Last night, I shared about cravings for foods that are delicious, but can no longer be an everyday affair for me. Enter, tonight’s “cheese burger.” Is it the change of seasons that makes me want to eat the comfort stuff?

Enter an all-time favorite country song from my youth that speaks about how “the nights are getting colder, in Cherokee County” as a diversion before we get back to the food talk. You are welcome.

Tonight we had plant-based “Impossible Burgers” which I browned in my iron skillet with a dash of blackened seasoning. Served on a gluten free toasted bun. But any bun you can eat will do.

Spicy mustard, a slice of “cheese” and a ton of hamburger dill slices (the cheaper the better). I don’t subscribe to a pickle hierarchy. The cheese is from violife but there’s various versions.

The end product of this burger is not exactly a Sonic No. 2, but it’s damn good.

The side dish, is a whole other story. A salad with an underlying foundation from my garden: kale and leafed broccoli grown in my whiskey-barrel raised garden. The brocolli plants started in June and are now thriving in the cooler weather. The red kale went from seeds to stalk in 3 months.

You know what’s not that easy, yet very satisfying? Growing (some) of your own food. Any tiny amount. That salad. Even a small part of it. It’s not a super power, but sometimes feels like it.

My stuff, supplemented with: one gala apple, a handful of dried cranberries, one red bell pepper, a handful of bean sprouts, blueberries and a few almonds. Tossed in Olive Oil and Balsamic. Total prep time: 15 minute (plus or minus a few months).

The plate? Purchased at a Dollar Tree.
The skillet? Belonged to my maternal grandparents.

Their response to all of this? It would be comical.