Sometimes I approach life like an engineer—tabulating the data, analyzing the graphs, and optimizing the process. Making stew, however, puts that part of my brain to sleep. Yes, there are stew recipes, but following one would only subtract from the creative, subjective experience that this activity has become for me. Stew is artistic. It lets me leave behind technical specifications and syntax errors for world of pinches, tishes, spots, and dashes (more yum than U+2013).

Here’s the recipe that I reconstructed from today’s stew experience

Marchtime Sausage Stew

6-ish cups water
0.5-ish cups coconut milk
1 russet potato
1 white onion
1 green bell pepper
0.5 pounds country sausage
0.75-ish cups white rice
1 bay leaf
8 whole cloves
3 pinches salt
tish thyme
smidge rosemary
spot garlic powder
  1. Boil water in a large pot
  2. Chop potato, onion, and pepper and add to pot
  3. Add rice to pot
  4. Add all herbs and spices to pot
  5. Add coconut milk to pot
  6. Pan fry country sausage and break into small chunks
  7. Add sausage to pot
  8. Stir
  9. Smell the smells
  10. Taste and add more salt or spices if you so desire