If I subscribed to the “everyone else doing it” approach to life, I could have found myself in all sorts of scrapes. Had I been the type to follow along with the crowd blindly, my teenage years would have been littered with mishaps and missteps—I might have shoplifted tote bags from the boutique next to the soft pretzel stand in the mall, or decided that accepting a red Solo cup filled with something called “Jungle Juice” proffered by a boy with good hair in a faded Nantucket red baseball cap was a good idea.
Read moreNUT BUTTER BROWNIES
Where to begin, really? Since the beginning of March when I last wrote something here, the world has changed rather dramatically. Plot twist, as they say! Like many of you, I’m not quite able to articulate much about the present circumstances. (Thank goodness for emojis, I suppose.) There’s a lot I could say but none of it would come as much of a surprise to you—for once, we’re all experiencing a very similar mix of emotions, which creates an oddly powerful sense of solidarity.
Read moreDARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE SOUR CREAM CAKE
If you grew up in England, or somewhere in proximity to British candy and grocery brands, you might have fond memories of eating Terry’s Chocolate Orange, a round orb of chocolate flavored with orange oil that “peels” apart in sections to mimic the shape of a real orange. I didn’t experience one until after college, when I used to frequent a tiny British sweets and tea shop in the West Village (which felt like stepping into the pages of a picture book set in a small town in 1950s England). I’d stand in the dim light of the shop, ogling the unfamiliar packages and wrappings: Cadbury flake bars and Rowentree fruit gums and McVitie’s Jaffa cakes and Fortnum & Mason lemon curd. Reading the names off the candy shelf sounded like something out of Harry Potter: fizzers and chewits and salted sweet cats and licorice sherbet sticks and peppermint creams.
Read moreBASIC FLAKY BISCUITS
Should we talk about empowerment? Why not. It is Saturday after all, and the sun is shining. You could go out and do whatever you want in the world right now. You could be cheerful and hopeful in the face of widespread global anxiety. You could make other people feel a little bit more at ease (because, let’s be honest, no one can fully predict what comes next so a little hope and positivity can’t hurt). You could check something off your to-do list, or send someone a handwritten postcard, or make a funny bracelet that reads “#1 goddess” for your best friend using sparkly plastic beads from a nearby toy store. [I did not do this for anyone, but feel free to make me one and mail it to me. I also accept woven friendship bracelets and my favorite colors are blue and pale green!]
Read moreCRACKLY FUDGE BROWNIES
On mornings when I wake up early, I open the heavy linen curtains that cover the French doors in the bedroom. A soothing slate-gray, they black out almost all light, which is key for me at night (although I’m a relatively adaptable sleeper, I prefer a cool and dark and silent room when I have the choice). The curtains were put up by a previous tenant of the apartment, and while I’d never have opted for something so elegant, I’m awfully glad they did. Two heavy crystal knobs are attached to either side of the French doors, and I hook the curtains around them.
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