one more time, out of tune

I got up to watch the hockey this morning and despite Team USA pulling it off in OT, I do not accept that Bill Guerin was proved right in his choices. Eighty-five percent of the game was played in their defensive end and they only won because Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head. Maybe a little more scoring power on the team could have given them some breathing room. I am just saying. I'm happy for Hellebuyck and the Hughes brothers, and I got a little teary when they brought out the Gaudreau jersey and his kids, and I'm not gonna lie, watching Jon Cooper and Connor McDavid (along with Sam Bennett, Tom Wilson, and Brad Marchand) lose was pleasing to me on a deep, personal level, but overall, I'd still have preferred the Finns or the Swedes take home the gold.

I then baked some oatmeal for breakfast for the week, and made macaroni salad for a few days of lunch, and then for dinner, I made angel hair as planned, though when I actually read the recipe, it was not anything new to me - it was what I always do for a super quick tomato sauce, except they were adding chile crisp to it, which I guess is the thing nowadays - every recipe I read has chile crisp in it, but I'm not really a chile crisp person. I have the heat tolerance (in terms of spiciness, though I also don't like my food super hot temperature-wise either) of the whitest baby you know.

Anyway! It is a super easy but delicious meal and if you don't mind waiting a few extra minutes, you can do it all in one pot. Boil your pasta - angel hair is best for this, imo - and reserve a cup of pasta water before you drain it. Return the pot to the stove over low heat and add in a nice glug of olive oil (2 tbsp if you need a measurement), and then add a whole can or tube of tomato paste to the oil (so between 4 and 6 oz). Stir it around and season it as you like - I used garlic and onion powder, oregano and red pepper flakes and salt, but if you want to get fancy, you could probably saute a diced shallot and some minced garlic in the oil for a minute or two before adding the tomato paste - for 2-3 minutes, until it's all hot and sizzling. If you are so inclined, add chile crisp to suit your taste. Then add the pasta back, and about half the reserved water and toss it until the pasta is coated. I only used 4 oz of angel hair, so if you have more, you might need more water. Then put it in bowls and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese. If you are in an even bigger rush, you can sizzle the tomato paste in a frying pan while the pasta cooks and then combine it all back in the pasta pot. The couple of minutes you save isn't worth having to wash an extra pot to me, but it might be to some people.

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I lost most of yesterday to feeling unwell and spending a good part of the day in bed, but I did make char siu and therefore did make pork buns today and as always, they are so good! And remarkably easy, too, if you follow the recipe. I still have tomorrow for doughnuts, potentially.

I also spent some time yesterday watching more Pluribus and I find myself arguing with myself about it. ( spoilers )

So I still am not sure how much I like it as a show, but I am definitely curious to see where it goes (no spoilers past "HDP" please!).

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I am very tired. I took tomorrow off and we're closed on Monday, so I have a 4-day weekend and I am looking forward to not having to deal with several varieties of annoying co-worker (e.g., one who expects me to show up and take minutes at a meeting I was never even invited to [it's tomorrow, though, so my boss informed them I would be on vacation and someone else would have to do it]; one who insists I fill out paperwork I have already filled out and submitted - they went silent when I emailed the signed form back with the email from the day I sent it and then the invoice got paid so I guess I can't complain too much; one who feels the need to do everything by phone when email would suffice, etc.).

I've got some fun cooking plans - hopefully I get some sausage tomorrow and can make that pasta dish, but I have also been struck with the idea of making calzones, so I might do that (on Monday if not tomorrow, maybe). I took some pork ribs out of the freezer and plan to do char siu on Saturday and char siu bao on Sunday, and I might also take a crack at making some doughnuts. Depends on how much I feel like deep frying I guess. Maybe I'll make cranberry curd and fill them with that. Who can say? It might just end up being raspberry jam or pastry cream. All of it sounds good to me.

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