Sparking joy: two items

Organization expert Marie Kondo has been trumpeting the "life-changing magic of tidying up" since at least 2014. Then she really hit the big time at the end of last year with her Netflix show "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo." The book and show have been so popular that people have been "bulldozing" their closets, resulting in a huge uptick of donations to thrift stores, libraries, used book stores, etc.

So how do you know if it's time to get rid of a possession? Simple, examine it and see if it "sparks joy"; if not, then off to the thrift store it goes. And how do you know if something sparks joy? I'll let Marie Kondo show you:



Note: if fondling any of your worldly goods actually makes you behave like anything approaching either of the extremes demonstrated by Marie Kondo, I can give you the number of my running buddy Dr. Tom, who is an excellent therapist and can help you work through those issues.

Item #1: A solid fork

For years, we've had exactly seven dinner forks, manufactured by Splendide (I don't know the model), that were actually worth eating with. They couldn't have been expensive because they're 18/0 stainless steel, and the "0" means no nickel (which contributes to a silver-like shine), so less pricey. But they're just the right length (20 mm/8 inches), look simple but relatively, and, most importantly, have some heft (62 grams each) that is well balanced along the length of the fork.

From left to right: Splendide, Amazon Basics, Reed & Barton

Eating with the Splendide forks is definitely a joy-sparking experience for me. The problem was that we would often run out of the Splendide forks before the dishwasher had gone through[1] and I'd be stuck eating dinner with one of the Reed & Barton forks, which are too short (18.5 mm), have a fugly design, and no balance or heft whatsoever (only 39 grams). I finally decided to search for some matching Splendide forks to add to our collection, but they're only available on eBay and I wasn't interested in going there to buy someone's used forks. Then I found some Amazon Basics 18/0 dinner forks that are $12 for a dozen, so I gave it a shot. They're not a perfect match for the Splendides, but they're pretty close in shape and length (20.5 mm), fairly well balanced, and weigh in at a solid 58 grams each. So now I can eat every meal with an extra measure of joy.

Item #2: A real side-sleeper pillow

I woke up with a stiff neck recently. This happens once in a while, undoubtedly because I'm a 100% side sleeper who's been using flat little hand-me-down pillows all my life. Until now. Heather Turgeon, one of the authors of The Happy Sleeper, says that, "[b]ecause of the greater distance between their heads and the mattress, side sleepers often need a thicker pillow to keep their head and neck in a neutral position." Who knew? Happily, Turgeon recommends the Wamsutta Extra-Firm Side Sleeper Pillow, which goes for all of $15 in the standard/queen size at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I dug through my impressive stack of BB&B coupons, picked out a $5-off-any-purchase-of-$15-or-more coupon,[2] and practically stole one of the Wamsutta pillows for just $10.52, with tax. Which may be the best $10.52 I've ever spent, given what a pleasure it is to sleep on this pillow every night.

Mom, another 100% side sleeper, had been eyeing my new pillow covetously every night since I bought it, so I picked one up for her yesterday, and this morning she woke up and hollered, "Best pillow EVER!" And that right there is the definition of sparking joy.

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[1] I know what you're thinking here: Why don't I just wash one fork by hand after every meal so I always have a Splendide when I need one? To which I can only respond, in the words of my buddy Joe from Philly, "Who ast you anyway?"

[2] For you math whizzes: This coupon is a much better deal than the usual 20%-off-one-single-item BB&B coupon, as long as your purchase is right around, but not less than, $15 (including tax, apparently, since the Wamsutta pillow actually costs $14.99). I saved an extra $2 on each of the pillows I bought for Mom and me.

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This meal created some major joy sparkage throughout our family. Dylan found it in the one-dish-vegan-meal cookbook I sent him recently and recommended it highly. And everyone here loved it as well, so this is now one of the relatively rare five-thumbs-way-up recipes for our clan.

Caramelized onions with balsamic vinegar

Quesadillas with Avocado Crema

Chickpea Quesadillas with Caramelized Onions

Adapted from Power Plates (2018) by Gena Hamshaw

Time: 53 minutes

Gena Hamshaw suggests serving these with avocado slices, minced fresh parsley or cilantro, hot sauce, and/or her Cashew Queso Sauce. Dylan served them with guacamole. I highly recommend the Avocado Crema (recipe below), which was a perfect match for the quesadillas.

For the caramelized onions
1 tablespoon (13 grams) neutral flavored oil such as sunflower
2 large (225 grams/8 ounces or more each) yellow onions, thinly sliced from pole to pole
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For the chickpea filling
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini (32 grams) or mayonnaise (28 grams)
2 tablespoons (~30 grams) chipotle peppers in adobo with their sauce
1 small garlic clove, unpeeled, microwaved for 15 seconds, then peeled and sliced thin or minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon juice freshly squeezed from ½ a lime
freshly ground black pepper

For the quesadillas
8 (8- to 9-inch) tortillas, preferably whole-wheat flour or gluten-free if you must
~60 grams (1 cup firmly packed) baby spinach
neutral flavored oil such as sunflower
Avocado Crema (recipe below), optional

    1. For the caramelized onions: Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sliced onions, brown sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then lower the heat one notch and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned and very soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the vinegar. Don’t wash the skillet yet.
    2. For the chickpea filling: Place 150 grams (~1 cup) of the chickpeas in the work bowl of a food processor together with the tahini or mayo, chipotles in adobo, garlic, cumin, and salt. Process for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl after 15 and 30 seconds. Add the remaining chickpeas and lime juice. Pulse until the chickpeas you roughly broken down, about 10 one-second pulses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    3. For the quesadillas: Add a teaspoon or two of oil to the same skillet you cooked the onions in and place over medium heat. Spread ¼ of the chickpea filling evenly over one of the tortillas, leaving a ¾-inch border. Spread ¼ of the onions over the chickpea filling. Top with ¼ of the baby spinach and a second tortilla. Transfer the tortilla sandwich to the skillet, and cook until the bottom tortilla is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip carefully, then cook until the other tortilla is lightly browned, about 2 minutes more. Remove to a cutting board and cut into quarters. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. Serve promptly with an optional topping. Serves 3–4.

Avocado Crema

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Kids

Time: 9 minutes

1 ripe avocado, halved and pitted
60 grams (¼ cup) water
30 grams (2 tablespoons) sour cream or plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt
30 grams (2 tablespoons) juice from 1 lime
10 grams (¼ cup packed) cilantro leaves and thin stems
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Using a large spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal "s" blade or the blender cup of a personal blender such as a NutriBullet (which works great for this job). Add the remaining ingredients. Blitz until completely smooth, up to 1 minute. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the crema into a small serving bowl. Serves 4 to 6.