Three Sisters Stew

It's the season for tree trimming, cookie making, and holiday parties.

My backup dancer helped decorate the tree at her grandparents' house

Our gingerbread cookie recipe is even better when you use 1:1 gluten-free flour, because it keeps the cookies soft

Did you think I wasn't going to wear my fab jumpsuit again after Halloween? It was the perfect choice for the famous annual Turtleneck Party thrown by my friends Lucas and Ginge, but I'm starting to think it's the perfect choice for any occasion, so don't be surprised to see me wearing it to the post office.

It is also the season when I check the outside temperature and, upon learning it is 23 degrees, am tempted to embrace global warming. But then I remember global warming's sobering long-term consequences. Some of them aren't far away in either space or time, like current threats to the drinking water supply in the Philadelphia area, which is only some 80 miles from where I live.

That is why I take actions as an individual to minimize my contribution to global warming. Animal agriculture accounts for an estimated 12–20% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, so I save meat for special occasions, and I often make plant-based substitutions for dairy products, too.

I recently made a good version of "Three Sisters Stew" (TheSkimm'), which has no meat or dairy (and is gluten-free). I was surprised by the cornmeal mix's goopy consistency before I added it to the stew. I had to work a little bit to break up all the clumps as it cooked, but in the end, the stew turned out perfectly.

I was not so happy with "Winter Squash and Wild Mushroom Curry" (NYT Cooking), even though I served it with delicious olive oil mashed potatoes. The flavor of the curry sauce didn't grab me; one slit-open jalapeno did not add any heat at all. My butternut squash also lacked flavor. On top of that, it takes a while to prep all the ingredients. I won't be making it again.

I'm not the only one who's cold these days

I have to share a note about a dessert I made when my fiction writing group got together this week: "Cranberry Curd Tart" (NYT Cooking). The tart tasted great, although next time I'll take one commenter's shortcut of substituting almond flour for the ground hazelnuts. But what is most noteworthy is that when I tried to search for the recipe in NYT Cooking, I accidentally typed in "cranberry turd cart." Some juvenile part of my brain found that very funny.

Motti from my writing group got a slice of the turd cart, oops I mean CURD TART