Last Call: What's Cooking In Your Socially Distanced Kitchen?
Several pedantic editor types have been appearing on my Twitter feed lately to remind me that this period is not a quarantine, not technically:
All right, fine. But "social distancing" and "shelter in place" aren't as catchy, either. They also don't convey the same feeling of irritation, boredom, and pent-up frustration. And by the time this is over, it's likely many of us will have spent the 40 days cut off from society that gave us the word "quarantine." Last night I dreamed about riding the el and going to the office. I haven't picked up a new language or perfected a new skill yet, but I still have a month to go.
On the bright side, I'm saving lots of money from not riding the train and or having to buy lunch every time I forget to pack one. For ages I've admired the beautifully composed salads my more organized A.V. Club and Onion colleagues have brought to the office, and now I can make my own! The Caesar dressing in The Joy Of Cooking is especially pungent and delicious. Anchovies are now well on their way to becoming one of my pantry staples. I've been roasting more vegetables. Instead of charging into the kitchen every night hungry enough to gnaw my own arm off, I have enough time to bake potatoes! I've fallen hard for this concoction of cannellini beans and broccoli rabe. I finally had time to try out my sister's Japanese milk bread recipe, which made excellent French toast. (The positive effects of all of this have probably been offset by the waffles, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and lemon pound cake I've also made.) But the truth is, my favorite discovery over the last two weeks has been dalgona coffee. It's delicious, the sugar and caffeine make for a definite energy boost, and best of all, the whipping is great exercise and an outlet for my various frustrations (among them, disgust with myself having the gall to complain about being stuck at home when I'm still healthy and employed).
What recipes have you been trying and enjoying? Please share. Hungry minds want to know!