Pork belly with brown sugar rub and brown sugar syrup. There is also hand-stretched mozzarella and torn Belgian endive on this plate. I should have used avocado to brighten up the dish, but I can always do that tomorrow. This is one of those things where I was hungry, sick, and not used to taking care of myself when I'm both sick and hungry. And yet, the sweetness from the brown sugar rub was just enough. The pork belly could have been on higher heat to braise better. That's okay, I have more. It was still tasty! I am making it again sometime, just with different accompaniments.

I've been super ill for the past few days. I haven't wanted to eat, nor could I sleep. So, I've been making condiments and sauces to go with different meals (which will soon be coming to you), and I mixed this drink! It's semi-dry and rather herbal, yet floral because of the rosewater. Above (if you can read it) is the combination of ingredients that I jotted down for myself.

I had such a good dinner at Mercato tonight. One of the crostini in their sampler was so good that I actually had to order another plate of it. My drink was also semi-dry, light, and easy to drink. Perfect meal. 👌🏼

Pork Belly Crisps with Spicy Chocolate Dipping Sauce. The sauce is 72% cacao and the entire snack was complete madness (but a delicious madness). Better than chocolate-covered bacon. I think it's because it was more special?

I made rosewater-blackberry panna cotta for Legs today! The plate is covered in rosewater halfway-whipped cream. The result was so tasty! Next time, though, more color... like, a ton more color has to come to the plate!

Braised then roasted. The perfect duck. I am actually surprised because it was the first duck breast I'd ever made! I sliced the skin into three pieces and made duck cracklin. I also made a radicchio pesto. When it was ready to plate, I rested it on a bed of scallions and decorated the dish with pork crisps. This may actually be way too many dishes in one, but my philosophy as a cook is to always (ALWAYS) guild the lily. Although, it does not apply to all things. Only some things, like this dish!

I snapped a picture of this before Armida gulped it down. Ishbel put brandy in mine. Chilled coffee, milk, and brandy. So so so good. Are my descriptions too long? I hope not!

I learned the hard way that the people at the Ithaca Coffee Company are not taught one, solid way how to make a breakfast sandwich. Apparently the super cute transgender woman is the only one who can make a decent sandwich. It's too bad she didn't make this one! Of course, let me back up a bit.... Both days were rainy days, but only one had sunshine. The first time I ate this sandwich, it was in the middle of the summer. Although the sun was hot and rain was pounding on my umbrella as I walked to the bus stop, I had it in my head that I wanted to go out, and am glad it was my mode of thinking. You see, the sandwich I'd received on that day had melted cheese, it was perfectly toasted, the meat was crispy around the edges, and the eggs were soft. This was not the case with the sandwich shown above. In fact, it was the direct opposite of what I got from the other woman! What I'm surprised about is how Ithaca coffee company pays such attention to detail when it comes to retail, but when it comes to cooking sandwiches, the owner isn't able to get an overall consensus of who knows how to make one. Note to self: unless you know for a fact the person who can make you the best sandwich is there, do not go. - Abigail Swinston

Their desserts are always the best part! When someone comes to Ithaca and wants something sweet, it's often the concensus of everyone they ask that they need to go to Madeline's! There is a case of desserts in the back of the restaurant that's constantly rotating.

Armida, who is one of my favorite people, created a surprise for me yesterday. She sent me this picture with the phrase, "Guess what this is!" I asked her what it was, and she said, "Get out of bed, put on some pants, and come downstairs. Family breakfast!" She'd made rosewater-Earl Grey French Toast Casserole with this Earl Grey simple syrup and some rosewater butter. So good! Not appetizing to look at, but trust me, this is a great example of a savory breakfast.

When I'm being lazy (or when I'm too hungry to make something that's my style), I normally split an avocado, add two egg yolks, crack some salt and pepper, grate some Illagio Taleggio cheese, and add some Sriracha. Ta da! There is a reason why simple meals exist. It's for those who either really like avocados, or want a snack.

Roast duck legs done confit-style with 65% cacao whipped chocolate, Maldon salt, and scallions. So, so good. Whipping chocolate is fun! Thank goodness for immersion blenders.

Can I start out by saying that this meal was a mess? There are two good food items in the above food pictures: the wings and the Tres Leches Cake, which is not authentic. The cake was not authentic in any way. I am from North Miami. I used to spend a lot of time there. Now, this cake was more like a cake. It was spongey. It had a ton of substance to it. I must give it this though: even though it wasn't authentic, it was, perhaps, better than the average Tres Leches Cake. Maybe authentic isn't always better, after all. The dessert still did taste the way it's supposed to, which I'll give thumbs up to. Now, the wings were good. The meat fell right off its bones, the sauce was thick, and they were just spicy enough. I could've dealt with more heat, though, because heat was all I was getting. The taquitos were advertised as Chicken Taquitos, but where was the chicken? I tasted no seasoning. In fact, all I tasted was cheese, which was supposed to be a secondary ingredient. Where was the chicken? Also, note to self: do not get Guacamole here. Ever. It's bland. It tastes like underripe avocados. I see tomatoes in there, don't I? Shouldn't I at least taste some salt and freshly cracked pepper? I am happy I went to Agava because it showed me that they're still not the place to get decent food. Yet another resraurant in Ithaca that tries (and fails) to deliver decent southwestern fare. At least their service was nice!

Sometimes all you need are giant globules of cheese and prosciutto. This was one of those times. I was at my mother's house, and was getting hungry. She normally doesn't let me eat her groceries, so I always bring my own, making food for myself from what's in my bag of food. This was rather simple even though it appears complicated. Sometimes globules of cheese and prosciutto are all you need in order to have a great meal, but this was better. There was basil, lemon juice, zest, eggs, apple cider vinegar, and other ingredients in the aioli. No garlic, but there were scallions, which is an ingredient I use to elevate a lot of dishes. Anyway, it led to the perfect lunch. Sometimes what you need isn't burrata or prosciutto... it's the perfect sauce. Sauces bind recipes together, they lift the plate, and most if the time they make entire recipes make sense. - Abigail Swinston

Everyday (or, every other day), I wake up and cook. It's a part of my routine. When I'd stayed up too late the night before, my morning ends up missing my little excursion -- my sanctuary. Breakfast is peace. I either cook late at night when I can't sleep, or I cook eggs in the morning after a blissful rest. Most of the time my body and mind are restless, so cooking calms my soul. I like to make the above toast with duck eggs, but I didn't have any when I took the picture. The photograph shows eggs, scallions, and Nova flakes on Miche bread, which has been painted with homemade dandelion green simple syrup. It's a healthier breakfast, and drinking it with cold brew coffee is even better.

Mashed Maraschino Cherry-Filled Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting. Another cherry is on top. Sometimes, I love to bake cupcakes after midnight. This was one of those times.

The snails were perfectly sautéed while the garlic added a sweet bite. Salty prosciutto balanced the crunchy yet moist Belgian Endive leaves. Grape tomatoes had just enough juiciness to be able to create a fuller flavor profile. Overall, it wasn't too salty. There was no bad aftertaste. And it wasn't too wet. All of the ingredients adhered to each other well in the appetizer. A part of it was a tad greasy, though, and that may have been because I added too much oil. This didn't seem to diminish the flavor, though.