Tell Me How It Ends by Valeria Luiselle

Small but powerful is how I would describe this essay. The author, an immigrant from Mexico herself, writes a reflection on her experience as a volunteer translator for children who cross the border into the United States alone. She tells her story in a series of forty questions which consist of things that her children have asked her, things that she translates when children are being interviewed to assess their eligibility for asylum, and then answers that she gives, answers that she hears, and the thoughts she has about the particulars of the process and overall. This is a hard book to read, thinking about my own children if they were to be in such a position. The fact that 80% of both girls and women who cross the border are raped at least once is so painful to think about. I am a woman, and I have grand daughters. What would I have to do? The violence that we in the United States have sown in Latin America and the complete lack of empathy or responsibility that is acknowledged for the resulting misery is sadly laid out unflinchingly. Please read this book and then consider what needs to be done about reuniting traumatized children with their families and trying to build a life. The private prisons holding immigrants need to be eliminated, and those that abused children rather than safeguard them should be held accountable. We are very far from accomplishing these goals, but they are laudable ones.

Blood Orange and Campari Cake

This is a very dense cake from the Venetian cookbook Polpo. Be sure the be prepared to have many guests, or share it, or freeze it, or halve it, because you can only eat a small piece of this cake with grown up flavors. 8 blood oranges 350g Greek yoghurt 600g caster sugar 4 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten 250g butter, melted and cooled 350g fine semolina 100g ground almonds 100ml Campari Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Finely grate the zest of 4 of the blood oranges and set the fruit to one side. Get a large mixing bowl and put in the yoghurt, 300g of the caster sugar and the lightly beaten eggs. Stir in the cooled butter and finally fold through all the dry ingredients including the orange zest. Scrape the mixture into a 23cm greased cake tin and put into the oven. Check to see if the cake is ready after 15 minutes. Push a skewer into the centre; it should come out dry. Leave to cool in the tin. While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Put the juice of 8 blood oranges, the remaining sugar and the Campari into a heavy-based saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil. Allow the syrup to simmer and skim off any white scum. When reduced to a medium-thick syrup, remove from the heat. Prick the top of the cake all over with a toothpick and spoon the syrup over the warm sponge in a couple of batches until everything has been absorbed. Your cake is now ready. To serve, simply cut a slice and offer with excellent vanilla ice cream.

Homelands by Alfredo Corchado

I am reading in two non-fiction genres intentionally these days in order to better understand the African American experience and the immigrant experience. I started on this quest a little over a year ago in response to the regular killing by police of unarmed black men and the imprisonment, separation, and alleged sexual exploitation of migrant children seeking asylum. This is one such book. Corchado is a journalist, but the story is largely told about his personal experience, some of which is related to his profession but a lot of it is about his struggle with what homeland means to him and to his closest friends and family members. His family immigrated to the United States when he was young and they all had experience picking produce in the Californis Central Valley, but once they had green cards and some degree of financial stability they moved to the border. The author does a good job of talking about the phenomena on the US-Mexico border as it relates to Mexican families. Some live on the US side, in his case El Paso, and some live on the Mexico side, but for them the border is without meaning, a fluid place that regardless of which side you live on your family, your culture and your language are the same. Corchado sent to college in El Paso, but then moved for his first job. He found two things: the first that he deeply missed his family and culture, so much so that he sought out people who were like him where he was. The second is that he wanted to return to the land of his birth, to live in Mexico. It was like he had a homing device, always pulling him southward. Over the years covered in this memoir he does return home and he does live for a time in Mexico, but as is true for many immigrants, he became a part of his new country as well, and to my ear he ends up feeling that his homeland is where his friends and family are, that it is not one place but rather many.

Zuchinni and Arugula Salad

This is another recipe from Russell Norman's cookbook of Venetian food. If you cannot travel, cook meals that remind you of place. My spouse finds this decreases his interest in travel, and I find that mine soars and my hopes at the moment are currently dashed. I made this with cucumbers instead of zucchini because it is not summer here (minus zero kind of weather), but I think that zucchini would be great. I sliced the cucumber thin, but I would mandoline the zucchini. The Dressing: 1/3 c. good olive oil one lemon zested and squeezed (about 1/4 c. of juice) minced shallot dab of Dijon mustard salt and pepper Use enough to dress the zucchini you make (there are three cucumbers here, tossed with baby rocket), add the arugula, to taste, and if it is actually summer, add some fresh herbs. You will not be disappointed.

Judas and the Black Messiah (2020)

This movie is part crime thriller, part civil-rights historical drama, and all about the wrongs perpetrated on blacks who tried to change the course of their lives in America. It tells the story of the rise of the Black Panther Party’s deputy chairman, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), and the informant who helped the FBI orchestrate his assassination, Bill O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield). We learn the thinking behind the Black Panther Party, created in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale to fight against state-sanctioned violence and provide real aid to black communities in need. They were referred to as a “Black-nationalist hate group” by the FBI and subject to the most aggressive targeting by the FBI. Although Hoover also surveilled Martin Luther King Jr. and other black civil rights groups, he saw the Black Panthers as a real threat to white supremacy--they attempted to organize all disenfranchised groups together, including poor working class whites, to form a coalition to make all their lives better. They attempted to dismantle the caste system, and for that they were hunted, bombed, and murdered. The casual racism is shocking and rings true. A painful but moving watch.

Polpette in a Basic Tomato Sauce

We had a Valentine's Day weekend Italian meal with these delisious meatballs as a part of it. My spouse even cooked some to make sure the seasoning was good. These are tender, and tick all my meatball loving boxes. Ingredients • 1/2 c. breadcrumbs • 500g minced beef • 500g minced pork • 1 large egg, beaten • 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped • 150g Parmesan, grated • Extra virgin olive oil • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 200ml passata • 1 x 400g tin Italian chopped plum tomatoes • Small handful flat parsley, chopped • Small handful basil leaves, torn • Flaky sea salt • Black pepper 1. Put the stale breadcrumbs into a small bowl and cover with milk. Leave for 20mins, churning once or twice with a fork, until the milk has absorbed and the bread is mushy. 2. Place the minced beef and pork into a large mixing bowl and add the egg, half the chopped garlic and two-thirds of the Parmesan. Turn several times with your hands and add a good pinch of salt and a twist of black pepper. Now introduce the mushy bread, squeezing the excess milk off first, and spend several minutes mixing together with your hands to incorporate everything smoothly. 3. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Roll the meat mixture into 20 even spheres, roughly the size of ping pong balls. Place onto a baking sheet and drizzle a little oil, evenly coating the meatballs by moving them around. Add a good twist of salt and pepper and place in the hot oven for 12–15mins, turning once halfway through, until golden brown. 4. Meanwhile, gently heat a few glugs of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the chopped onion and the remaining chopped garlic. When the onion is soft and glossy, add the passata and chopped tomatoes with a very good pinch of salt. Simmer on a low heat for 15mins stirring occasionally, add the parsley and basil towards the end with a twist of pepper, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. 5. Serve the meatballs in the tomato sauce with the remaining Parmesan on top.

The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper

I picked this out because it was on the New York Times Notable Books list for 2020 and because I cannot yet go into a library to peruse books, so I am living solely at the hands of my hold lists. This has been going on for a year--and rightly so--but it has changed what I read. This is a memoir by a black emergency medicine physician. One of the challenges about a story that is told in a language you can best understand is that sometimes it is down right irritating, and that is occasionally true with this book. I am a mental health care professional, which lends a point of view that is not always generous. I am very sympathetic to the author's struggles as a woman, and as a person of color I can only imagine that makes the situation more prejudicial. The fact that someone said out right to her that as a woman she cannot be put in charge of a program in the hospital she is in. I have experienced more veiled sexism, but regularly over a thirty year career that just wears on you after a while. I myself finally decided to end my career as a member of the troops rather than one leading them, and it has been an unexpected joy to not have to fight those battles any more. She has some points of view that I struggled with, and I wish it had been either a book about her personal life or her professional life rather than both, but in the end I was happy that I had read it, but will likely skip her next book.

Baked Pasta with Greens

This is a super sumple baked pasta dish for a weeknight meal. I prefer making a bechamel, but I cannot deny that this is quicker, and serves as a good side dish rather than as a main. 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces ½ cup panko bread crumbs 2 cups finely grated Parmesan 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from 1 lemon) Black pepper 1 pound casarecce, cavatappi or other small tubed or curly pasta 1 bunch greens 1 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 small garlic clove, grated 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Place the butter in a 9-by-13-inch/3-quart pan or baking dish and transfer it to the oven to melt while the oven heats; remove it from the oven once it’s melted. In a small bowl, stir together the panko, 1/4 cup Parmesan and the lemon zest. Add 1 tablespoon of the melted butter from the baking pan, stir until the panko is moistened with butter, then season with salt and pepper. When the water’s boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions suggest. During the cooking, add the greens. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and broccoli rabe. Whisk the cream, garlic and pasta water into the melted butter in the baking dish until smooth. Add the remaining Parmesan in large handfuls, vigorously whisking until smooth and combined. Add the pasta, broccoli rabe and half the mozzarella. Taste, and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until very combined. Top with the remaining mozzarella, then sprinkle evenly with the panko mixture. Bake until the mozzarella has melted and the panko is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Da Five Bloods (2020)

Wow, this is a difficult movie to watch. On some level it starts out as a love letter to a fallen comrade, and an attempt to recapture a youth lost as soldiers in Vietnam. On another level it is about greed and the power of money in general and gold in particular to corrupt. It is a combination of Apocalypse Now and The Treasure of Sierra Madre, so close that there are deliberate references and imagery from both movies. Then there is the irony that these black American soldiers were fighting for something that they themselves did not have in their home country--freedoms that they lacked because of the color of their skin. The other irony that we can see much better from the distance of years is that we were of course fighting on the wrong side all along, that the protection of the colonialist French who exploited the country and it's workers had far less to offer the people of Vietnam than the brutal colonialists, and in the end we just left, providing little in the way of an exit strategy for those who supported the South Vietnam war effort. All of this sounds complicated and it is, but in the hands of Spike Lee we are guided through it. He even manages to bring in the current civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, and weaves that deftly into the take home message. The story is that a band of five black soldiers, led by Norman (Chadwick Boseman, in his last role), leaned upon each other to survive. Norman is killed in action, at the sight of a helicopter crash where they find a trunk full of gold. They bury both the gold and Norman with the intention of coming back some day to retrieve them both. That is the mission they embark on, and it turns out about as well as you would guess. Very powerful, a 1/2 hour too long, and do not skip over it. Lee always has something worth listening to to say.

Cheddar Jalapeno Soup

We have entered into the full on soup making part of the winter, and this was a soup that could be shared with househild members who like spicy and those that don't, as the jalapenos are added on serving. This is hearty and very flavorful. 2 jalapeños 2 limes, halved Kosher salt and black pepper Large pinch of granulated sugar or a drop of honey 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large Spanish or white onion, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced ½ teaspoon chili powder, plus more for garnish 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 quart vegetable broth 2 cups grated Cheddar (8 ounces), plus more for garnish 1 cup half-and-half, or use 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream 3 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced Chopped cilantro, for serving Thinly slice the jalapeños, discarding the seeds if you like. Put slices in a bowl and squeeze in enough lime juice to cover them. Add a pinch each of salt and sugar. Let sit at room temperature while you make the soup. (The jalapeños can be prepared up to 5 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator; they get softer and more pickle-y as they sit.) In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery and a large pinch of salt, and sauté until lightly golden and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute. Add potatoes, broth and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Using an immersion blender or transferring the soup to a regular blender in batches, purée the soup, adding some water as needed to thin it out. (The soup can be as thick or brothy as you like.) Return the soup to the pot if you removed it and reduce heat to medium-low. Add cheese and half-and-half, and cook at a very gentle simmer, stirring, until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Top each bowl with pickled jalapeños, plus a drizzle of their pickling liquid and a pinch of chili powder, along with scallions, cilantro and more Cheddar.

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1989)

We have been enjoying a movie newsletter which contains some current movies, but is largely made up of long ago movies, some of them less easy to find, that were perhaps under appreciated in their own time or now. The idea is that we revisit them with a modern eye and see what we think. This film, which is a combination of a Salvador Dali movie with Rocky Horror Picture Show and perhaps The Meaning of Life. 

Picture it if you will. The movie has a lot of violence and some male (and female) full frontal nudity, as well as some graphic language and sex that in it's time it was teetering on the verge of an X-rating. In many ways the abuse that is meted out is the most disturbing aspect of the movie. The wife is clearly battered and no one says a word about it, preferring to look the other way, which is exactly how such women end up dead, killed by their batterers. The movie takes place against a dystopian backdrop where there is a pack of dogs roaming the streets and no people whenever the camera ventures out of the restaurant where most of the action takes place.There is an almost play-like quality to the movie, where very little of the action takes place outside of the front of the house of a high end restaurant or in the back of the house in the same dining facility. A boorish mobster dines there night after night with his underworld colleagues and he bullies each and every one of them to the point that they are sick--sometimes literally. Helen Mirren plays his long suffering wife, Georgina. She eyes a fellow dining patron, and begins a quite torrid affair with him first in the bathroom and then in various rooms in the back of the restaurant, where they care not who sees them, and rely completely on the staff's discretion. All does not end well for the lovers, and it is an unexpected and yet fitting end to the whole sordid tale.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I have to admit that while I have yet to bake out of Sara Kieffer's new and very popular cookbook, 100 Cookies, I have been very lucky to be surrounded by people who do. This week's confection comes from my eldest son and eldest granddaughter, who is an early bloomer when it comes to loving chocolate. My mom should be very proud, because while neither my brother nor I inherited her deep abiding love of chocolate, it appears that her genes have been indeed passed on. These are #8 in the book and very good. 2 cups (284 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (100 grams) for rolling 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line three sheet pans with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) of the sugar, and beat again until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat again on low speed until combined. Place the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) of sugar in a medium bowl. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce (45-gram) portions (2 tablespoons). Roll each ball in the sugar. Place 8 cookies on each sheet pan. Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are set and the top begins to crackle, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove the cookies and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 day (I recommend popping them in the freezer right away myself.

Hundreds of Preventable COVID Deaths in Iowa

The one question in my mind is will #COVIDKim be prosecuted, if not criminally, then civil court? I can only hope that the arc of history moves slowly towards justice, because the current day Republican party, both in Iowa and nationally, has so much blood on it's hands as to be worthy of criminal prosecution. COVID is just one of the wrongs perpetrated on the pwople of Iowa. It should not shock me. Kim Reynolds said back in August that Iowa still had hospital beds available so there was no need to increase restrictions in response to the rapid rise in the number of cases. On the record she made it clear that her job is not to protect individuals but rather herself and those who she is beholden to and not the public. The result was that young people got COVID, gave it to vulnerable elders and some of them died as a result. The hospitals had to create numerous new ICU beds and staff them with whatever resources they could muster, but there were beds for people to die in. Now, as over 50 Iowans a day die of COVID, she has lifted all restrictions, while bungling the vaccine effort more thoroughly than any other state. Iowa is dead last in administering vaccines, and people are dying as a result. The projection for total deaths from COVID if we had locked down completely was 300 people total--now that has on occasion been the weekly death toll. I hope there is a reckoning day, if not now then in the future. Kim Reynolds should resign and let someone else clean up her mess. She is not up to the task.

Romaine with Olives, Parmesan, and Pickled Onions

This is a variation of an Alison Roman salad, which is the one area of hers that I return to over and over again. This is put together in nothing flat--I mean 10 minutes, and it is beautiful and delicious. 1 fresh chile, thinly sliced 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced ¼ cup cider vinegar 2 tsp honey Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 oz olives, pitted and crushed 1 tbs fresh oregano, coarsely chopped ( 1/2 tsp dried if you must, which I did) 1-2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped big ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, very rough chopped enough olive oil--about a 1/4 c. should do About ½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving Instructions Combine the chile, onion, vinegar, and honey in a dish. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for 5 minutes or so to soften and marinate the onion. After at least 5 minutes, add the olives and oregano to the onion and toss to coat. Arrange the lettuce and parsley on a large serving platter. Spoon the onion mixture over evenly. Don’t leave any of the vinegar behind. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter with cheese and serve immediately with more cheese for passing at the table.

House Afire

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial was a battle of meaning against nothing-means-anything-and-everything-is-the-same nihilism—and nihilism won, Masha Gessen writes in the New Yorker. I feel this deeply. The Senate failed to convict the ex-president of sedition and crimes against they themselves, and the circle if complete. The Senators themselves are morally bankrupt. They serve not the country or the people they were elected by, but only themselves. All in all I think it was the only win that could be expected, that the House Managers would lay their case out in such a way that no one would be left wondering what happened, only what they feel about it. Our history is part of world history, so it is not how we judge ourselves but how the world judges us, and we already have the verdict on that. If democracy survives, then there is no question how this will be judged. There has been no greater assault on a peaceful transition of power. There is no evidence of a steal, no revolt in states that were called for Biden. Even with the lack of fair play in our democracy, it was not close. The GOP is the party of bitter cheaters. Give them no quarter. Move forward.

Mushroom Quiche

I cannot say why this is but I had a hankering for quiche, which is apparently very much ut of vogue because I had trouble finding a recipe for one in any of my more recent cookbooks--including a French one that was published this year--but much as I suspected, I very much enjoyed this. I put it in a deeper tart pan, which the crust recipe worked finr for, and doubled the filling. For the crust 1 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into bits, plus more as needed 1 large egg 1 teaspoon ice water For the filling 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small onion, finely chopped Salt Freshly ground black pepper 8 to 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean with a damp paper towel and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 3 tablespoons white wine or white vermouth (optional) 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary and/or basil 1/4 cup grated Gruyère, Swiss or sharp white cheddar 3/4 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2 2 large eggs 2 scallions, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced (optional) Directions For the crust: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and whir a few times to blend. Scatter the bits of butter over the flour and pulse several times, to form a coarse, crumbly mixture. Beat the egg with the ice water and pour it into the bowl in three additions, whirring after each one. (Don’t overdo it; the dough shouldn’t form a ball or ride on the blade.) You should have a moist, malleable dough that holds together when pinched. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn’t come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it lightly) and flatten it into a disk. Use butter to grease your tart pan — even though the pan may be nonstick. Roll out the dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Lift the paper often (so that it doesn’t roll into the dough) and turn the dough over so that you’re rolling on both sides. The rolled-out dough should be about 3 inches larger than the bottom of your pan. Transfer the dough to the tart pan, easing it into the pan without stretching it. (What you stretch now will shrink in the oven later.) Press the dough against the bottom and up the sides of the pan. If you would like to reinforce the sides of the crust, you can fold some dough over, so that you have a double thickness around the border. Use the back of a table knife to trim the dough even with the top of the pan. Prick the base of the crust in several places with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate or freeze the dough in its pan for at least 1 hour before baking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Press a piece of lightly buttered aluminum foil against the dough's surface and fill with dried rice, dried beans or pie weights. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. To partially bake the crust, bake (middle rack) for 20 minutes, then very carefully remove the foil (with its weights). Return the bare crust to the oven; bake for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to come to room temperature before you fill it. For the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet, preferably one that’s nonstick, over medium-low heat. Toss in the chopped onion. Season lightly with salt and pepper; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Add the mushrooms (to taste), season again lightly with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high; cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms are softened and browned here and there. At first, the mushrooms will sop up all the liquid in the pan, then they’ll exude it, then take it up again. Add the wine or vermouth, if using; bring to a boil and cook until it evaporates. Sprinkle the onion-mushroom mixture with 1 tablespoon of the minced herbs, cook 30 seconds more, and then transfer to a bowl to cool for at least 15 minutes. When you’re ready to bake the quiche, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the partially baked crust or chilled tart shell on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Sprinkle half the grated cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust and top with the remaining herbs. Spoon over the onion-mushroom mixture, avoiding any liquid that may have accumulated in the bowl. Lightly whisk together the heavy cream and eggs in a large liquid measuring cup just until well blended, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour over the cheese and mushrooms in the crust, then scatter the sliced scallions evenly over the top, if you’re using them, and the remaining cheese. Carefully slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake (middle rack) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the custard is uniformly puffed (wait for the center to puff), lightly golden and set. Transfer the quiche to a rack and cool until it’s only just warm or until it reaches room temperature before serving.

Executive Power to Erase

I agree on one point with the GOP and the New York Times Editorial board. Passing laws is a far superior way to shape policy than an executive order is. However, when the GOP refuses to even come to the table, much less pass a law, and vilifies any member of their ilk who steps out of line, thise where they leave us. So while it is less than ideal, I am cheering none-the-less. President Biden set about reversing what his predecessor had unleashed in the way of change that I cannot on any level believe in from the momnent he took office. He signed over a dozen executive orders in his first afternoon in office, and despite what must have been a powerful writers cramp, never the less he persisted. These are modest in some ways, just returning us to where we were when he was the Vice President. He is restoring priorities related to climate change, immigration, and LGBTQ rights. Biden is also preparing to work from the ground up to start to fight the pandemic. He restored our membership in the WHO, and while it continues to astound me, he is having to create a plan to fight the pandemic and implement it. Sadly, almost a year in, we still do not have N95 masks, we do not have anything even close to a national plan to fight the ongoing and increasingly deadly spread of the COVID virus. The lies of the previous administration persist, and people who beleive them will spread the disease and manymore loved ones will die, and that is not reversible. The step forward is talking about the dangers, being honest about just how badly we have done, and formulating a plan to vaccinate the country. So you keep going Joe. There are many of us who are relieved to see you jump into action from the get go, and are hoping you do not slow down.

Soul (2020)

After many moons, we finally got it together to have a moment of normalcy and watch a movie! We have been steeped in watching TV series that do not require much in the way of intellectual engagement, so we are rolling back into it slowly. The movie is a Pixar production in name, but it is hard to know what that means in the post-Disney take over. We watched it on Disney+ and there is definitely a Disney feel to it. I just hope that the Pixar method remains alive under the Disney umbrella. The movie is about a middle-aged never-married jazz pianist who has a near-death experience and gets stuck in the afterlife, contemplating his choices and regretting the existence that he mostly took for granted. He has dreams of making it big in music, and playing jazz is a time where he can really get transported to another plane, but he has never quite been able to make the leap to being a professional musician. He learns a lot about himself and the choices he has made when he mentors another soul, which is the memorable relationship in the movie. THis is good, worth watching with kids, and a contender to be an Oscar nominee in this odd season.

Detroit Style Pizza

We finally made this, and I have to say, that while the sheer weight of the ingredients may cause you to pause, it is a great deep dish style pizza, better (in my mind) than the more famous Chicago version. Find yourself some brick cheese (hint--Wisconsin is the place of origin), and whip this up one fine weekend day. I suggest lunch, which is what we did, because it is far too heavy for dinner fare. For the Dough: 300g bread flour (10.5 ounces; about 2 generous cups) 5g instant yeast (0.15 ounce; about 1 teaspoon), such as SAF Instant Yeast 9g salt (0.3 ounce; about 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt or 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt) 220g water (7.75 ounces; about 1 cup minus 1 1/2 teaspoons) Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed For the Sauce: 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil 3 medium cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons (about 5g) dried oregano Dash red pepper flakes 1 (28-ounce; 800g) can high-quality crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon (about 6g) granulated garlic powder 1 teaspoon (about 6g) granulated onion powder 1 tablespoon (about 15g) sugar Kosher salt, to taste To Finish: 12 ounces (340g) Brick cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note) 12 ounces (340g) high-quality natural-casing pepperoni, such as Boar's Head or Vermont Smoke & Cure, cut into 1/8-inch slices (optional) Directions 1. To Make the Dough in a Stand Mixer: Combine flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Stir to combine, then add water. Mix on low speed until dough comes together into a rough ball, then shut off mixer and let rest for 10 minutes. Continue mixing at medium-low speed until dough forms a smooth, silky ball, about 10 minutes longer. (It should stick to the bottom of the bowl as it kneads rather than riding around the edges.) Remove dough hook, form dough into a tight ball, set in the bottom of the mixer bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has roughly doubled in volume, about 2 hours. 2. To Make the Dough in a Food Processor: Combine flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add water, then turn on processor and process until dough forms a ball that rides around the bowl of the processor, about 30 seconds. Continue processing for 30 seconds longer. Transfer dough to a bowl, form a tight ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has roughly doubled in volume, about 2 hours. 3. To Make the Dough by Hand: Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then add water and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough ball of dough has formed. Set aside for 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a countertop and knead until a smooth, silky ball has formed, about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a bowl, form a tight ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place until dough has roughly doubled in volume, about 2 hours. 4. Pour a couple tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a Detroit-style anodized aluminum pan or two 8- by 8-inch cake pans. (Split dough in half if using cake pans.) Transfer dough to pan(s) and turn to coat in oil. Press down on dough and spread it toward the edges. You won't be able to get it all the way to the edges; this is okay. Spread it as much as you can without tearing, then cover tightly in plastic and set aside for 30 minutes to allow dough to relax. Return to dough and stretch it out again. It should be able to reach the edges this time. If not, let it rest a little more and try again. To get the dough to stay in the corners, stretch it up beyond the corners so that it pulls back into place. Once dough is stretched, cover again and set aside while you make the sauce. 5. For the Sauce: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 550°F (290°C), or as close to it as your oven gets. Heat 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add minced garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 3 cups, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt. 6. To Form the Pizza: Press down on dough with your fingertips to remove any large air bubbles. Lay half of pepperoni (if using) evenly over face of dough. Top with cheese, spreading it evenly all the way to the very edges of the pan, then add remaining pepperoni. Spoon sauce over surface in 3 even rows. (You will need only about half the sauce—save the rest for another pizza.) 7. Transfer to oven and bake until edges are black and bubbly and exposed cheese on top is starting to lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a trivet or folded kitchen towel on countertop. 8. Run a thin metal spatula all the way around the edges of the pan to loosen the pizza. Carefully lift it out and slide it onto a cutting board. Cut pizza and serve.

First Victorian House to the Last

It is our 40th anniversary today. That is a big number. Four decades. Half of a lot of people's lives. Hard to believe, other than when you do the math, and I realize that in order to be close to being eligible for Medicare and also be in the second highest COVID risk category that I am indeed quite old, does it even seem possible. It all started in this beautiful Victorian house on Charlesfield St. in Providence. The house was built in 1869 and had undergone many iterations before we lived there, and a few since we left, but it is a regal house even if we didn't always treat it as such. We found each other there, as well as making some life long friends, and learning how to live with other people in a big way. I learned a lot about myself living in a housing co-op and I definitely learned how to cook for a crowd, skills that have served me well.

Forty years down the road, children grown, we live in this house, built in 1864, during the Civil War. We have returned to a place that reminds us of our youth, and truthfully, it was in pretty similar condition to our first Victorian house when we started with it. This year, the year of the pandemic, has taught me quite a few things, some of them valuable. One is that a sense of community is not universal. It tuens out that there are a lot of people who do not see themselves as part of and responsible to a community. As a health care worker I have been largely spared COVID deniers and conspiracy theorists. I can shut that down within seconds, the stories I know are so sad. It hasn't been an easy year, but it also has not been the hardest we have endured. In the end, I continue to be forever grateful, going back to my mispent youth, that I found the love of my life so early on, and that we had this shared communal experience. May we make progress in 2021.

News of the World (2020)

We were invited to watch this with some friends recently, but were just too exhausted from literally setting up a new house with five bedrooms from scratch. They had been helping us, but just seemed to be more resilient that we are. In any case, they recommended this to us, and I would agree, it is a well worth seeing movie by the consistently good actor, Tom Hanks. The setting is Texas, 1870. So in a southern leaning state in the midst of Reconstruction. Hanks plays Captain Kidd, a veteran of not just the Civil War but two others, and he is battle weary, not to mention getting up in years. He goes from town to town reading the news to people who lack access to news and many of them cannot read. He is a story teller and he seems to like the rootlessness of the job. The scenery, shot in New Mexico, is staggeringly beautiful in a rugged and uninhabited west sort of way, and truly, the open and unapologetic rascism on display doesn't seem that different from what we have seen the last several years. Kidd comes upon an upturned wagon and a very blonde girl dressed in deer skins. She was adopted by Kiowa Indians who killed the rest of her family in front of her, and then she in turn saw her adopted family murdered in much the same way. Twice traumatized and not speaking the language, she is a handful, but he agrees to transport her to her aunt and uncle. The bulk of the movie is that journey, what we find out about Kidd as well as the realities of travel in the west in the late 19th century. The movie is quite predictable on one level, but very enjoyable, largely due to Hanks performance and the gift he himself has with story telling.

All The Devil's Are Here by Louise Penny

Louise Penny is an excellent murder mystery writer who imbues the Quebec province and Montreal itself with the cultural richness that it so richly deserves. Her main character is Inspector Gamache, and man who has risen to the top of his game, and then after a disaster or two, stepped aside to let others take the reins, but somehow he always manages to get involved in solving who is responsible for wrong doing. The only draw back to these books is that you really do need to know who all the characters are from previous books or you will be truly lost in this one. Like the Harry Potter books, and way more so for the movies, with no background it is just an assortment of interesting characters coming at you non-stop and often without context. This one is an homage to Paris, a place where Penny went for the first time with her husband, who had her falling in love with it instantly, showing her favorite places and spots, so much so that she hasn't been able to go back since his death. It is also a tribute to family, both the one you are born with and the one that you choose. What will you do for them, what will you give up for them, and what will you risk for them. It is a very strong installment into a great murder mystery series. Like with Pokemon, catch (and read) them all.

Pan Banging S'mores Cookies

I am sorry to say that I missed the opportunity to give Sarah Kieffer's new cookie cookbook, aptly named 100 Cookies, to mey eldest son, but luckily he has not held that against me, and continues to share gems from the book with us. When it dropped to $9 on Amazon not too long ago I took the opportunity to send it to a couple of people I thought would enjoy it, and that will have to suffice as the thanks he gets. This is his latest creation, made in tandem with his eldest daughter, and shared with us on a cold and weather filled Saturday in the frozen northern climes. I am not a huge fan of the original from which the cookie takes it's name, so it wouldn't take much to dazzle me, but these are delicious. 2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1½ cups granulated sugar ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 large egg 2 tablespoons water 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 ounces milk or semisweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces (averaging ½-inch with some smaller and some larger) 12 large marshmallows, cut into 2 or 3 slices, somewhere between ¼ and ½-inches (If your marshmallows are very thick, you will want to cut them in half or thirds horizontally) Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three sheet pans with aluminum foil, dull-side up. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, water, and vanilla, and mix on low speed to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate and mix into the batter on low speed. Form the dough into 3-ounce balls (about ¼ cup). Roll each ball into the graham cracker crumbs until fully coated. Place 4 cookies an equal distance apart on the sheet pans. Bake the cookies one pan at a time. Bake until the dough balls have spread flat but are puffed slightly in the center, 9 minutes. Lift one side of the sheet pan up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the center falls back. After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake for 15 to 16 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked. Remove the pan from the oven and place two or three thin square pieces of marshmallow on top of each cookie. Place the pan back in the oven for 45 seconds to 1 minute, just until the marshmallows start to melt. Remove the pan. Use a kitchen torch or broiler to gently toast the top of each marshmallow until golden. You can use a knife to very gently slide the marshmallow slightly across the cookie if you want more of the cookie covered, or leave as is. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the sheet pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days (or refrigerate for up to 3 days).

COVID Vaccine Reflections

The thing that stands out for me as the one stark difference between 2020 and 2021 is the COVID vaccine. I know, technically it was approved last year, but the very first day that you could get the Pfizer vaccine if you were not in a vaccine trial was December 14th, and seventeen days later, the very eariler that re-vaccination would be recommended would put you squarely into 2021. For oh so many reasons it is time for a do over, a restart in order to get off the treadmill of sameness that we have been on for almost a year and to think about what we might and might not be able to do going forward. The answer is that we don't quite know. At least to start off, it will change very little. We still wear masks in public places and masks and face shields are still haute coutour at the hospital. We still keep apart from each other, and we are not certain that vaccination keeps you from becoming a carrier of sorts. The other key point is that because we have done such a crap job of staying apart from each other, the virus has changed, mutating to a more contagious version of its former self and it just isn't clear what the response will need to be to that. The good new is that at least for right now, the time being, it seems like a big step in the right direction. It is just a shame that the whole thing became about the politics of re-election and 1/2 a million people had to die because the wrong man made the wrong choices and people chose to believe someone with a vacabulary that does not top 500 words over science and a man who has over 500 months of infectious disease experience. We cannot change what happened in the past, but let's work to make a brighter future.

Rice Pilaf with Raisins and Pistachios

This can be made with any dried fruit and any nut, of course. It is ideal for a meal where there is a dish that could use the rice to serve it with, but also if there is someone present who might not want the main dish, either because they are vegetarian of because they are children, or some other factor, and as the host you want to have something substantive for them to eat. 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom ¾ cup uncooked white rice 1 ¼ cups stock (chicken or mushroom are good options) ¼ cup chopped pistachio nuts ¼ cup golden raisins ¼ cup finely chopped green onions salt 1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook onion, turmeric, and cardamom, stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice and mix well. 2. Pour chicken broth into the saucepan, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 17 minutes. 3. Toast pistachios in a dry skillet until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes; remove from skillet and coarsely chop. 4. Place golden raisins in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 1 minute and drain well. 5. Remove rice from heat and allow to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Mix in pistachios, raisins, and green onions; season with salt.

The Hill We Climb

Amanda Gorman, the Youth Poet Laureate who performed at the inauguration of the 46th president was a phenomemon to behold. I encourage you to watch her poem in addition to reading it, because it is well worth the seven minutes it will take. If ever there was soaring oration, this is it and this is the time for it. **The Hill We Climb** When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We've braved the belly of the beast, We've learned that quiet isn't always peace, and the norms and notions of what just is isn't always just-ice. And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it. Somehow we do it. Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished. We the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president only to find herself reciting for one. And yes we are far from polished. Far from pristine. But that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. We are striving to forge a union with purpose, to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man. And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. We seek harm to none and harmony for all. Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true, that even as we grieved, we grew, that even as we hurt, we hoped, that even as we tired, we tried, that we'll forever be tied together, victorious. Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division. Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid. If we're to live up to our own time, then victory won't lie in the blade. But in all the bridges we've made, that is the promise to glade, the hill we climb. If only we dare. It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it's the past we step into and how we repair it. We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it. Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated. In this truth, in this faith we trust. For while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us. This is the era of just redemption we feared at its inception. We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour but within it we found the power to author a new chapter. To offer hope and laughter to ourselves. So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? Now we assert, How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us? We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be. A country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free. We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation, because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation. Our blunders become their burdens. But one thing is certain, If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy, and change our children's birthright. So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left with. Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one. We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west. We will rise from the windswept northeast, where our forefathers first realized revolution. We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states. We will rise from the sunbaked south. We will rebuild, reconcile and recover. And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful. When day comes we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid, the new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it.

Roasted Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar

We recently had dinner guests. Yes, we have friends who are vaccinated and we are acting accordingly. While we wear masks in public and at work, we socially distance (they were afterall at one end of a 12 foot table and we were at the other, with the food located squarely in the middle, to be puched back and forth), and we exercise caution, but we feel like we can make this move. And ultimately, we do need to know what exactly the vaccine will buy us in the way of normalcy. So I made this very traditionally Ottolenghi dish as part of the meal. Za'atar and tahini make me think that i might be able to travel again some day. I do not know why that is--we have been making oodles of Asian food and those are places I would love to explore or return to but somehow it is the edges of European food that make me pine for an international trip. This is easy and delicious. 1 large butternut squash (about 2 lbs.), cut into pieces 2 red onions, cut into wedges 3 1/2 tablespoons/50 ml olive oil 3 1/2 tablespoons light tahini paste 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons water 1 small clove garlic, crushed 3 1/2 tablespoons/30 g pine nuts 1 tablespoon za’atar 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 475°F / 240°C. Put the squash and onion in a large mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper and toss well. Spread on a baking sheet with the skin facing down and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions as they might cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 2. To make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl along with the lemon juice, water, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or tahini if necessary 3. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil into a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking. 4. To serve, spread the vegetables out on a large serving platter and drizzle over the tahini. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top, followed by the za’atar and parsley.

Women in Color

I haven't had the wherewithall to write too much about the insurrection at the Capital yet other than that it happened. It is just too much, too over the top, both in that it happened, and people died and that it could have been much worse, but also in that there were clearly members of Congress who aided and abetted the sedition, who are more proud and defiant than penitent. I am still processing what it means about our country. All of that is very bad news and eventually I will reflect on it but not yet. The inauguration was a complete repudiation of all that the previous administration stood for, which was very hopeful and joyous to experience and to think about in the aftermath. First there was the shattering of the hgeights that women can aspire to with Kamala Harris being sworn in as the Vice President of the United States. Her spouse was at her side, beaming at her, and clearly very proud of what she has accomplished and ready to take on the role of the first Second Gentleman. It was a soul lifting moment. I love the memes around it, which essentially say put your shoes on ladies, there is broken glass everywhere. I think we have all learned our lesson about what her election means, which is nothing beyondf the fact that she was elected, women continue to be subdued by the patriarchy in very real ways every single day, but it was and is a great moment, so bask in it if you are so moved. The other thing was that women were wearing bold and bright colors. None of the uniform of men was on display. Instead it was a celebration of a new day. Yes we can!