Torchy's, Denver

Eight thirty at night and the line is annoyingly long I notice people in groups ahead send one member off to the bar then they all end up with cocktails while waiting in line giving the place a free wheeling feel to it. Finally at the counter the girl recalls me from a few days previously, "Back again, eh?" 

"Yes. Your recommendation was excellent so I'm back for another. I'll have three this time." Their taco menu is headed with political tacos. "I'll have a Democrat, a Bush Fire, and a Crossroads, please." And those are the three tacos pictured above. 

I brought two home in those Glad plastic storage containers. They fit in my backpack nicely.

Double cheeseburger, French fries

Burger Fi nearby. Photography: extremely high ISO, right off the chart, the resulting grain so great it becomes like pointillism. I don't mind it.

Tuna salad and macaroni

It's only three ounces.

* celery 

* onion, I don't have one of those things right now

* pickle relish

* mayonnaise

* mustard

* roasted red bell pepper this time because I had one in the refrigerator.

* elbow pasta, obviously, duh. 

ARTS !

Pancakes from scratch

I'm down to the last egg so I made pancakes with it. 

* one egg

* 2/3 cup buttermilk mixed from powder

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

*1 cup flour dumped in and mixed with 1/4 additional cup flour in increments to adjust to desired thickness.

Here's the tricky part. There is no leaven. Yet. The batter will be poured in batches and the leaven added in increments. Portions are scooped out and leaven added, both baking powder and baking soda because of the buttermilk. It turns the batter to foam. The batter is incredibly delicious. It would make an excellent sauce, except it's raw.

For 3/4 cup batter, or so. 

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instead of maple syrup, this is apricot preserves heated in the microwave.

Smoked Gruyère pizza

With iceberg lettuce with balsamic and olive oil drizzled over. Broken dressing, as it were. The pizza could use more olive oil for dipping or sauce. The bread is a bit dry. And Gruyère is great melting cheese but not when it's smoked. Both times I roasted it the cheese firms up. I'll use regular Gruyère from now on. 

I missed breakfast and lunch and dinner, all day went by and it was well past midnight before starting this. The dough went so fast it made my head spin. I honestly think that I made it from scratch, grew the yeast so rapidly that it didn't take much longer than ordering one. That's always a great idea.

I had some really good olives on hand. And I don't even like olives that much. 

I realized this is a bread and water diet today. With cheese and few other things.