UaKS goes global

 

Once in a blue moon I check the stats for UaKS to see just how irrelevant I am as a blogger. I've been doing this for over ten years now. As of today, the sum total of my "All Time" pageviews is 114,494, or about 915 per month since October of 2016. But every once in a while there's a huge spike in the numbers, for reasons that cannot be explained, as UaKS has certainly never had an episode go viral to my knowledge. As you can see below, this March has been one of those spiky months, with 5.5K pageviews in the last 30 days, with 1,580 views just on March 13 and 14.  

 

 

 

While I don't know why this happens, I can tell where the views are coming from. Here is the chart showing what countries have been viewing UaKS the most in the past 30 days:

 

 

 

 

This is the first time I've seen Brazil on this list, which is exciting. Because now I can get the messaging out: Yo, you there in Brazil, you produce some decent futebol players, but how about you stop teaching them to (1) dive and fake injury so much, and (2) elbow other players in the noggin whenever they're competing for headers. Oh, and thank you for sending us Wesley; he's a beast.

 

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I vowed recently to post some more slow cooker and sheet pan recipes. Here is my latest effort on that front. This looked like it was going to be lackluster through step 2, so I told Mom and Brad not to expect much. Then I whisked the lentils in step 3 and it all came together. This looked almost exactly like the picture in the New York Times (except I put less chili crisp on mine because I'm a spice wimp). This is about as easy as it gets for a dish that will make your house smell good for a whole afternoon. It was really tasty too, especially with the chili crisp stirred in. (Note that the Times also included directions for how to make this on the stovetop if you prefer.)  

 

Coconut Lentil Soup

Adapted from Sarah DiGregorio via NYT Cooking (Jan. 26, 2026)

Time: ~5 hours (~18 minutes for step 1)

1 pound /454 grams dried red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 small red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated, minced, or pressed
1 ounce /28 grams (2 tablespoons) virgin coconut oil 
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
up to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1,415 grams (6 cups) water
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk 
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen spinach, kale, or collard greens
Chili crisp, for serving

    1. Place the lentils, onion, ginger, garlic, coconut oil, salt, turmeric, and crushed red pepper in a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Pour over the water and stir to combine.

    2. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours; the lentils should be falling apart.
    3. Whisk vigorously until the lentils are nearly smooth. Whisk in the coconut milk, breaking up any clumps. Stir in the spinach. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
    4. Taste for seasoning. Serve topped with chili crisp. Makes 6 servings.