I saw a meme the other day (I’m sure you did too), the specifics of which I can’t recall, but it was something to the extent that 2021 is just a 2020 who can now drink. Yeah, pretty much. 2021, our drunken little hellscape baby, isn’t even two months old and yet a pandemic still…
Barbuto’s Meatballs and Polenta
When Trump was officially elected, or “elected” president in 2016, Mr. Wallace and I immediately set up recurring monthly donations to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Like so many others, I saw the writing on the wall and knew America was in for some deep turmoil and devastation. I didn’t…
Crab Fried Rice with Jalapeno Aioli
“Shake it, shake it, baby Shake your ass out in that street You’re gonna make us scream someday You’re gonna make us weak.” –Regina Spektor, “Ballad of a Politician” President Joe Biden. Vice-President Kamala Harris. (First Dogs Champ and Major.) It happened, it’s real. I think I’m still in shock. For the past four years,…
Grapefruit and Earl Grey Bread
“Unity is an anomaly. Polarization is normal. Skepticism about liberal democracy is also normal. And the appeal of authoritarianism is eternal.” –Anne Applebaum, Twilight of Democracy It got pretty lost amidst the other news of FBI arrests of violent insurrectionists and whatnot, but last week the POLITY scale – an official scorecard that measures and…
Kale and Broccoli Yogurt Caesar with Torn Croutons
“If you’re just now getting on the boat of recognizing that Trump is an autocrat, a fascist, and a menace to democracy, welcome aboard. But please don’t take the most comfortable seats and feel entitled to navigate. Some people have been aboard awhile and their feet are tired.” —Anand Giridharadas 2020. It’s over. Finally. I…
A Very Wrong and Offensive Vodka Martini
In the absence of having anything valuable to add in kissing off this dumpster fire year we called 2020, I wrote some satire about one thing that always makes me laugh: the War on Christmas. “Dear Valued Antifa Members, I trust this letter finds you well, or as well as possible under these trying circumstances,…
Kale and Bacon Hash Brown Casserole
“…elected officials are not saviors to praise but employees to hold accountable, and we do this by not backing down. Biden’s win does not signal an end to civic engagement and a return to brunches and blind allegiance. Voting Biden and Harris in was harm reduction; it doesn’t mean we can fall asleep at the…
Chocolate Pecan Scones
I don’t wish to dwell on what we cannot change any more than you do – this is fine, we’re all fine! – but I want to give voice and space to everyone feeling beyond exhausted and weary by this whole dank, brutal, terrifying year. Apparently Covid cases spiking again wasn’t quite enough heartbreak and…
Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce
Before our small, homebound, slightly depressing Thanksgiving break began, I devoured Helen Rosner’s latest essay in The New Yorker, “The Joylessness of Cooking”. Rosner writes of her quarantine cooking journey; how it began as enthusiasm and resourcefulness but then waned and morphed into obligation and exhaustion. I read this wonderful piece chuckling a little though,…
Cranberry Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Sandra Lee taught me to cook. I feel certain I have destroyed any credibility I may have or could have had as an authoritative voice in cooking and recipe development by stating that, but I must because it’s true. I didn’t gravitate toward cooking as a child. When given dinner prep chores, I always chose…
