you have to like the tongue-numbing Sischuan peppercorns that it uses amply, which my husband does not. If you like the crisp more than the chili, and you’re not into super-spicy foods, may I recommend this chili crisp, which is more of a crunchy topping and is heavy on the crispy garlic. Then there’s the crunchy chili onion at Trader Joe’s which is under $5 and works incredibly well in this recipe. I have not yet made my own chili crisp, but I can see myself working up that. I’ll let you know how it goes.
“Out the Sun” by Frida Touray.
This is the opening track on the EP “Mending” by the dreamy London-based singer-songwriter, and I think it’s a perfect song. The first half of it is instrumental and sounds like what it would sound like if you were a flower blooming in a dense forest (I assume), or if you were undulating lazily in a gigantic labia. I don’t know how else to describe it. Touray has the loveliest voice, and the lyrics remind me of being 24 and living in New Orleans, and it being cold, and it being Mardi Gras, and it being dawn. Just writing about how much I love this song is making me openly cry at my computer. At two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, it’s altogether too short, but what a treat.
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