transports

ill-effects from yesterday's chili onslaught: none. no-name has had these tiny peanut-butter cookies filled with a dab of house-made banana jam for about two weeks now. completely gluten-free, they dissolve in my mouth and make it happy. for dinner, sam had also made phyllo cups and filled them with chevre whipped and then lightened (honestly) with whipped cream and topped with shreds of pickled red onion. there was, in addition, a tray of deconstructed brownies that were deep and dark, tasted vaguely alcoholic, and produced a slow-growing, subtle heat. further investigation revealed that the unfamiliar flavour was a combination of madagascar vanilla and five-spice powder -- sichuan peppercorns (not really a peppercorn), star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennelseed -- and the heat from smoked cayenne.