Barley Stew with Leeks, Mushrooms, and Greens

My gosh, what a world we live in. When the pandemic hit hard nine months ago and we all retreated into our homes, I honestly feared that I had already seen some of the elderly people I knew for the last time, prior to March, without even knowing it at the time. That horror, that sadness - it was crushing and unspeakable then. I'm voicing it now because I am blown away that my mom, who lives in a care home in London, got vaccinated today. It's a turning point. I can scarcely believe we got here, and I'm emotional.

I'm going to try to let this be a moment to forget about the large swath of humanity that seemed to be working against keeping us going as a species since March: the people who were careless, clueless, or callous. I'm going to focus instead on the amazing GOODNESS that happened alongside the awfulness: the people who kept doing their jobs when society would have crumbled if they'd stopped; the people who arranged ways to safely cheer us all up with free online performances and games and other entertainments; the scientists; the health care workers; my friends and family members who were on the other end of a text string or video call or outdoor space with comfort and humor (and hard-to-obtain grocery items!) when I badly needed them.

It's not all over yet, of course, not by a long shot. I'm clear-eyed about that. But we are turning the corner with days growing longer, a new calendar year, and observing holidays, and I'm going to take this moment to be hopeful and grateful.

And sappy! Quite unlike me! But never has it been more obvious that life is short, and we should say what we feel.

Since it seems we are still going to be around as a species to contend with the effects of the climate change we've put in motion, let's stick with our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint, yeah? Maybe this could be a New Year's Resolution for us? Maybe you could resolve to eat less meat and dairy, which contribute to climate change more than plant-based diets? Maybe I (and you!) could go back to observing Vegan Vednesdays, which I abandoned in the chaos of March?

Maybe instead of being outraged that pork producers aren't making a real effort to reduce their harm to the environment, we just eat a lot less pork? Problem solved...by YOU AND ME!! That feels good, right?!

You could get into the swing of things with "Barley Stew with Leeks, Mushrooms, and Greens" (Bon Appetit). I had no leeks, so I used onions instead, and I had no diced tomatoes, so I used tomato sauce. Both worked fine as substitutes. I love a one-pot meal, and we all thought it was good - my small backup dancer was particularly pleased with the taste. And it is effortlessly vegan!

My small backup dancer came into the closet where I was trying to decide what to wear that morning, and pointed to the sequined top. "Eh, why not?" I asked myself, and that's how I ended up sautéing onions while dressed like this.

Barley stew accompanied by broccoli tots

Last night I made some "Eggnog Snickerdoodles" (NYT Cooking; subscription required). I don't know where the heck one gets rum extract, but I followed others' advice to just use rum, and it wasn't enough. If you can't get rum extract, maybe put in at least a teaspoon of vanilla extract with your tablespoon of rum. That's what I'll try next time. I'll also make the balls a little smaller. Those were some big cookies.

In any case, they still tasted good, and the texture was seriously divine. As you can see, about a tablespoon of my quarter-cup of sugar was actually red decorating sugar, which was a festive improvement to the recipe.