Oh, how quickly things can change!
For the past five days I have, in equal measure, sat in catatonic shock staring at the wall while listening to the news, cooked, eaten, and cleaned. Repeat. Go for a walk. Repeat.
The project I thought I was coming home to shut down until further notice, like so many others, and instead of jumping into any number of creative endeavors I thought I would want to begin, I find myself mostly spinning in circles.
Recipes and cooking seem to be the only things grounding me at the moment, so… so be it. Because I want to limit grocery store deliveries, I currently have more food than my small house and cupboards know what to do with, which isn’t saying too much as I am famous for bare cupboards. But, now an overflow of grains, beans, and pasta sit on my counter waiting to inspire.
Yesterday, while outside raking the leaves I never raked in the fall, I noticed green chard sprouting in my raised bed garden. With absolutely zero attention from me for the past five months, these little leaves did what plants do; reseeded, went dormant, and waited until spring to begin to grow again. Just when my fresh produce is beginning to run low, a reminder of nature’s perfection! I proceeded to order several packets of organic vegetable seeds online. I hadn’t planned on planting a garden this year because of upcoming work and travel, but…looks like I’ll be home!
My boyfriend and I have been much better about checking in the fridge to see what needs to be used and being creative with what we have, knowing that just running out to the store is not an option. I am inspired daily by so many friends’ posts of creative ways to use canned goods, bake bread, and hold cooking contests within families self isolating together, everyone looking for a way to make something both fun and delicious and also to ease a bit of anxiety. It is truly amazing how quickly we come back to the basics.
Tonights menu-
yeast free bread (I can’t find baker’s yeast, or toilet paper!)
Leftover lemon chicken
And, I have already made two batches of these almond flour chocolate chip cookies. Kinda chewy, a little bit salty, they are soooo good. And they’re healthy, so you won’t feel guilty eating an entire batch while listening to the news and staring at the wall, in shock.
Be well. Take care of yourselves and each other. Stay home. And remember that this too shall pass.
Image seen on my walk today.
In early December I came across a post on Volunteermatch.org by the non-profit usimmigrantcafe.org looking for volunteers who like food and to write.
It’s like I just got home from a year of crazy. And now, suddenly, it’s fall, the end of 2018, I’m living back in my house, just returned from my trip East, and for the first time in a long time, maybe since last year, I feel settled. Like I can exhale. Like I didn’t know I’d been holding my breath until I no longer was. And, while I think about all of this and it soaks in, I decide that instead of making a fire, because suddenly it’s cold and flannel sheets with tea and slippers seem like a good idea, I decide that instead of that fire, I’ll bake.
Want your house to smell like cinnamon and pumpkin? Want super light, flour-free deliciousness? I posted this recipe before but, it’s that good!
Leaving my Storytelling and Spirituality Class (the best way to spend Saturdays), I head to Grand Central Market for my favorite fancy coffee at G&B Coffee. As I wait at a red light, a car pulls out of its spot just ahead of me. I will the spot to stay empty until the light turns green. It does. There is over an hour left on the meter. This is going well! I cross the street and head into Grand Central Market. Though it's been a fixture in DTLA since 1917, I only recently discovered it. Full of stalls serving everything from bagels, to burritos, falafels, and pizza, it has not only great food but better people watching. I take a seat on a stool at G&B and order my favorite drink, the "Business and Pleasure," (it comes in three parts, because why wouldn't it?!) and a cornmeal and cheddar waffle. I sit, drinking, eating, watching people and think about what a perfect Saturday I am taking part in. 
smagik 