recipe testing

maybe it's due to my baking background, but i know how to make a recipe. even for savory dishes. i take out my cups and spoons and measure everything that goes into the bowl until the food is where i want it to be. but in everyday life i put things together with what i have on hand in combinations that may never again be replicated. here are some things i've made lately without a recipe.

for my boyfriend josh on father's day eaten on our back porch in oakland: flank steak marinated with a half-empty jar of el porteno chimichuri sauce, BLT salad, and roasted potatoes with tarragon aioli made in a blender.

same porch with my mom a few days later: BLT made on a quarter wheel of sweet adeline cornbread, bacon from ver brugge, same aioli and lettuce and tomatoes from the berkeley bowl.

in our trailer "the golden nugget" the day before 4th of july: tacos made with trader joe's fish crispies, guacamole, two kinds of hot sauce and raw cabbage, cilantro, white onion and lime wedges. on this trip i seasoned only with salt, and you know what? everything still tasted great.

you don't always need a recipe.