Because I have been antisocial for much of January – can you get the winter blahs when it’s 65 and sunny most days? – I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Recent undertakings:
- Butternut squash and corn chowder, topped with toasted almonds, garlic butter breadcrumbs, Greek yogurt and parsley.
- Chai spice monkey bread, made twice in two days, for a baby shower and the Superbowl. In keeping with the fact that those events are opposites, the first time it was like bread, i.e. not very sweet, but the texture was perfect. The second time I used twice the sugar and drizzled the dough in butter. It refused to rise, but got rave reviews for richness.
- Avocado hummus was not really my jam (too much tahini? unsavory color?), but it was an excellent Superbowl food because it was accompanied by a huge tray of veggies (roasted cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, plus raw celery and cucumbers) that meant we snacked happily but didn’t want to die of gluttony afterwards.
- Homemade dulce de leche, which turned out ugly and lumpy and absolutely delicious. Coming home from a night out, reheating crepes, and smearing a dollop of dulce de leche on top redefined the late night snack for me.
Up next: garlic party bread, for which I will have to manufacture a party. Tough life.