things we do to amuse ourselves

As he does every April 1st, Jughead shaved off his beard. Shortly after I took the last photo, he clipped the chin fluff and the edges of the mustache. If any hair is below his lips, he has to wear a "beard net" at work. He can only stand the net for so long, which is partly why he grows his beard on schedule between November 1st and April 1st every year.

With just the push-broom mustache, I told him he looked like a rookie cop. Like a young buck who wants to be one of the big boys with the mirrored sunglasses, but his doughnut belly isn't big enough so he just grows a mustache.

He's entirely clean-shaven now. Which is to say, entirely handsome.

This is what I made for my brunch today. I sauteed some sliced onions, garlic, fennel bulb, asparagus and carrots in olive oil, then tossed in some edamame and chopped kale. When softened, I put it all on a plate and cooked a piece of mahi in the leftover oil with a little salt and red pepper flakes. I made the couscous with some vegetable broth that had beets in it, so that's where all the color came from.

I've perfected this method, which only requires one big skillet, a cutting board and a good knife. I've also been keeping the fridge stuffed with a variety of fresh vegetables and IQF fish fillets in the freezer, so this is just a variation of a meal that I've eaten three or four times a week for the past three weeks. Yum!