I’ve been doing a lot of waxing poetic recently. Maybe it’s the recent college visits for my daughter, maybe it’s being in my mid forties, maybe it’s the impending winter (sigh.). Maybe it’s that since Daylight Savings Time last weekend, it gets dark by 5pm (ugh!). Whatever it is, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what brings me comfort and how to find it. So let’s talk about finding comfort. Maybe these can help you too!
Well, it’s Wednesday, and time for another batch of good (food) reads. Here in the blustery midwest, we are digging out after our first real snowstorm of the year. The blizzard conditions made travel a bit anxiety provoking, but also made cozying up inside with a good book and comfort foods (give me all the carbs!) even more appealing than usual. On days like this, I love a piping hot cup of Aveda’s Comforting Tea and a slice of earthy, slightly spiced pumpkin bread (recipe coming soon to the blog!). What are your snow day favorites?
It may be a few days beyond meatless monday, but these Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco sauce look CRAZY good. Using chickpeas instead of bread to thicken the romesco is genius!
Speaking of bread, this Panzanella with Winter Squash and Sage, is next on my list. I had always thought panzanella was a summer-time only dish, with it’s heavy reliance on bright and fresh tomatoes, but this recipe uses roasted squash instead. Bring on the carbs!
Mardi Gras kicks off in one week! Do any of you make King Cake? NPR has a great article on the history of the king cake and all of it’s pop-culture permutations.
And because winter is the season for roasted everything, do yourself a favor and check out this piece from The Splendid Table featuring Michael Ruhlman talking about roasting. I particularly love the bit about testing your oven with Pillsbury biscuits! LOVE. Mostly because it’s an excuse to eat those totally-processed-but-oh-so-delicious weird little dough balls…
Take advantage of all the amazing winter citrus right now and make these Crunchy Chicken Spring Rolls with Blood Orange Dipping Sauce. Please. Thank me later.
Speaking of citrus, Heartbeet Kitchen featured Roasted Citrus Bowls with Honey Mascarpone and I almost drooled on my computer. Please go check it out. And while you’re there, someone convince me to get over my beet aversion and make these Fermented Beets. They are so pretty! (And I love pickles and they’re just like pickles, right? Right)
Finally, if you’re itching for some of the Avedea tea I mentioned and you want to try a DIY version, here’s a recipe from Wisdom and Honey. I think my next trip to the co-op will be in search of licorice root.
Until next week….