Meatless March

Just a quick one today - a friend had leeks that she didn't want, so she gave them to me. Meanwhile, I had baked bread a few days ago, and had a little left. I found this recipe for " Leek Bread Pudding " on NYT Cooking, but was missing a lot of ingredients - cream, herbs, etc - so I winged it, and it turned out remarkably well, especially for me! I had about two thick slices of bread left on the loaf, and three leeks - I used about two of those. I shredded some cheddar into the bottom of three mini-ramekins (a church sale find that I continue to treasure), then a layer of toast cubes and leeks, then more cheddar, more toast cubes, and then I poured one beaten egg and about 3/4 cup milk into them,* then more cheese. Baked it all for about 50 minutes in the ramekins. I LOVED it. It was so rich and elegant. My small backup dancer did not like the leeks, which was a pleasure for me, because I finished hers off in a heartbeat. Backup dancer's leftover...

Some people are starting to leave their houses again. In some places, the government has started to ease restrictions on what's open for business, and in all places, people are worn down and fed up with going figuratively and literally nowhere. I've started getting invitations to spend some time at least six feet apart from friends, outside, wearing masks. I don't know whether the mental health benefit of accepting these invitations outweighs the potential risk (to me and society) of COVID-19 transmission. There are no easy answers. One of the things I've struggled with is the sameness of almost all the days since the pandemic hit. I have found that it helps to put an at-home celebration on the calendar for a few weeks away, and plan for it, and look forward to it. In April, that celebration was Easter, when we got to see what the bunny brought, and we set up a video chat with our extended family, and dressed up and had a special meal. Easter And last week, ...

I talk to my dad every Sunday night by phone; he lives in Wisconsin. "How's it going?" he asked this week, and I told him that I had spent several minutes before his call trying desperately to think of something that was new since last week to report to him. I came up empty. We encountered some gorgeous wisteria during our walk today, New recipes are sometimes the only thing that differs in my life from week to week now. Two days ago I tried " Pasta with Cauliflower, Walnuts and Feta " (Smitten Kitchen) and the number one thing you need to know about me making this dish was I forgot to add the feta, and didn't realize until I spied the unused feta in the fridge the next morning. "It really needs something else," I complained at the time, and now I know what that was. I also eschewed the chili flakes because of my spice-averse backup dancer, and then when my dish was missing "something," I doused it in hot sauce, which made ...

If someone has the time to make " Baked Rajma " for dinner one night and " Cheesy Cauliflower Toasts " for lunch the next day (both NYT Cooking), she must have her act together, right? Wrong. I want you to know she is still the kind of person who can miss her daughter's scheduled chats with a teacher, TWICE IN TWO DAYS, even though there was literally nothing else on her schedule, and she is also allowing dust to accumulate in her TV room to a degree that it invites adornment. Sigh But focusing on the positive, I was quite pleased with how both these meals turned out. Baked Rajma I am happy to report that half a jalapeño and a knob of ginger did not make the rajma spicy, and everyone liked it pretty well. Onion/jalapeno/ginger/garlic mix Distressingly, I have run out of chili powder, but I substituted paprika. I didn't have heavy cream but used half mozzarella, and...wait for it...half half-and-half. Before it went in the oven ...

Spring weather, a flexible schedule, and few cars on the road as everyone is hunkered down at home...when you're eight years old, these things set the stage for learning to ride a bike. Teaching a kid to ride a bike is not a fun parenting duty. Let's just say that after one learning session, I was compelled to do a shot of tequila. But now I have accomplished it, and the results are dazzling, if I do say so myself. Emma has also picked up some woodworking skills, after participating in a cool trial online learning program of local organization Maplewoodshop . And the kid has learned the multiplication table up to the sixes! I am sharing these achievements to illustrate that we are trying not to waste our life in social isolation, and we are so privileged in all sorts of ways. I am grateful for our privilege, and I feel guilty for nonetheless being gloomy, and weary of everything, and frustrated that even though I'm moving my backup dancer forward with...