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Project Pantry Purpose

Quinoa Salads, Pink Drinks, Good Things Happen

By May 19, 2020May 18th, 20215 Comments

Good afternoon! Whatโ€™s everyone reading these days? Iโ€™m excited about the new Curtis Sittenfeld novel (published today) called Rodham, which imagines what wouldโ€™ve become of Hillary had she never married Bill; Iโ€™m also in the middle of Before the Fall, by the Fargo creator Noah Hawley โ€” itโ€™s a thriller, and not my usual genre, but itโ€™s actually been really fun to just tear through something before I go to sleep, and after our nightly Wire screening. Yes! We are still plowing our way through The Wire! Currently in Season 4, the public school season, which the whole family agrees is the best, if the most heartbreaking. Here is todayโ€™s kitchen dispatchโ€ฆ

Pantry: Quinoa Salads

In my last book, thereโ€™s a recipe that has an official sounding name (itโ€™s on page 117), but I mostly think of it as โ€œQuinoa Salad with Everything.โ€ Quinoa has fallen out of the rotation in our house lately because weโ€™ve been so enamored by the newer shinier wheat berry and farro, but I forgot how much I like it. Itโ€™s much lighter than a lot of the nuttier grains and yet has enough substance to satisfy everyone. Especially if you load it with Everything, as I did above. This was last week, on yet another night when I had some odds and ends begging to be used, so thatโ€™s what I did. I roasted beets (wrap in foil, unpeeled, 375ยฐF for an hour, the let cool, peel and chop) cabbage shards and carrot pieces (toss in olive oil with salt and pepper, roast after beets come out at 400ยฐF for another 30 minutes), then tossed those vegetables with quinoa, feta, pistachios, baby radishes, cucumbers, and snipped chives. I used a basic vinaigrette, but your simplest go-to will probably do just fine. The breaking news here is the addition of cabbage. Have I mentioned how much I love it roasted, all sweetened and caramelized? OK, fine. Iโ€™ll stop. P.S. I also made a bowl of cold sesame noodles because I had promised Abby earlier in the day, then forgot, and even though it was completely redundant and unnecessary, I am a sucker and basically doing anything they ask these days. #ControlTheControllable

Project: Homemade Pink Drinks

Technically Starbucks drive-thrus (and apparently a few non-drive thrus) are open for business, but weโ€™ve mostly been avoiding them. (To be honest, itโ€™s more about the long lines than it is about the social distancing.) This means weโ€™ve been forced to get creative when it comes to my 16-year-oldโ€™s favorite Starbucks order: The Pink Drink. Made with coconut water, dried strawberries, and a mysterious aรงaรญ flavor packet, they were popularized by James Charles a few years ago. (Though my daughterโ€™s craving for the drink seems to have outlasted her craving for the Youtuber.) Anyway, weโ€™ve been experimenting with some homemade versions, collecting random ingredients (Welchโ€™s white grape juice!) as we come across them in our regular shopping. So far this is the recipe that comes the closest. Though, my daughter will tell you itโ€™s still not perfect.

Purpose: Good Things Happen

This post from illustrator Adam J. Kurtz warmed my heart. Now I want to buy everyone I know one of those keychains!

Stay safe.

The goal of theย Project, Pantry, Purpose seriesย to keep us sane, distracted, and connected. Please continue to comment below with suggestions for recipes, projects (for kids and adults), good deeds, donation ideas, stories, movies, games, puzzles. Or just tell me how youโ€™re doing, whatย yourย daily routine is, andย especially how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at jenny@dinneralovestory.com.

5 Comments

  • Avatar gm says:

    I havenโ€™t read it yet, but Iโ€™m pretty sure that -Rodham- is about Hillary breaking up with Bill before they can get married, and then involves her life without Bill Clinton being a main feature, but bumping into him periodically throughout her life. The idea of writing an alternate history for someone who is still alive is fascinating. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Avatar sallyt says:

      yes to what GM said โ€“ Iโ€™m SO curious if H will say what she thinks about it! Chelsea doesnโ€™t existโ€ฆ but DT (blech) does.

  • Avatar awads says:

    I am reading โ€œThe Book of Longingโ€, by Sue Monk Kidd. Wow! I didnโ€™t expect to like it as much as I do! Very cool feminist story taking place in biblical times (New Testament, which i donโ€™t know much about).

    and recently finished Lori Gottliebโ€™s โ€œMaybe you should talk to someoneโ€. Good read and made me feel better about my own mental state (iโ€™m coolโ€ฆ.for now).

  • Avatar Cindee says:

    I Just got the new David Kamp book Sunny Days yesterday! So excited to read! I still need to read anything by Curtis Sittenfeld.

  • Avatar mindi says:

    Oh my gosh, The Wire season 4 is one of the reasons I cannot rewatch that amazing series. That season is so wonderful, so heartbreakingโ€ฆand as a public school teacher so accurate, itโ€™s painful.

    Also popped in to say Iโ€™m on my way to the grocery store, and my husband and I are getting really bored with the stuff weโ€™ve been making, so I came here for inspiration. You never disappoint. Thank you!

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