Apparently, this super-sweet and nostalgic drink is in reaction to the rather tasteless, low-calorie drinks that are all the rage these days. Think Ranch Water (Topo Chico Sparkling water with lime juice and tequila), Vodka and Sodas and that awful canned beverage our kids love, White Claw.

Also, there’s the natural regression the Pandemic caused (anyone care to climb under the covers in their PJ’s and watch Bewitched with me?) and a regression to childhood pleasures, such as that classic childhood drink, the iconic Shirley Temple. And, with the (maybe?) ending of the pandemic, there’s that feeling of euphoria- let’s pop the cork and celebrate! Apparently, it was a perfect storm for the invention of the Dirty Shirley.

When I went to make this drink, my Rose’s Grenadine (the most popular type sold in the U.S.) was semi-solid and hard to pour out of the bottle, as apparently I hadn’t used it in years. Grenadine in a non-alcoholic drink, typically made with Pomegranate, sugar and water. Rose’s is made with high fructose corn syrup, water, citric acid and Red Dye#40, among other ingredients. It is VERY SWEET, so I only used half of what was called for.

As was this drink. I couldn’t bear to use regular Sprite, so used sugar free and only half the grenadine it called for. I lost a cherry at the bottom, so put a second on a drink umbrella to keep it afloat. As I choked down this concoction, I tried to imagine a scenario where I would actually enjoy this drink. Maybe if I was really drunk and someone sent a tray full over for the table? Or, if I was out with my grandson and wanted to drink a similar drink as his, but with a kick? I’m not really sure, but I don’t think I need to try this recipe again.

But that shouldn’t stop you from trying the “Summer Drink of 2022″. You may want to invest in a new bottle of Grenadine, however. The New York Times describes the taste of the Dirty Shirley as “syrupy, verging on the sickly sweet.” I couldn’t agree more.

Dirty Shirleys

Recipe by New York TimesCuisine: CocktailDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Here’s the recipe for a Dirty Shirley, a Shirley Temple with a kick.

Ingredients

• Ice

• 2 ounces vodka

• 1 ounce grenadine

• 8 ounces lemon-lime soda (7-Up or Sprite)

• 1 (or 2) maraschino cherry for garnish

Directions

• Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the vodka and grenadine to the glass. Top with soda and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Notes

• You can use Sugar Free Sprite, as I did, to reduce the sugar overkill.

Up Next: My New Favorite Cocktail

Ours was very low-key, lovely and small, at two tables eaten outside under the beautiful Miami sky. Zeke and I got the 17 pound bird in the oven around 9:30, then toasted ourselves with mimosas with fresh-squeezed orange juice, as we watched the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade. Thank God there’s some sense of normalcy about this year with the parade, even if there were no spectators on hand. The bands, Broadway performances, floats, balloons and Santa were out in front of Macy’s, as usual. The parade always reminds me of my grandmother Julia, who would call all of us grandchildren to remind us it was on.

I’d planned on eating at one long table, with two folding tables put together, but discovered that A.J. had taken hers, so we ate at two seperate tables. Everything went smoothly, but I always find it’s mass chaos 15 minutes before the Thanksgiving meal is to be served, especially since that’s when the gravy needs to be made. Mine turned out fine (recipe in former blog post) and our turkey was moist and juicy, the sausage stuffing and all the sides were delicious. After the meal, there was only one slice out of the “light” pumpkin pie I’d made and it wasn’t even from me, but from Wyatt. He decided he didn’t like it (oh well) so I gave him a mini ice cream cone (Hold the Cone Trader Joe’s) instead.

I had a slice the next day. It was… okay. Maybe I’ve lost my taste for pumpkin pie. I may make the remainder into ice cream, as I always like pumpkin ice cream. I also made the Pumpkin Ginger Sorbet from the NYT recipe, but forgot about it till after the meal. It was also just okay. I wouldn’t make it again, but wanted to try something new.

Lauren arrived Sunday from D.C. Since she’d flown in, Zeke and I kept our distance, but Emma had no qualms and came right over to see her big sister, the newly sworn-in lawyer. I made Arancini with leftover risotto I had from dinner in the Keys. I stuffed it with a hunk of cheese, breaded and fried it and served it with marinara sauce, perfect for snacking on with a glass of wine before dinner. For dinner I made Linguine with Clam Sauce with a green salad and garlic bread.

Tuesday night, my friend Martha had us over for dinner with another couple. She served my favorite appetizer (tostones with sour cream and caviar) with chilled champagne; we had delicious oysters from the Lazy Oyster for a starter on oyster plates Martha had recently acquired. Dinner was Roast Chicken with an orange sauce, a divine Truffle Risotto and a salad made with fresh greens from Enpower Farms. We sipped a lovely Chardonnay with the chicken and had a special Port with the rich Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert. I love, love, loved my birthday dinner!

The next day (Wednesday) was my actual birthday. Zeke and I went to Glass and Vine in Coconut Grove for dinner. It’s outside in Peacock Park and there was a Jazz trio playing music in the twinkly light setting, so it was a perfect Birthday Dinner restaurant. We split a charcuterie plate (Antipasto Tabla) to start, with grilled bread, olives, prosciutto and local burrata and a bottle of Albarino. We then had the Grilled Double Pork Chop with guava apple glaze and cabbage salad, Charred Cauliflower with tahini and chick peas and Crispy Yucca fries with cheese. All of it was delicious and they threw in a Guava Cheesecake for my birthday celebration. Luckily, no singing was involved.

The Friday after my Birthday, I made Turkey Hash (recipe in last blog) for lunch. We went shopping for a Christmas tree, unsuccessfully. Came home and drank wine by our pool and ate frozen pizza for dinner, while listening to Christmas music. I’d read an article about best frozen pizzas and Newman’s Own uncured pepperoni was one of the suggestions, so that’s what we ate, as it was quick, easy and most importantly, wasn’t turkey. It was quite good- a thin and crispy crust and tons of pepperoni. The pepperonis had gotten discombobulated on the top, so I re-arranged them before cooking. I do recommend this pizza if you like pepperoni, but I didn’t dare look at the calorie count.

We’d planned on going down to the Keys with Emma and Lauren and boyfriends for the weekend, but since we didn’t want to be in such close quarters, we stayed home instead. Zeke smoked a brisket Kelley had given us and watched the Alabama game (the Iron Bowl against Auburn) on TV. I made a yummy Corn Dip I remembered from a Horseshoe Party we used to attend on Thanksgiving weekend and served it with tortilla chips. We served the Smoked Brisket with coleslaw, Avocado salad, Baked Beans and Texas toast. It was all delicious and a welcome break from turkey.

On Sunday I tried another NYT Food recipe for a Middle Eastern Turkey Sandwich made with seasoned turkey meat, a cucumber/mint sauce, cabbage slaw with pomegranate molasses and a tahini/yogurt sauce, served on a pita bread half. Conclusion? It was ok, but too much work for the results. Give me an old fashioned Turkey Sandwich on white bread with Miracle Whip, stuffing, cranberry sauce and salt and pepper anytime. It is the first sandwich I make after Thanksgiving and may be the best sandwich I eat all year. That night, I made Josies’ Turkey Tettrazini, instead of my usual reliable Fannie Farmer. Sorry Josie, but I like Fannie Farmer’s better! And I started the process of making my Turkey Soup (also Fannie Farmer), a multi-day process.

Making turkey soup is a lesson in anatomy. First, I boil the turkey carcass with water, onions, carrots, celery and peppercorns and let it sit overnight. The fat comes to the surface (which I scoop off) and then the liquid below is a gelatinous goo. Then, I go through the bones, picking the meat off carefully, like a surgeon at work. First, I locate the large bones- legs, wings, etc…, then the skinny flat bones, which must be in the turkey’s wings; I imagine a turkey in full flight at this discovery. Then, floating on top, are the white, flabby gelatinous hunks of cartilage which come from the legs, that need to be discarded. The neck bones are long and intricate, with meat encased inside. This year, I found the tail bone stuck in the turkey! For some reason it didn’t make it outside when we roasted it. And then, there are a ton of little, teeny bones I find scattered all over my stock, which I worry someone could choke on if I fail to locate them. By the time my soup-making is over, I feel I know my turkey intimately. And then it’s time to re-heat the soup, add noodles and eat. Hopefully, no bone appetit!

Our old friend Jenny Larkin had a secret to her turkey soup and that was that she would put a little leftover stuffing in it to thicken it up, so I always do this too. Kelley added her gravy to her turkey soup and my tennis partner added stuffing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole to it, taking the leftovers to a whole new level. I gave some of this soup to my sister Elise Monday night and while she was over getting it, I got a Face Time call from my son Christopher. His wife Courtney had been induced earlier and I’d been waiting anxiously all day for any news.

This could be it!

I said, excitedly.

And sure enough, it was. Liam Jack Schild had just been born, so I got to see his sweet little face and his delighted mommy Courtney. Good job Courtney! He was born on November 30th at 7:06 p.m. and clocked in at 6 pounds 14 ounces. “Monday’s child is Fair of Face” is true for my little Liam, with chubby cheeks, a dimpled chin and long eyelashes. I can’t wait to see him in person and hold him in my arms!

In other Good News, my daughter A.J. got engaged on Saturday to Wyatt’s Dad Justin, in a sunflower field down South. And I got re-elected to the Yelp Elite Squad for 2021! Not as exciting as a new baby and an engagement but still, Yipee! 2020 isn’t a total loss.

After visiting three Christmas tree lots, we finally ended up getting our tree at the Fireman’s Lot. It was the second tree we looked at and was tall and full. Zeke takes great pride in stringing the lights around each branch of our Christmas tree and it always looks beautiful, but it is a project. The Zeke Guilford Tree Lighting Ceremony is a multi-day event, involving much drinking and swearing. One year, different strings of lights went out like three times and, in the end, we just gave up and had a partially-lit tree. To help spirits along with this chore, I put on Christmas music and pass balls of lights to Zeke as his assistant, but when I suggested getting a pre-lit Balsam Hill Christmas tree this year, to save him time and aggravation, I was shot down like a ton of bricks. Oh well, perhaps 2020 isn’t the year to mess with tradition.

Up Next: Easy Appetizer for the Holidays.

My last time playing was a match in March against my old team at Dante Fascell, where my partner threw down her racket and said she quit because she refused to play with cheaters. We eventually resumed the match and ended up winning, but it was a dramatic end to our season. Anyway- it was so nice to be out on the court getting exercise and fresh air, but even nicer to reconnect with old friends and teammates.

“Tennis has been my sanity,” said my friend Ellen, who arranged the game.

“My horses have been mine,” said Lulu, who is married to a vet and lives in the Redlands on a large property.

“Mine has been the Keys,” I said. Also walking and gardening, but mostly the Keys.

“I have never cooked so much in my life,” said Ellen, who of all my friends has been the most cautious. She just started getting take-out and only from Sage.

A petite brunette who is a Weight Watcher Leader (now retired) she said, “I went to Publix and finally weighed myself after months. I gained weight.” She attributed it to all the tasting she’s been doing while cooking. We all admitted we’d gained weight during the lock down, out of boredom and having to cook all the time.

“I’m having a hard time social distancing from my refrigerator.”

Lulu

“The first thing I think of when I wake up is ‘What should I make for dinner tonight?’ There’s just something wrong with that,” said Lulu.

We all agreed it’s been a struggle to come up with interesting menus for meals, especially Ellen who doesn’t eat red meat or pork. She said the other night she’d been at her daughter’s visiting the grandchildren and got home at 7 pm, with nothing prepared for dinner.

“You’re getting an omelette tonight,” she said to her husband Mark.

“Fine,” he said.

Our fourth tennis player, Martha said her husband likes to eat whatever he’s in the mood for that day, making it impossible to plan ahead.

“It’s very challenging,” she admitted.

My husband Zeke isn’t that challenging, but he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy so my soup and sandwich dinners, or breakfast for dinner, don’t go over too well with him. The other night I was attempting a complicated New York Times recipe for Smoky Eggplant Croquettes by Gabrielle Hamilton. I broiled the eggplant, peeled it and strained off the juices, added olive oil, garlic and salt and spread it out on the silpat as instructed. I then got to the next part of the directions: Freeze overnight. They always say you should read a recipe through before you start, and this is a perfect example of why that is a good idea.

At any rate, I had to cook something for dinner, so I dumped a box of Farafelle pasta into boiling salted water and served it with homemade pesto, chopped chicken from leftover Publix rotisserie, sun-dried tomatoes and some crumbled feta cheese. Roasted pine nuts would’ve been a welcome addition, but I didn’t have the energy. It was good enough for a last minute dinner and the next night, I took the frozen eggplant out, cut it into rectangular chucks, refroze it and then dredged it in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried it at 350 degrees. It tasted really good, although some of the croquettes were still cold in the middle.

My idea had been to serve the croquettes as part of a Mezze platter, with Trader Joe’s grape leaves, cherry tomatoes, black olives, cucumber slices, hummus and homemade pita bread. This idea did not float with Zeke. He didn’t even know what a Mezze platter was (“You’re too fancy for me”) and doesn’t like grape leaves, tomatoes, olives or hummus. There’s something about the texture of mushy foods (he has a similar aversion to avocados, mushrooms and asparagus tips) that Zeke can’t stand and he doesn’t feel appetizers are an actual dinner. Personally, I could eat appetizers for dinner every night, but not Zeke, so he made some skewers with beef and veggies, that he then grilled.

Skewers are an easy dinner to make if you have meat on hand. Don’t buy the pre-made skewers, as these are more expensive. We used top sirloin, cut in chunks with sliced Vidalia onion and yellow bell pepper and I sprinkled it all with a good dose of Greek seasoning. You could use chicken instead of beef, or even scallops or shrimp, but in that case, skewer your veggies separately, as they will need more time to cook. Zeke put his grilled beef skewer and veggies in the homemade pita with some hot sauce, for an easy sandwich.

The Homemade Pita Bread was a New York Times recipe and, while rather fun, I’m not sure I would make again. It was cool to see them puff up in the oven and they were softer than pita bread you buy in the store, almost like a na’an. As I was kneading the dough into little balls I said to Zeke:

“I get why people have gotten into baking in the Pandemic.”

Me

You sprinkle the yeast into water with sugar, wait for it to bubble up, then add the flour and cover it. It doubles in size, like a miracle, smelling yeasty and full of life. You bunch it down (theraputic) and knead it on a floured surface until it transforms into a satiny dough. Shape it into balls, bake it- creation! Like playing Dr. Frankenstein in your own kitchen, baking is both restorative and healing. It’s something totally under the creator’s control, something we’ve all been craving during this crazy time of our lives.

I am, however, perfectly ok with buying Daily Bread pitas at Publix and they certainly seemed more uniform in size than my misshapen attempts. They did work great with some scrambled eggs and tomatoes for breakfast.

Dinner of the week definitely goes to our dinner Saturday night at Martha and Luis’s house. First, we had Torchon pate from D’Artagnan, the Duck Store. It was smooth and creamy, like butter with no heavy gamey taste; served with little toasts and chilled Veuve Cliquot champagne, it was heavenly. Dinner was two ducks from D’Artagnan, that Luis had roasted and Martha made Julia Child’s Duck a l’orange sauce to adorn the bronzed beauties. Divine! They served the duck with fingerling potatoes and onions that had been roasted in duck fat and couscous with golden raisins. I made a green salad to serve with dinner, for a little lightness and to get some greens in.

Martha set a beautiful table, we were socially distanced at opposite ends of the table; their daughter Carolina joined us. It was all delicious and I’d used my ice cream maker to prepare two different frozen concoctions from The Last Course for dessert. Black Peppercorn ice cream (really!) was a revelation, served with Strawberry Sorbet and shards of golden, Pistachio Nut Brittle. I loved the combo of flavors with the clean fruitiness of the strawberry sorbet, cutting the rich and slightly spicy peppercorn ice cream. And who doesn’t like homemade brittle?

A.J. asked me if I wanted Wyatt for one last Gigi Camp. Hmmm… I thought about the peace and silence of the Sanctuary, of morning yoga and time to write, sipping my coffee in bed, of long walks listening to podcasts and the glass of frozen rose waiting for me when I returned, and of being able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted for dinner. But then I realized Wyatt was starting school soon and this would be my last time this summer to have him for Gigi Camp, so of course I said yes.

We went to the grocery store to stock up on Wyatt’s favorites- Spaghettios and yogurt- and to get the fixings for a Shark Week Sundae (marshmallow fluff, fruit roll ups, ice cream, blue sprinkles, sugar cones) when Wyatt spotted a shiny, green Hot Wheels car on display at the end of the aisle. I bought it for him and said he could get it on the condition that he listen to me all day. Well, he didn’t get it the first day, but he did the second day. The third day, I had a Zoom Meeting. For some reason, every time I’ve had one this year, I’ve had Wyatt.

I put him up in my bedroom, with my phone on a show he liked and went to my computer set up downstairs. I have to say this about Zoom meetings. Everyone can see you people! During this particular one, I saw someone eating lunch, someone licking envelopes, another person was wiping their nose, someone else was moving locations and another person shuffled papers around in their makeshift office. When I heard “Gigi, help!” I put the top of my laptop down and ran upstairs. Wyatt’s show had ended, or some such emergency. I resolved it and went back to Zoom.

After the meeting, I took Wyatt to lunch at Key Largo Fisheries because they have a good Peel-n-eat shrimp and he loves shrimp. My friend Elmy describes Key Largo Fisheries as like a “Shorty’s for seafood”, but unlike Shorty’s, there are no servers. You wait in line, order and have to go pick up your order when the buzzer beeps.

Someone at the Sanctuary told me the way Key Largo Fisheries started was that fishermen would bring their catch to the Pilot House restaurant, but when the Pilot House had bought its fill, the fishermen were left with the rest of their fish. Key Largo Fisheries opened in 1972 to buy, and then sell, the extra seafood as a Seafood Market. This is where most locals come to get their fresh fish, stone crabs and lobster to cook for dinner. All the food I’ve ever eaten here has been fresh and good.

Anyway, this lunch was a lesson in indigestion. We ordered, sat by the water where we fed the fish pellets dispensed for 25 cents out of a glass dispenser. Luckily, I had plenty of quarters to keep the fish fed and Wyatt entertained. We saw yellowtail, parrotfish, barracuda and even a shark, which Wyatt spotted. We got buzzed, I picked up our food and returned to the table. Wyatt took one bite of his shrimp and started crying.

“It’s too spicy!” he said.

So, I went back up the steps to get a glass of water, which I brought back to the table to wash each shrimp off and peeled them. He then dunked them in ketchup (cocktail sauce is too spicy too) and gobbled them down. By the time I got around to my lunch- a BLT with Lobster– it was cold. The BLT with lobster didn’t really work for me- the little pieces of lobster kept falling out, the croissant was too soft for the filling and the bacon wasn’t cooked enough. Anyway, we finished our lunches and I promised Wyatt I’d get him a chocolate covered Key Lime Pie on a stick for dessert.

Alas, the The Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie Company was closed, so I took Wyatt to Dairy Queen to get a soft serve ice cream dipped in chocolate. We went outside to eat it and, if you’ve ever gotten a chocolate dipped soft serve ice cream, you know it’s a disaster waiting to happen, especially in 90 degree heat. The vanilla ice cream starts melting, leaking all over your hands and then you take a bite of the frozen chocolate shell that will inevitably slide, like an avalanche, down your cone and onto the ground. Wyatt’s cone proved no exception and the nice lady at DQ, who put sprinkles on his cone, only gave me one napkin! I kept trying to get Wyatt to throw away the rest of the cone, as he got increasingly messier, but he refused. He ate it down to the very last bite of soggy, criss-crossed interior filled with melted ice cream and random sprinkles. I washed him off with some water I had in my car and we headed back to the condo, where his parents were coming to pick him up.

“Well Wyatt, what was your favorite part of Gigi Camp?” I asked him.

“My new green car,” he said.

“Even better than seeing the shark?” I asked.

“No, actually my favorite part of Gigi Camp was spending time with you,” he said.

“Oh Wyatt! My favorite part of Gigi Camp was spending time with you!”

Heart melts here.

We both agreed we learned things from each other in this third and final session of Gigi Camp 2020. Wyatt learned that if you pick Neopolitan Ice Cream, you get three flavors in one carton. I learned that if the conversation you’re having on an I-Phone suddenly disappears, you tap the little square in the right hand corner to get it to reappear. Yes, I am getting technology tips from my four-year-old grandson.

I finished the TV show Catastrophe– I really liked it; there are four seasons. Carrie Fisher died during filming so they worked her death into the last episode. I really wish it would have gone on another season- I fell in love with the characters- but apparently the actor/writer Rob Delaney felt he had said everything he wanted to regarding marriage and relationships. Really? I feel that subject is a never-ending conversation.

GOOD NEWS! I got asked to be part of the Yelp Elite Squad. I said yes to YES and am looking forward to contributing to Yelp with restaurant and hotel reviews. I also get invited to special Yelp events through being part of YES.

BAD NEWS! My stepdaughter Lauren, who’s been studying her ass off the the Florida Bar Exam which was to be this week, found out it’s been postponed until October. By that time, she’ll be in school at Georgetown and who knows how much she’s studied for will be retained? Apparently, they’ve been having issues with the tests crashing in other states. Disappointing for everyone who’ve been studying for the Bar for months.

Lastly, here are some Foodie Newsletters I enjoyed, recommended by Taste. A Newsletter by Alison Roman, i love you egg, Some Meals Considered, On Hunger and You Can Do This.

Stay safe, read your recipe directions all the way through before you begin and keep on doing whatever keeps you sane!

Every time I look around (look around) Every time I look around (Every time I look around) Ooh baby, ooh baby It’s making me crazy It’s in my face

OMC

Up Next: A Simple Salad

1. Ricotta. This has been my favorite Pandemic project in my kitchen. You only need three ingredients to make the richest, lushest ricotta ever tasted. I’ve spread this on Banana Bread, on date nut bread with strawberries and on a rosemary cracker with a couple thin slices of Genoa salami. Fresh ricotta is also good as a dessert, with strawberries and balsamic, mandarin oranges and toasted almonds, or simply mixed with cocoa powder or cinnamon and sugar. Ironically, I wouldn’t recommend using it in lasagna, because the delicate and delicious taste will be lost in the mix. It’s really cool to watch how the milk immediately curdles when mixed with the vinegar, like an edible science experiment!

Homemade Ricotta

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Milk (I used 2%)
• 1 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Place a large strainer over a deep bowl (I used a 6-cup measuring cup). Line with two layers of damp cheesecloth. This can be purchased online or at a grocery store.

Pour the milk and cream into a stainless steel pot. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for one minute.

Pour the mixture into the strainer and let the liquid drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer ricotta to a bowl and throw away the cheesecloth. I saved the liquid part (whey) to use for smoothies, but if not using it, discard. Use the ricotta right away or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

2. Schug Sauce. I ended up making this Middle Eastern hot sauce simply because I was missing the sauce served, in a small container, at Daily Bread, one of my go-to lunch spots. The advantage to this sauce is: it’s not hard to make and keeps for weeks in the fridge. I like to put it on sandwiches, in soups and on grilled meats, but it works anywhere you’d like to kick it up a notch. It’s also good with pita bread and yogurt. This recipe is from The Spruce Eats, www.thespruceeats.com./green-schug-sauce.

Schug Sauce from The Spruce Eats

• 4 Jalapeno peppers, de-stemmed and de-veined (use gloves for this)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients, except olive oil, into food processor. Pulse machine a couple times to blend ingredients together. Slowly add olive oil into processor to create an emulsion.

3. Dukkah. I’d never heard of this nut and seed blend until I tried a recipe for Grilled Carrots with Yogurt, Carrot Top Oil and Dukka by Yotam Ottolenghi in the New York Times. Grilling the carrots (after steaming them) was complicated and making the carrot top oil very complicated, but I liked the Dukkah, a blend of different nuts and spices. It’s good on vegetables, grilled meat and fish, but also adds crunch to soups and salads. I even tried it on my yogurt, although the cumin and salt was a little off-putting. I didn’t have pine nuts, so substituted almonds.

Dukkah

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 Tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons black and white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are roughly chopped. Makes 1 cup.

4. Sprouts. Honestly, this is a project I do on a regular basis, even without the pandemic. The hardest part is making sure you’re home during it, to soak the seeds and change the water, but now that most of us are all home… not so much of a problem. There are different kind of seeds you can sprout, from alfalfa, broccoli, wheat or radish. It all depends on what you like; I used a Salad mixture of alfalfa, clover, broccoli, kale and amaranth this time. You can order the sprouting kit and seeds online, or use a large Ball canning jar with an attachment at the top. It takes about three to five days to get sprouts to use; I use them on sandwiches, in soups, salads and on Asian dishes.

Sprouts

Soak your seeds in water overnight (8 to 12 hours). Place them in your sprouting container and rinse twice daily until sprouts have reached the length you desire. Use or move the refrigerator.

5. Sprouting food scraps. At this time, when we’re all being careful not to waste food and make the most out of our grocery store purchases, this is a really fun project to do, especially if you have kids. You probably did a version of this as a kid yourself, growing potatoes or carrots in a water filled jar, propped up with toothpicks. This is even easier. Using the bottoms cut off of Romaine lettuce, carrots, leeks and scallions, place them in a container with water at the bottom. Change the water twice a day and put them in a spot where they will get sun. My Romaine lettuce sprouted, then died, but the green onions, were quite a revelation. I cut them off about halfway and THAT SAME DAY, the inside had sprouted up. Now I can snip some more off for dishes and they will keep growing. Supposedly, you can plant the other tops of veggies outside once the sprout grows big enough, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. And, as full disclosure, if my family was relying on what I’ve grown on from food scraps for survival, we’d all be starving by now.

Up Next: How to Grocery Shop Safely and Spring Dishes to Savor.