Good morning and happy Sunday. The theme this week appears to be people pushing to go back to normal, and in all the ways that feels so wrong. We’re still very much in the middle of a pandemic and black lives matter. The weeks ahead can be an opportunity to pull forward the elements of protest that need to be present in a daily basis and reject the elements of normal that weren’t actually working so well.
Here’s what I’ve been reading and cooking this week:
What I’ve Been Reading & Enjoying Recently:
Some interesting elements of the #BLM conversation:
This article and the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag on Twitter, where authors share their book advances to highlight racial disparities
Glitter Guide provides a resource guide for anti-racism.
The effect of large-scale anti-contagion policies on the COVID-19 pandemic.
What led to this racial crisis?
I found this artist among Meg Keene’s recommendations of black makers and artists and am seriously considering some of her pieces.
Also recently introduced to Olive and Artisan and might make this summery pesto pasta soon.
Here are some of the baking recipes that went over well this week:
These cookies & cream cookies (made with cream cheese and Oreos) from Sally’s Baking Addiction blog were a favorite with the kids.
We also made my cornmeal zucchini muffins earlier in the week.
Blackberry lavender naked cake from Half Baked Harvest
We enjoyed this fabulous raspberry ricotta cake because we had leftover ricotta from last week’s menu… it’s from Alison Roman via Bon Appetit, both the focus of criticism for bad behavior (and the editor of BA stepped down this week because of it)
What I’ve Been Cooking This Week:
Sunday: Nigella Lawson’s lemon linguine from the Washington Post’s Voraciously newsletter paired with a roasted beet & carrot salad (Food & Wine)
Monday: Simple pan-seared chicken thighs and lemon-butter pan sauce served with leftover lemon linguine
Tuesday: Pork chops with tarragon & cornichon sauce (honestly, there are better pork chop recipes out there)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Pizza
Friday: Coconut shrimp with mango-pepper aioli (Food & Wine) — it was excellent and I highly recommend, but I found the ingredients called for were well over double what was needed — halve everything except the shrimp and you’ll be fine.
Saturday: Leftovers
Coming up next:
Herby pasta with garlic & green olives
Cookie + Kate’s best cucumber salad
Curry chicken pitas + broccoli slaw (on the recommendation of my sister, who made it via Blue Apron)
Chinese chicken salad
Salmon + Smitten Kitchen’s smashed potatoes with corn
Maybe this summery pesto pasta (if not the link above)
