Cities are strange and occasionally wonderful places. The strangeness hits me differently, depending on the days. Sometimes the hodgepodge of it all is too much: I feel an acute sadness pressing in when I watch an old man clutch the subway pole as three loud teenage girls bump against him, shrieking and giggling, with no regard for their surroundings. The crowded streets give me a near-feverish anxiety one morning; the next, they infuse me with energy. Something new around every corner! People! Cars! Noise!
Read moreMASTER FRITTATA RECIPE
I'm sitting on the couch drinking a margarita. A margarita-ish, I should clarify: a slapdash approximation of the classic cocktail; a quick and dirty template you can stir together without worrying too much about ratios or jiggers or ounces. Thanks to a good friend with a keen sense for home bartending, I have the technique down pat. Squeeze one small lime and one medium orange into a glass over ice. (Strain it if you're fancy, but, I'm not.) Add a 2 second pour of triple sec and a 4 second pour of tequila. Bad day? 5 seconds of tequila. Really good, celebratory day? 6 seconds! Add a splash of seltzer. Stir. Drink. Repeat.
Read moreSPICED LAMB + CAULIFLOWER TABBOULEH
It's 9:44 PM on Thursday. I'm sitting on the couch with a blanket tossed over my lap. The dryer is clinking in the background, and the apartment is still warm from heat of the day. I threw open the windows this morning and let the sun stream in. Upstairs, the bedroom is cool and dark and quiet, and my bed awaits: I'll pull back the crisp white cotton sheets and slide in.
Read morePIZZA CHICKEN
So far tonight I've listened three times to "Here at the Right Time" by Josh Ritter, and I swear my knees get a little weak when he sings: my love for you was always sure / the bucket was broken / but the water was pure.
If you like his music, I also get stuck some days on "Homecoming" and "Girl in the War". And if you need to, say, run stair repeats or get dressed to go out at night (I KNOW THOSE ARE VERY DIFFERENT THINGS but oddly they benefit from the same sort of tunes), try "Getting Ready to Get Down".
Read moreSPICED LAMB & SWEET POTATO TAGINE
Some days feel a little off-kilter. Nothing you can put your finger on. The shower doesn’t get hot fast enough. It’s cloudy when you’re wishing for sun. You look at the clock too often, acutely aware of how long it takes to get from 2:30 to 2:40.
Other days are the opposite. You catch the subway seconds before the doors close, every time. You feel buoyant and chatty: The cashiers all smile at you. Your coffee tastes better than yesterday. The pear sitting on your kitchen counter has ripened perfectly, dripping juice down your fingers when you eat it outside in the sun.
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