Or, what to make when you feel like having it all together before your guests arrive.
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by Laura
by Laura
Or, what to make for afternoon tea with a Scotsman.
This is my mother-in-law’s recipe. She is Scottish and comes from a family of bakers, so this recipe was always going to be good.
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by Laura
Or, what to make when you miss your childhood kitchen.
This is one of those recipes that has had many sub-headings over the years. I first ate this at my mom’s table, where I learned to love curry and take an interest in family recipes. I remember watching her temper the dal (recipe coming soon!), fry the grains of basmati before adding the cooking water, and explain the sweet/sour nature of this curry – which was actually a chicken and potato curry when it appeared on her stove.
In college, the sub-heading would have been ‘what to make to impress people (see: professors coming over for dinner)’. In grad school, it was ‘what to make with friends when hunkered down with your Logic and Set Theory problem set (see: weeping and gnashing teeth, the soothing of)’ and, later, ‘what to make when you are adapting mom’s recipe for your own housemate family (see: vegetarian! sweet potato! the budget version!). Finally, this recipe has been made by so many versions of my former selves that I feel like my curry now has a life of its own.
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by Laura
Or, what to make when you want to feel like the world is just a bit less cold.
I have a feeling that I’m going to need a lot of comfort food during the next… four years or so. Whatever your political leanings, you cannot escape the fact that the United States is a strange and tempestuous place to be right now. Nobody really seems to know what is happening, or why – even (or perhaps especially) if you are one of those people upon whom our new government has had an immediate effect. There is a lot of anxiety and anger in the air. (As well as a lot of love and hope – lots of emotional energy jangling about the place.)
Lots of things are happening, all over the country. Many of the things I’m doing right now are normal, and that helps keep me grounded. But some things are not business as usual, and the ground can feel a bit rocky beneath our uncertain feet. Because of this, my stock of comfort foods looks like it will be expanding. We all need energy, and comfort, and fortification. The American experiment needs fuel, people! And at the moment, this means I’m making a lot of soup.
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by Laura
Or, what to make when you feel like embracing other cultures.
I feel like this is a time for pushing beyond familiar boundaries and making yourself aware that other people sometimes have great ideas (hey!), and that you should try them. In this case, the great idea is the yeasted pancake, which I have never, ever tried (even though I have my eye on someone’s – Mark Bittman, maybe? – yeasted waffle recipe to try soon). I have made yeasted breads and buns, but pancakes are a thing of the moment for me, and yeast requires delayed gratification. I love my pancakes with the deep conviction of a weekly childhood pleasure, but I rarely stray too far from my mother’s version. And if I do, it is to add something like ground flax or blueberries to the batter, not to jump ship entirely to a far away land and a savory perspective. Well, friends, let this be a lesson to me.
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by Laura
Or, what to make when your buddy passes the U.S. citizenship civics exam.
And there was much rejoicing.
Not so much because the test was super hard, though buddy prepped like a champion. More so because this is immigration, and it is happening at this point in time, and reaching each new stage of the process feels like a victory. So, of course, pie.
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by Laura
Or, what to eat when you want some new comfort food.
This recipe was my first foray into kimchi at home, and it will not be my last.
I’m simultaneously intimidated by and attracted to most fermented foods. They sometimes smell funny, they are ALIVE (cue Frankenstein claw hands)… but they are also usually really tasty, and I’ve heard tell that they are good for you. In light of this, I’d say that this recipe is a good place to start for folks looking to expand their comfort food horizons.
I’ve had my eye on versions of this fried rice recipe for a while. See Amelia Morris’s version here, as just one example. And as usual, I don’t know why I didn’t make this sooner. This was one of the fastest first-try meals I’ve made lately, and it was so uncomplicated and tasty that I will be making a version of it again soon.
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