Money Can Buy Happiness. It Costs $2. (And Here's My Yummo Delicious Thai-inspired peanut sauce recipe.)

Happiness for $2?  You bet.  Because according to this article, the more friends you have, the happier you're likely to be.  And where are you going to hang out with (or meet) friends?  At a coffee shop!

So this morning when I went with Jake to a local coffee shop to chat with a mutual friend, I wasn't really interested in this:

What I really wanted was some conversation with people I like.  But I paid $2 for the cup of Kenya, because I think if someone is good enough to provide me with a place to sit down with friends, I ought to thank them with at least a few dollars.  And besides, I want them to stay in business.

Going to this particular coffee shop is a Wednesday morning tradition for Jake and me because Wednesday is also half price day at the thrift store just down the street.  Today I did indeed go to Salvation Army (henceforth known in this blog as Aunt Sally's Boutique) after coffee.  I was looking specifically for mixing bowls and/or soup spoons--how is it that two middle-aged people only have one soup spoon between them?  But I didn't find either, and I didn't have time to look through the clothes.  So today...ta dah!..I only spent $2.

However--and I do feel badly about this--I drove to the coffee shop.  It was raining lightly when I left, and I was afraid it would soon be raining harder.  But the rain eased and I wish I'd walked. 

Now for the good stuff: what I did with the peanut butter.  The recipe is approximate because geesh, I never measure.  And it might change depending on what I have in the house.

Spur-Of-The-Moment Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
1/3 cup peanut butter
a tablespoon or more of water depending on how thick you'd like your sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 squirt or two of Thai fish sauce (optional, not vegan)
1/2 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (more if you really like ginger.  I used more.)
juice from 1/2 lime
about a teaspoon of tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
I think a bit of hot pepper would be good, though I didn't use any.

Put it all in the blender and blend away.  Today I ate a gigantic bowl of broccoli topped with this and it was yummo delicious.  It would also be great with stir-fried vegetables over brown rice.  Jake stirred a little bit of it into his noodle soup and said it was the crowning touch.

Today's consumption totals:

Happiness: $2
Miles driven: 1.5