Welp, this tweet didn’t age well. While life is still indeed “nuts” in 2020, I’ve instead found myself with plenty of time to play around in the kitchen again. I’ve rediscovered a few favorite recipes from previous years and also compiled a list of recipe to tackle next.
Recent eats that I haven’t mentioned on the blog before:
- Turmeric chickpea fritters (basically, falafel) with garlic dill sauce. I’ve made this a number of times and enjoy it but it’s not in my typical rotation because it requires a lot of dishes. Now there is practically unlimited time to do dishes so why not?
- Buttermilk lavender scones. Lavender is one of my absolute favorite scents, and I have a big bag of culinary lavender that I’ve been looking to use up. These were too good. They have a light, delicate flavor that I think would be a perfect complement to afternoon tea and cucumber sandwiches. Buttermilk substitute (1 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice) worked perfectly.
- Green bean casserole. Each of these components looked AMAZING as I prepared them, and while I enjoyed the final product it didn’t wow me as much as I thought it would. Paired this with some pork loin I winged in the crockpot (chicken broth, ginger, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper, soy sauce).
- Asian turkey burgers with spicy lime mayo. Another recipe I’ve made several times in the past but hadn’t used in a while, and I remembered why. This tastes delicious, but I always make my turkey burgers too thick and I have such a hard time getting them to cook all the way through and then I get annoyed.
Next up:
- Lavender margaritas. Possibly my favorite cocktail of all-time is the lavender margarita at Urban Butcher. It’s refreshing, a little bit tart, and a little bit sweet. I attempted to re-create this at home a long time ago–this was the original reason for my purchase of said big bag of culinary lavender. My first attempt was a total fail (too sweet) but I’m ready to try again. I think I need something closer to a sour mix to get this drink right. Stay tuned.
- Homemade pasta. I’m still debating the exact recipe, but I’ve been inspired by this post. Would also love to pair this with an awesome bolognese sauce. Recommendations welcome.
- Soft pretzels (if I can ever find yeast in a grocery store again).
- Garlic butter naan. Store-bought naan is trash and I’ve been meaning to make my own.
- Some sort of epic brunch, menu TBD. Tossing around ideas like banana cake with coffee frosting (breaks my no more baking rule) or challah breakfast casserole.
- Instant pot mac and cheese. Because we all need something like this in our lives right now.
- Vegetarian tamale pie. Another old favorite that I don’t make often because it requires a trillion dishes and steps (especially if you make your own salsa, which you should).
And finally, in addition to cooking and copious amounts of exercise, wine, Netflix, and crafting, I’ve been finding particular comfort in history, historical fiction, alternate history, and books otherwise set in a time and space other than this one to give me a little perspective. So far my two favorites are tied to George Washington, though in very different ways:
- American Royals by Katharine McGee. This is a light read that follows three modern-day teenage siblings who are American royalty (descendants of KING George Washington) and coping with that burden and privilege in different ways. I thought this was a delightful escape and I can’t wait for the sequel.
- You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe. I’m only about 1/3 of the way through this but I already adore it and have found myself talking to my husband about what I’ve read that day frequently. I knew I would love it from the hysterical first introductory page (you’ll see what I mean). The author brings a much-needed levelheadedness to chronicling the life of Washington, in contrast to other biographers who revere him uncritically (and whom she teases frequently as the “Thigh Men” throughout the book). This book really cements the importance of having historical accounts written by people other than white dudes.
A few others that I read recently but are more like a 3/5 for me:
- The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
- Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
- American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
Hoping you all are staying safe and sane (most used phrase in the country this year already?)