these fine collapses @ desmonddahm.com

Acceptable shoes, or why I wave at dogs

A perfect storm of arrogance, insecurity, compassion and humor, I often go too far, am too nice, too cocky, or pay too much attention, to everything. It never goes well when I reach that point, the run screaming from the room point, which I once believed to be only a metaphor. I first suspected menopause…

Sesame Ginger Sriracha Cilantro Mint Basil with SEV!

This is a great salad. For two months out of the year we have a very hot house so we eat salads and everyone from Louisiana knows that spices can cool you down. I love this salad. The Dressing 1/2 cup oil3-4 Tbsp sweetener (brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or stevia)2 Tbsp finely grated ginger1/4…

Chili Crisp

Is it sweet or hot? Surprising or comforting? Crisped onions, garlic, flaked chilies teased with brown sugar, ginger, soy, anise … whatever spice you like. Creamy sauces, cheese, toothy bread become more with a drizzle of this stuff. Keep in the fridge for two weeks, but you’ll use it up by then. Try it, adjust…

Knitting with pencils

Okay, so it was actually ball point pens. Blue ones. I learned to knit last fall. The whole idea appealed to me. The color and texture of the yarn and the needles, the gifts I could make for people, stitch by stitch, to make them feel special. Once I was knitting, however, the whole process…

Methinks I am undone.

how writing a fantasy novel is an epic adventure in itself When the pandemic hit, my employer made me stay home with pay for 6 weeks before returning full time. I knew this was not a situation which was likely to happen again so I decided to try and double down on my effort to…

How dreams may actually work

OR, HOW TO MAKE THE BEST COLD DRIP COFFEE When you want to tackle your dreams or, say, unleash your inner gryphon for a bit, a spot of caffeine may be just the toe hold you need to launch into the air. My favorite rocket fuel is cold brewed coffee. FIRST, the surprisingly simple recipe…

not your everyday lunch salad

When you have a day job, you only have so much free time. To minimize the time I spend thinking about logistics, I do things like tie my keys to my belt loop, try to keep things in the same place and almost always have the same thing for lunch. After lo these many years…

A roundabout way.

I recently bought my first BCP. We had a copy of the Book of Common Prayer in the house years ago, but I can’t find it. My husband liberated it from an Episcopal church in Athens, Georgia about the time R.E.M. and the B52s were finding their feet. The only book I recall taking without…

A Less Ersatz Banh Mi

For the last couple of years, we’ve been trying to eat less meat. One of the places I missed meat most was in sandwiches. The problem is texture. Most meat dishes can’t be replicated because the texture isn’t right. During a visit to our eldest in NYC, we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge (God bless…

Ultraman, at middle-age

At 7 in the morning recently, while my tea was steeping, I was on the rug in front of the stove doing that exercise where you extend one arm and the opposite leg out into space, change sides then repeat. My husband barked a tiny laugh and said, “You look like Ultraman.” “But with one…

For the duration

Hello! I made a coloring book a while ago. Sometimes, doodling, sketching or coloring can be a nice way to get your mind off of whatever it is you’d like to avoid thinking about. In order to help people avoid thinking too much, I am making my coloring book available for printing during the pandemic….

Worlds upon worlds

Imagine you’re a fisherman living on the banks of the Nile. You don’t yet know it, but your catch has made the Pharaoh and his family ill. In the middle of the night you wake to sounds of your reed-built shack being ransacked. You freeze at the glint of light in the shape of the…