Mixed Plate: Thankful for Meatballs, for Hope, and Our Indy

(Also published on Honest Cooking, for my column, Sense Memory) I’ve seen friends doing daily postings on social media, listing things they are grateful for during the month of November. And why shouldn’t they? It is, after all, the traditional American holiday to give thanks. Our month of thanks started a little earlier, in the waning days of October, when I learned to be very thankful for, of all things, meatballs. 

Happy Meatballsgiving, all ten pounds of it!  - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Mixed Plate: Being Thankful (for Shameless Self-Promotion)

Tis the season... for another moment of Shameless Wasabi Prime Self Promotion! Because, really, that's what the holidays are all about, right? Actually, it's more like The Holidays Make Me Feel So Freakin' Thankful for Everything in this Wacky Life, mainly the opportunity to be able to do the work I enjoy doing, have it pay the bills, and have kind folks like you take a minute out of your hectic day to take a peek. It means a lot to me, and don't think I don't appreciate it as we near Thanksgiving!

My biggest announcement that's worth getting put up on the refrigerator door is having a photo I shot of the roasted tomato flatbread at Black Bottle Postern getting the OMG-I-Can't-Believe-It Cover spot on the latest issue of 425 Magazine. I contribute regularly to their Flavor column, but getting the cover was such an honor and thrill. To wander in a grocery store or past a newsstand and see a photo you shot on a magazine cover is unbelievable. It's weird and awesome, all at the same time! I love having the regular column, as it has me exploring different dishes every month, revisiting old favorites and discovering new places -- it's like Food Exercise, it makes you step outside of your comfort zone and try new restaurants. It sounds simple enough, but you realize how so few people make it a point to try different eating places; we are creatures of habit, rarely wandering outside our comfort zones. I have to say, having it be part of your job makes the exploration a priority I wish more people would consider.

I remain continually thankful for being able to explore with my appetite, and for that, I'm appreciative for 425 Magazine, for giving me the regular kick in the behind to get out there and satisfy a hunger for discovery. If you happen to see the issue on the newsstands, pick up a copy -- there's great pieces about local restaurants as well as soundbites of favorite bites from local food folks. You'll see a familiar face or two, I guarantee it!

Another big item on my Thankful List is being able to integrate my graphic design/illustration work with the food and beverage industry. For the most part, a lot of my design work tends to stay within the realm of small business/tech -- a lot of work you'll never see, as it was never intended for the masses. But every now and then, I get a really fun project, one that lets me get my Creative Boogie on. I was very fortunate to be able to design the event logo and illustrations for the upcoming Saint Nick's Winter in Woodinville event coming up on November 30th through December 2nd. This was a really fantastic project -- fun wine-themed logos and illustrations, working with an enthusiastic team, and the joy of being able to show Mom and Dad: look, your daughter's making artsy booze! They love this stuff.

If you're in the area and able to attend, St. Nick's is a weekend-long wine-themed holiday celebration with tons of local wineries participating in tastings and open-house events. It will kick off with a tree lighting event Friday night on the 30th at Chateau Ste. Michelle, and then a big evening wine tasting at the Chateau -- I'm looking forward to attending that one, so I hope to see you crazy kids there! Head to the event page for ticket information -- some things might be sold out, but the weekend-long open house at the wineries looks like a fun way to kick off December. It's getting to be that time of year for parties and dinners, and bringing a bottle of wine is always a perfect and easy host gift.

And cheers yet again to Drink Me Magazine, for letting me create boozy-themed recipes for their magazine. I just saw the latest South of the Border issue come out, and I'm craving a tequila cocktail this very second! Loved developing the latest recipe, a mole sauce using a smoky Scotch ale, which is tasty stuff for the chilly days ahead. Head over to their website, as they keep a digital copy of the magazine for those who don't live in the Bay Area, where the magazine is distributed.

Cheers to being thankful for gainful employment! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

And so the Thankful Train continues along its way, my honest-to-blog appreciation for being able to do creative projects and consider it another day at the office. It's rare to be able to do this, I realize this more than anyone else. I've done my hard-time in Maximum Security Corporate America, locked in the Cell Block D of cubicle-land, bouncing a rubber ball against the walls of my brainpan, a la Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, imagining a cinematic escape involving a motorcycle jump over several other vehicles. It's not all easy-going and magical fun food days, it's still a long, hard road of doing a lot of other work to be able to afford the time to do the fun projects. But I wouldn't change any of it, and all those people doing the same thing as me are nodding their heads in agreement, I'm sure of it. I'm incredibly lucky to be able to do any and all of this, and a lot of the thanks go out to all of you who are reading this right now. Writing a food blog is a healthy regiment to keep inspiration and all things edible fresh in my mindgrape, and the encouragement to keep going comes from readers, folks on Twitter and all the wonderful people I've met along the way. So I send a hearty Wasabi Thanks to everyone out there -- none of this would be possible without you and your kind words of encouragement. Thank You.

Mixed Plate: Whoopie for Being Thankful

Here's this sugar coma-inducing photo tantalizing you with the hopes of a recipe, and yet... that's not what this post is about. (Sorry -- but I promise if you stay tuned, more details about this Spice Cake Whoopie Pie will be revealed in coming weeks!) Instead, it's the week of Thanksgiving and I wanted to take a  moment to count my Wasabi Blessings on the eve of this holiday full of tasty flightless birds.

If you're thankful, say: WHOOPIEEEE!!!! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I was a flightless bird myself, almost a year ago to the date. Working in the corporate world as an art director, but in furlough, anticipating the next boring corporate ship I'd have to jump upon. Able to enjoy a nice paycheck, but unable to look my creative self in the eye and say, "You've been meandering around the planet for how long and this is all you have to show for yourself? For a Wasabi, you're awfully bland." Ouch. Sad, but true.You make personal sacrifices because it makes sense to do the sensible thing, but after a while you're slow to realize how much of that cubicled existence drives you into a fugue state. You forget that really crucial question, which is, "Where did your happy place go?" I had no lofty dreams behind Wasabi Prime beyond creating a space to put creative efforts in that weren't dictated by work peers or inane meetings about "can we just make the logo bigger?" And the blog manifested into the little lighthouse (blue canary included) to guide through a fog of uncertainty. I was lucky to have precious friends, family and yes, YOU, THE READERS, SUPPORTERS, RANDOM SPAMBOTS who have made a connection and give me inspiration and the reminder that happiness can be as simple as being able to just putter along doing the things that bring us joy.

And so a year later, I've made a go of it, freelancing as a graphic designer, illustrator, food writer and photographer. It isn't easy. I'm full of doubt and concern every month, hoping I hit my goal of just being able to pay the bills. There's been lifestyle changes, to be sure -- insert joke about revoked Fur Coat/Yacht of the Month Club membership here. And yet each penny is worth its ounce of worry, because you become so much more appreciative for every little thing. I realize the greatest luxury is time. I take note of the change of seasons. I walk the dog. I have a more flexible schedule to see family. These are my thankful things, the quiet moments after so many years of noise. While I don't know what the future holds, I am thankful for the ability to find some peace in the present, even if it's as simple as making giant spice cake whoopie pies filled with a ridiculous amount of butter cream filling.

The Zen of Baking. And Butter. - Photos by Wasabi Prime