Sheet-Pan Sausage and Vegetables
As we are all now advised by CDC to wear masks in places where we might encounter other people, I have been sewing them for my family. I am super-slow at this endeavor but have finished two of three. It is a little ironic because as of this coming Sunday, it will be a WHOLE MONTH since I have entered any building other than my own home. But we'll be ready if/when the time comes.
Meanwhile, we stay home and cook. In making "Sheet-Pan Sausage Parmesan With Garlicky Broccoli" (NYT Cooking) last night, I deviated from the recipe list out of both necessity and choice. That's the quarantine spirit, peeps.
Interestingly, by the way, there is apparently no actual shortage of food items (yet?), though we're all stymied by what we can't find in our stores. Read the expert answers to POLITICO Nightly's question, "How can the country redirect food supplies from closed bulk buyers like restaurants, schools and stadiums to individual consumers who shop in grocery stores and food banks?" (I highly recommend signing up for the free "POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition" e-newsletter, by the way - very informative).
That food distribution problem led me to substitute asparagus for broccoli, cheddar for mozzarella, pecorino romano for parmesan, and dried basil for fresh. For taste reasons, I substituted smoked paprika for red pepper flakes. For saving-the-planet-by-eating-less-meat reasons, I substituted Beyond sausages for real meat ones.
However far that was from the original recipe, it was really good!
Today, the left over sausage and asparagus made its way into a no-recipe fried rice for lunch, as did my egg white left over from freaking awesome banana bread, rice and spiced chickpeas left over from chickpea stew, and cauliflower left over from a cauliflower risotto that I made a week ago but never got around to blogging about. I riced the cauliflower in my food processor, and it blended seamlessly with the actual rice.
On the whole, that was pretty healthy, but we balanced it out with some potato chips, homemade by my deep-fryin' backup dancer. Mmmmmmmm.
Despite the awfulness of our current moment, I'm one of the people who has benefited from connecting to people in new or more frequent ways. I've been in touch with several of my mom's longtime friends to check how they're doing, for example, which also makes me feel closer to my mom (who is far away in a care home; she has Alzheimer's Disease). And last night I got to take a yoga class, in my own basement, from my best friend from fourth and fifth grade, Becky, now a yoga and pilates instructor who's had to move her classes online. She's in Minnesota; I'm in New Jersey - doesn't matter when you use Zoom! My long-ago bestie coaching me soothingly through stretches and poses was exactly what I needed, and I'll be doing it again.
And for that matter, SO CAN YOU, for $10 if you still have income or a $0-$5 optional donation if not. Let me know if you'd like the info on how to join Becky's Monday, Thursday, or Saturday classes on Zoom. Maybe I'll see you there.
Meanwhile, we stay home and cook. In making "Sheet-Pan Sausage Parmesan With Garlicky Broccoli" (NYT Cooking) last night, I deviated from the recipe list out of both necessity and choice. That's the quarantine spirit, peeps.
Interestingly, by the way, there is apparently no actual shortage of food items (yet?), though we're all stymied by what we can't find in our stores. Read the expert answers to POLITICO Nightly's question, "How can the country redirect food supplies from closed bulk buyers like restaurants, schools and stadiums to individual consumers who shop in grocery stores and food banks?" (I highly recommend signing up for the free "POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition" e-newsletter, by the way - very informative).
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| The New Yorker |
That food distribution problem led me to substitute asparagus for broccoli, cheddar for mozzarella, pecorino romano for parmesan, and dried basil for fresh. For taste reasons, I substituted smoked paprika for red pepper flakes. For saving-the-planet-by-eating-less-meat reasons, I substituted Beyond sausages for real meat ones.
However far that was from the original recipe, it was really good!
Today, the left over sausage and asparagus made its way into a no-recipe fried rice for lunch, as did my egg white left over from freaking awesome banana bread, rice and spiced chickpeas left over from chickpea stew, and cauliflower left over from a cauliflower risotto that I made a week ago but never got around to blogging about. I riced the cauliflower in my food processor, and it blended seamlessly with the actual rice.
On the whole, that was pretty healthy, but we balanced it out with some potato chips, homemade by my deep-fryin' backup dancer. Mmmmmmmm.
Despite the awfulness of our current moment, I'm one of the people who has benefited from connecting to people in new or more frequent ways. I've been in touch with several of my mom's longtime friends to check how they're doing, for example, which also makes me feel closer to my mom (who is far away in a care home; she has Alzheimer's Disease). And last night I got to take a yoga class, in my own basement, from my best friend from fourth and fifth grade, Becky, now a yoga and pilates instructor who's had to move her classes online. She's in Minnesota; I'm in New Jersey - doesn't matter when you use Zoom! My long-ago bestie coaching me soothingly through stretches and poses was exactly what I needed, and I'll be doing it again.
And for that matter, SO CAN YOU, for $10 if you still have income or a $0-$5 optional donation if not. Let me know if you'd like the info on how to join Becky's Monday, Thursday, or Saturday classes on Zoom. Maybe I'll see you there.
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