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I made this last night w/ a couple of tweaks, did corn and flour tortillas fried, added fresh corn, onions, and garlic to bean mixture, and subbed the jalapenos for some anchos, cayenne, and mariachi peppers from the garden. This was one of my favorite weeknight dinners I've ever made! I will be making for football game watching parties this fall/winter! Thanks Andrea for the delicious recipe!!!

This sounds like something i'm gonna have to try...
Growing up I had the typical toppings, mashed pinto beans, meat, cheese, lettice, tomato...etc

I make this one version where its topped with a sort of chicken salad mixture. You combine shredded chicken, peas, carrots, corn. green beans, mayo, salt & pepper. And then eat it with hot sauce sprinkled on top. Sounds weird but its sooooooo good.

Think of something you like, and set out to become really good at it. I always feel triumphant when I teach myself something new.

After cooking school in California, I started making up chicken recipes and naming them after family and friends, I.E., Chicken David, Chicken Dotty and so on. After all these years I've a collection of wonderful recipes.
I think that a project like that would be satisfying. Good luck, Dave

Something that will really keep you committed, but isn't food related, is marathon training. I'm currently training to run 2 marathons this year, and it has been a TOTAL lifesaver. It's hard to start up, but is completely and utterly self rewarding. Otherwise, tamales and canning sound like a great idea. Making croissants (someone already mentioned that too) takes a bit of time but is awesome. You can also try and learn how to make macarons (not macaroons) which are hard to master. Reorganize your spices, make pies for your neighbors, start a food business on Etsy. Good luck on whatever endeavor you choose!

Palace Grill, half a block off State St on Cota has excellent Cajun.
Brophy is good but very crowded. The Harbor Restaurant on Stearns Wharf has good seafood and great views.
La Super Rica is the spot for authentic Mexican.
Your Place on Milpas St is a good Thai restaurant.

I really enjoy the brunch at the Four Seasons/Biltmore San Diego. Great selections (including a caviar bar). Sit out on the terrace so you can stare at the sea.

@Trilby, I supected that some of the captions for those photos really said, "If you mess up, it looks more like an annoyed alien than a panda." You have to wonder how many times they sliced the "good" bread to get the one slice that looked cutest. Bread doesn't always rise predictably, and particularly when you've got different types of ingredients, which makes it even more complicated.

But I might give it a try and see what happens. Maybe not a panda, though. Maybe something easier.

@All, thanks for the good wishes. It's hard to lose a pet, particularly since I work from home and they keep me company all day. But she lived a good, long, happy life and she didn't suffer at the end. It's about all anyone can ask for, I guess.

DH's checkup went well, so that was the first bit of good news. Tomorrow, his company is having a hands-on meeting, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a "State of the Company" address rather than something more ominous. If we get past that, I'll start breathing normally again.

Anyway, I think my project might be trip through a baking book of some sort. I just need to go through the books I have and pick a likely subject. It's probably the cheapest thing to make, and baked goods are easy enough to give away if it's more than we want or need (or like).

I'll probably still do canning, freezing, pickling and stocking up. It's hard to get me out of the kitchen most of the time. But a focused project like a new bread/baked good a week gives me something concrete to look forward to and to plan for. And right now, I think that's a good idea.

I too just want to add my condolences into the mix, losing a pet is disgustingly hard. If I was anywhere near you I'd offer to come help clean, I'm a rock star at it. If I were you I too would lean towards baking or canning, but preserving summer bounty is high on my list now, especially since we had a crap start to the summer. Best wishes!

@dbcurrie --sorry to hear about your dog. It's heartbreaking when you lose a pet. You definitely need to indulge yourself. I think a cook the book project would be a lot of fun. For a different kind of cook the book, what about cooking from The Book Lover's Cookbook, or The Philosopher's Kitchen or Shakespeare's Kitchen for cooking and snippets of literature. Cooking and reading are my two favorite ways to relax, unplug and escape.

Love those breads. The Japanese have "cute" cornered~!

If you want to know what the text is about, use babelfish. here is an example: "[korune] type is made. Diameter approximately 2cm. * The [tsu] it did and the type [re] of [korune] of the [yo] did and 2 made with the △ of [pi] 1 responsibility. (The photograph right: The [tsu] it does, the [yo] type left: It is the small type which this time was used. )"

Babelfish is funny as hell.

I wrote somewhere once that chefs (and all cooks) are givers by nature. They could obviously cook just for their own enjoyment but no one stands over a restaurant stove busting their butt for the thrill alone. The payoff is in doing something well and sharing it with others. There is no more basic instinct than to feed. The female body is designed to give nourishment to others and Jung would tell us that we all (men and women alike) have that feminine spirit in us that provides the drive to nurture and care. It is ironic that the cure for too much giving is a little more giving but you seem to know already, instinctively, that there is a difference in giving to meet a need and giving out of the desire to share. It probably doesn't matter what project you choose as much as the fact that you are engaging in the simple act of mindful giving. I hope you find what you need this weekend.