I love Valentine’s Day. I’ve loved it since the first time I woke up to a 12-pack of Diet Coke and three red roses on the dresser next to my twin bed in my bright red room. I was probably 7 or 8. I felt so loved and grownup. Flowers! For me! I’m sure I…
Is anyone feeling that oh-my-overwhelming feel of late March and early April again? I felt joyful and optimistic yesterday watching the inauguration, but all the good political news didn’t take me out of my house, where I always am now, meal planning and sweeping, working and eating. Over and over. I think it’s the combination…
We’re having a very subdued Thanksgiving this year, as are, I’m sure, nearly all of you. Except for those 1 million travelers yesterday that went through TSA at airports nationwide. Who are they? Where are they going? My heart wants to ask for an invite to their party, my head wants to know who they…
Read more Pre-Thanksgiving Light Lentil Soup That Isn’t Depressing
This old article caught my eye today. In The Why Of Cooking, Atlantic writer Joe Pinsker posits that the fabulous book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, is a “Valuable user’s manual for recipes, letting even the greenest cooks disassemble them to see how their parts fit together.” He writes at some length about trying to find…
Read more Everyone Can Cook (Or, Why This Hobby Seems Less Cool Than Your Hobby)
We celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday last night with a soup and bread buffet. Yes, my anxiety-baking has now turned into a habit, and it’s really great to have fresh bread on the table with every meal. This is definitely not on the “No Excuses November” body satisfaction plan. But I digress. I made two soups,…
Read more Caramelized Onion Creamy Potato Soup – Or, “Why Doesn’t Everyone Use Leftovers Like This?”
This weekend we had two friends in town, they’re COVID nomads and for seven months have been hunkering down with family in near isolation. They’re giving up on Washington for a while, and making a go of life in Richmond instead. But they came to visit for a few days, and it was wonderful. Sarah…
Read more Gratitude – An American Celebrates Canadian Thanksgiving
You are stronger than you think. People tell others this when they hear about a cancer diagnosis, or when they start back to school virtually with four kids and a job and mediocre wifi. People don’t tell people embarking on a major home construction project this, because at some point the DIY-ers made a decision…
Demolition dust, concrete dust, wood dust, drywall dust, fine wood dust, painting dust, tile dust, grout dust – bags of it! – dirt dust, soil dust, stone dust, marble dust in your closet, paint dust, and at the end of it, even more dust. This is the story of building a house. It is not…
Everyone keeps using the phrase, “The new normal.” Or talking about how they’re trying to “find some normalcy” with a routine or by putting on pants or whatever it is people are doing to try to just “feel normal.” I’m embracing the fact that this is not normal. Nothing about our current situation is normal.…
Read more Nothing is Normal, So Let’s Eat Biscuits for Breakfast and Make Brownies from Scratch
For 17 days, Professor Cappie has made a daily alphabet video. She started with “A” in response to my best friend’s decision that quarantine was a great time to teach her not-quite-two-year-old the alphabet (he already can count to 10; he’s a prodigy, basically). To remind you all, Cappie is my dog. The premise is…
The Outraged Eater 