We're all feelin' it... In my household, we started strict self-isolation March 14. My last event was March 6, and events started getting cancelled then, so my events for the following weekend and beyond were gone. The kids are home, and my husband worked from home even before the outbreak, so we're all in his space now. It's been 2 weeks, and I tell you we all feel like it's been months. But social distancing remains the key to curbing this outbreak, so please be encouraged, and KEEP IT UP! We can do this. Here are some things I've been thinking about this week. Is it coronavirus, or just anxiety? This virus is very serious, and I do not want to trivialize it in any way! But I'm also very aware that every sniffle I have makes me anxious. The truth is that I've had seasonal allergies for years, and I've been working in the garden now that I have some extra time. My symptoms are runny nose, itchy eyes, and clogged ears -- the exact same symptoms I get every spring. I have no aches and pains, no fever, no cough, no diarrhea/vomiting, no headache, no chills, nothing that could ever be construed as flu-like symptoms. Maybe you're having the same sense of anxiety about how you're feeling. So, learn the symptoms, and be vigilant. Monitor how you feel, and look for any changes or worsening. If you have symptoms, contact a healthcare provider. Here are sources of reliable information: CDC COVID-19 page  (translation options at top left of page), includes a self-checker Mayo Clinic New Network (some articles provided in Spanish translation) Cleveland Clinic COVID-19 page , including an online screening tool (works like a chat) WHO COVID-19 page NPR COVID-19 live updates Plus, the Washington Post and the New York Times are providing information on COVID-19 free, as a public service (other content remains subject to a paywall).  Symptoms: Fever Cough Shortness of breath Diarrhea A less common, newly identified symptom may be loss of smell and taste (read the NPR article ). Meanwhile, practice strict social distancing, including avoiding narrow trails packed with people getting fresh air in the spring weather and unnecessary errands. Do you really need to go to the post office? Do you really need new annuals from Home Depot? I know it's hard to come up with projects to do at home with what you have on hand. We're trying to fence the garden, and we've realized we don't have enough chicken wire for the project. The seedlings are sprouting under the plant lights in the basement, and we have just a little time to problem solve! I'll let you know what we figure out. What to cook? Like everyone else, I've been perusing news feeds, looking for something interesting to do or think about. I saw a post of 25 recipes to make with what you have on hand in your pantry. I didn't have a single necessary ingredient for these recipes (nachos with fresh veggies? really? didn't you all eat the chips first? we did!). So, here are some "recipes" I'm really hoping may help you out for ideas. I'm trying to be flexible with ingredients, and give options you may have on hand. And I'll be giving more recipes every newsletter. Easy, double-quick rolls I haven't been to a store in a while, but the last time I went, bread was really hard to find. Luckily, I enjoy making bread, but you may not feel the same. Here's a super easy recipe that honestly takes very little time and attention. If you've run out of bread, give it a try. 1 package (or about 1 Tb) active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 1 Tb potato flour (omit, if you don't have it, or consider using a mashed, boiled potato or yam) 2 Tb sugar (or honey, agave, or any other sweetener you like) 1 tsp salt 1 egg (optional -- I usually omit, unless I'm doing a GF version) 2 Tb oil or melted butter 1 Tb potato flour (omit, if you don't have it, or consider using a very well mashed boiled potato or yam) 2 1/4 c flour (any kind) Proof yeast in warm water plus sugar, salt, egg (if using), and oil/butter for 10 minutes in a bowl to get a good bloom (or less if you're lazy, really this should be a low-stress recipe!). Add flours and mix throughly. Cover and rise until doubled, about 20-30 minutes. Oil 12 muffin cups. Spoon dough into cups and let rise again for about 20 minutes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Simple chickpea salad I've been eating this a lot, because it's very fast to make and quite satisfying. It's also a versatile base for combination with other things to make a meal. 1 can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup sliced almonds 1/4 cup dried cranberries Salt and pepper to taste Combine all, and serve alone or over sliced romaine or mixed with any fresh raw veggies you have (delicious with avocado, if you have it). Can mix in some drained, canned tuna or shredded cooked chicken for more protein or cooked grain or potatoes for starch. Add dried or fresh herbs or spices, as you have them. If you add veggies, proteins, or starch, double the lemon. Dark chocolate truffles This is by far my most popular truffle, and now that you'll see how easy it is to make, I doubt you'll want to buy them -- you'll just make them yourselves! It's a stretch that you'll have these ingredients, but I hope some of you do. This is also easy for kids to make. If you have gloves, they help reduce the mess. 8 oz (weigh this, if possible) best quality dark chocolate 1 cup cream or coconut milk/cream (use full-fat if you have it) Finest quality cocoa (use brute if you have it) Roughly chop chocolate in a bowl. Heat cream to just simmering, and pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes (I mean it! Do not skip this -- the cream has to melt the chocolate -- just try to think about something else). Whisk to combine fully. Chill fully in refrigerator (at least 2 hours, but this will take less time if you pour the mixture into a flatter container so it can spread out). Spoon out about a 1/2 tablespoon at a time (whatever size suits you, really), and form a ball rapidly in your palms. Roll the ball in the cocoa. Reserve in the refrigerator to extend the self-life. Or eat them all at once in one sitting. I won't judge. Possible substitution: I've never tried this with milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, or reconstituted powdered milk. My guess is that the texture will be difficult to get right without the added fat. But it may be possible to mix in butter and/or add less liquid overall. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes! Sometimes a return to childhood past-times is just the comfort we need. How about a few adult coloring pages? Download, print, color (maybe right beside your kids).

Get ready to stay at home EVEN MORE this week The warnings are everywhere, and ominous: this will be the worst week yet. This is the week to avoid going out altogether, even to the grocery store or pharmacy. This is tough, and it's almost like learning not to touch your face. Once you know you have to wait to go to the pharmacy, you immediately think, "but isn't my acetaminophen expired, and isn't that what they recommend for these fevers????" OK, it may in fact be expired (I'm pretty sure mine is, but I'm just choosing not to look at this moment). If the worst happens, and we need acetaminophen, I'll deal with it then. For now, let's all try to stay put, and make it through the next week. We'll see where we are then. If you DO go out (please don't), cover up for safety The CDC is now recommending we all wear cloth masks whenever we go to places where social distancing is difficult (like the stores we're all going to avoid this week -- are you seeing a pattern in my thinking here? -- please stay home). So, get out your sewing kit, and whip up a few masks! (Shout out to Jackie, who made the awesome mask pictured above, when she saw I was using a bandana -- it's even reversible for fashion!) Here are a few tips I've gleaned from recent press on the matter: The best fabrics are tight-weave cotton. I read a recommendation for 600-thread count pillow cases. Disclaimer: I don't have 600-count sheets, and I'm not sure I'd sacrifice those soft puppies for a face mask. But if you do, go right ahead! Turns out, bandanas are not really recommended anymore, as they're not tight enough weave. Got some fabric lying around? Test the tightness of the weave by holding it up to a bright light. If you can see the light well, or if you can see the threads of the weave, it's not tight enough. Layering is key. Make sure you double up (or more, I suppose, though I've only seen doubling recommended -- test it out to make sure you're still comfortable breathing in it). Another recommendation I've seen is layering with a coffee filter. I'm not sure how this would work with washing, so maybe just place the filter inside when you tie it on, so you can change it with each use. Wash after each use! Just like undies. This is where the coffee filter issue comes in. If you actually sew it into the mask, I'm assuming it would degrade in the wash. Give it a try, and let me know! Keep it on the whole time you're at risk of exposure and remove it carefully! This is really important. If you pull the face mask down to take a sip of water or smile at a child (my young niece was the recipient of such a smile in a store), you negate the entire act. Any time you touch something, you could be getting virus on your hands and spreading it to other surfaces, in this case your face. Be very careful removing the mask, and wash or sanitize your hands immediately. When I shop (which, again, I'm avoiding this week), I carefully remove the mask folding it in on itself, remove my gloves pulling them over on themselves, and sanitize my hands and all the van door handles I've touched. Then I'm ready to drive. Keep it clean in the kitchen Of course, I follow Westchester Department of Health standards in the kitchen. We're required to wipe down all surfaces after each use, and to sanitize all dishes and utensils, with an approved solution. I use a chlorine-based solution, which is essentially just bleach in water: 1 tablespoon bleach (about a capful, if you're estimating) 1 gallon of water This is safe on stainless steel, plastic, or glass, which includes everything at the store, and I also use bleach and water on my formica countertop at home. Clorox's online guide states this is safe on granite countertops as well, but, as always, test a small area first to make sure you don't stain or damage your beautiful countertop. I would not recommend using this solution on wood, paint, and other porous surfaces throughout the house. I've also been using a fruit and vegetable wash at the kitchen these days. I don't think this is necessary, but it may make you feel better. Here's the recipe (I mix a large batch, and keep it in the refrigerator): 1 cup white vinegar 3 cups water 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I substitute 1 teaspoon citric acid, since the acidity is more consistent) Wash veggies/fruit with water, spray on wash (I use a squirt bottle instead), let sit for a couple minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water. NOTE: This is not concentrated enough to clean surfaces! This week's recipe Easy oat cakes In case you're out of bread (still or again!), here's another quick and easy recipe for starch. These can be eaten warm or cold, and they can be used to make a sandwich. 1 cup oats 1 cup flour (any) 1 Tb potato flour (omit if you don't have it, and not needed if you're using a flour with gluten like regular white or whole wheat flour) 1 tsp salt 1 Tb baking powder or 1 tsp baking soda Dried cranberries, raisins, and/or nuts (optional) 1 1/2 c milk (any) or water 1-2 eggs (can omit and use more liquid) Butter or oil for pan Mix dry, add wet and mix in thoroughly. Let stand a few minutes to let the oats absorb liquid. Warm butter or oil in pan on medium heat. Fry batter in batches, a few minutes to a side (wait to flip until you see bubbles at the edges). Add more oil or butter to the pan before each new batch. Alternatively, drop onto sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until starting to brown for an oil-free option. NEED HELP???? As some of you have already figured out, I'm always happy to share ideas and recipes. You can reach me by text, email, phone, responding to this email, clicking the button below -- so many ways. If you don't know what to make with what you have in house, or you've got some veggies about to go bad, and you don't know what to do with them, reach out! I can help.

The first session of a flash workshop for entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, gig workers, creatives, and anyone reimagining life after the pandemic was held last Friday. It's a discussion-based workshop, but here are the slides for inspiration. Look for updates on when the workshop will be held again.

Since its inception, this newsletter has remained apolitical. I have an open business, welcoming and serving everyone. I focus on the food -- the ingredients and the careful preparation -- and I celebrate flavors from around the globe. I'm thrilled with the challenge of learning new culinary traditions, because every culture offers delicious tastes. This part is easy. But now it's become apparent that this is not enough (and never really was). Today, it is simply required that each of us takes a stand and declares who we are and what we believe in. So, I cannot believe that this needs to be stated (it's just so obvious, because all people are precious and a gift), but here it is: BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER Really and truly, black lives matter. There. Let's all be really clear on where I stand on this. The world has been taking a stand, finally, and it's thrilling. In the age of coronavirus, it's also worrying, and we have to remind ourselves how much we depend on others to bear the burden of social activism to bring the change we need. The communities that have been the hardest hit are coming out in the greatest numbers, because the danger from lack of social change equals the danger of the virus (at least in appearance, although we may never know the specific numbers of who got sick where and why, and we never recognize the true losses to racial injustice). The inability to compare accurately perpetuates the status quo. Here are a few things to note. Thankfully, the numbers of positive tests continue to fall in New York, so perhaps the timing of demonstrations is not as bad as we think, at least in our area. And being outside and wearing a mask appear to be among the most important ways to minimize risk, so these outdoor demonstrations and the wearing of masks among demonstrators may, in fact, keep them safer. The protests also come during reopening nationwide, and it will be difficult to ascribe responsibility for new outbreaks to protest gatherings or to more public activity in general. Dr Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, contributing columnist for The Washington Post , and former health commissioner of Baltimore, spoke with Brian Lehrer of WNYC on Friday. She had some wonderful ideas for how to stay safer while protesting: Always wear masks. Masks are not a replacement for social distancing; both are important. Masks worn by all can reduce risk of transmission by 50% to 90%. Use a modified group buddy system: stay with a small group of people, and keep that group distant from other groups. This way, you can be a part of the larger gathering, but really keep primarily within your social bubble. This may be impossible if police corral gatherings or during arrest. Use a noise maker, instead of chanting. Bring your own drinks and hand sanitizer, and use sanitize any time you touch something (like signs or bullhorns) that have been touched by others. Self-isolate and self-quarantine as much as possible after attending a protest. I found the most remarkable message she conveyed, however, was a poignant reminder that while mass gatherings during a pandemic are hazardous to public health, "Racism is also hazardous to public health. Police brutality is also hazardous to public health." We cannot allow racism and brutality to continue without protest in the name of public safety. Instead, we need to engage in harm reduction strategies -- an approach following the example of measures to fight HIV transmission that is being widely discussed. Read Dr Wen's Washington Post editorial for more. Finally, we can look for ways to state our case publicly, but from a distance. A group of activists is collecting videos of police misconduct in a Google spreadsheet . Many of us have been reading more these days, and now there's a push to expand our libraries and our minds. There are lists of recommended reading for kids of all ages , beginning with board books. And some individuals are coming out individually to make a statement, like a veteran who held his own hours-long protest in Utah. Even a local Facebook post, like one from Toby Clarke of Irvington to the private group 10533, can make a real difference. Last week, I promised to promote local businesses I'm looking forward to visiting again as restrictions loosen up. It just didn't seem appropriate. Instead, I maintained a media blackout for the week. Here's a list of some, and I'll be promoting them this week on Insta and Facebook: Rivertown Dance Academy Sebastian Barbershop Little B's JJ Beans Coffee Shames JCC Tarrytown Music Hall Jacob Burns Film Center There are countless more, but these are the ones I think of first. Maybe you have some, too! Send me your favorites, and I'll give them a shout out. And, finally, here's this week's recipe: I learned a few years ago that Martin Luther King Jr's favorite kind of pie is pecan pie. Since then, I've been making mini pecan pies every year for a loyal friend who teaches class on MLK Day, and likes to give his students a treat. These are very well received every year, and they couldn't be easier. They have a very rich flavor, because the sweetness comes from maple syrup, instead of corn syrup (I never use corn syrup, because it's just junk!). Maple-Pecan Pie 1 c pure maple syrup (best quality) 3/4 c brown sugar 3 eggs 3-4 Tb butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla (or more, to taste) Dash salt, or to taste 2 c pecan halves, at least Prepared, but uncooked, pie shell Mix syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla, melted butter, and salt until fully combined. Fill pie shell nearly about 3/4 full with pecan halves. This should be at least 2 cups, but it could be more. Fill to your heart's content, particularly if you love pecans. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 350 until filling puffs and sets, and pecans begin to brown. Serve room temp with whipped cream. Whipped Cream 1 pt heavy whipping cream 1 tsp vanilla, or to taste 2 Tb powdered sugar, or to taste Whip on high speed until soft or stiff peaks form (depending on use). Do not overbeat (stop at dry peaks at the very latest!). Use generously on everything.

It's been like watching a crash in slow motion. We were warned about the dangers of reopening. We watched aghast as revelers gathered over Memorial Day weekend. We were reminded that it would take weeks to register new cases, new hospitalizations, and increased fatalities. And yet, when we hit phase 1 in our area, I noticed fewer people wearing masks and I had a harder time maintaining appropriate distance from people in public, because they just wanted to crowd in and take up my space. Then we hit phase 2, and the social media posts showing people enjoying their new freedoms, sans masks, abounded. Participation in protests increased, and the photos showed plenty of people standing close together with or without masks. What happened to our outrage at those early photos from Memorial Day weekend? If we don't learn to behave ourselves, we may lose our post-lockdown privileges . Yikes! I can't face another lockdown. We're now starting to see the results of increased activity, with surges of new cases and hospitalizations in some areas. When I first read the numbers, I was underwhelmed, frankly. I even wondered if news media were overblowing results to have a compelling story. Then I learned how close some of these areas are to hospital and ICU capacity -- South Carolina is at up to 77% capacity right now. While the total number of cases and the percent increase in new cases pales in comparison with New York at its height, the lack of hospital and ICU capacity to cover these increasing numbers makes these increases just as worrisome. Context is everything. And some experts insist that this is not a second wave -- we're still in the first . Meanwhile, recently published studies showed shutdowns prevented approximately 60 million infections in the US and 285 million in China and saved 3.1 million lives in Europe (paywall). So, will we take these latest studies to heart, and recommit to the measures we know work to reduce infection? After so many months living inside, the temptation to play freely in the sun may just be too great . Nonetheless, we continue to learn more about this virus, and how it works, and we now feel like we know some things for sure. Chief among them, though, may be that masks work! In fact, you may remember the two hairstylists with the virus working in Missouri I mentioned a few newsletters ago. Well, the wonderful news is that although they saw 140 clients, there were no new infections linked to the salon. Experts credit the wearing of masks by workers and clients. And resistance to the return to ignorance continues! A Florida data scientist has started publishing her own dashboard on Florida testing statistic online for all to see, after being fired from the Department of Health for refusing to comply with what she saw as unethical requests to modify Florida's public dashboard. The information is out there, if you're willing to look for it. In unrelated news: Support for Black lives matter continues to grow, which is exciting! I've been sharing charts on the spread of the virus periodically in this newsletter, but here's a wonderful chart on our change in thinking . This week's recipe Finally, in honor of Juneteenth, a few red recipes. I've just learned that Juneteenth recipes often include red drinks as a reminder of the red kola nuts and hibiscus tea brought to the Americas as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Sweet Mint-Hibiscus Tea 1 Gallon water 2 handfuls sweet mint sprigs 1/4 c dried hibiscus flowers (you can find these at Asian markets) Agave syrup to taste Boil water. Add mint and flowers, and boil for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and steep for 30 minutes. Chill fully and drink as is or add agave to taste. Red Velvet Cake 1 c milk 2 Tbs vinegar ½ c butter 1 ½ c sugar 2 eggs 2 Tb cocoa 2 tsp vanilla 2 Tb red dye 1 tsp salt 1 tsp soda 2 ½ c flour Mix milk and vinegar and let stand to make a home-made buttermilk. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, and cream thoroughly, scraping sides as needed. Cream together cocoa, vanilla, and dye in a small bowl with the back of a spoon. Add to butter mixture. Mix flour, salt, and soda. Add to butter mixture alternating with buttermilk. Bake in 2 buttered and lined 8-inch round pans (or 24 lined cupcake tins). Cut top domes of cake level. Crumble removed domes to small crumbs and let stand to get stale while you ice (place back in oven if needed). Fill and ice with vanilla cream cheese icing. Cover side edge of cake with crumbles and decorate the remainder of the cake with extra icing.

Mid-Hudson Valley is entering Phase 3, which allows indoor dining, some sports, and ... GATHERINGS UP TO 25!!!! That feels like a huge party these days. That's more people than I've seen in months, all in one place -- preferably an outdoor space, of course. Now the challenge is to remain committed to cautious behavior -- most notably wearing masks and maintaining social distance -- even as we embrace our new freedoms. New York's gradual release from lockdown has relied heavily on personal responsibility, and now we need that more than ever. More importantly, this could mean more work! As a small business owner, I've had to walk the careful line of trying to scare up any kind of business I can find, while refraining from encouraging unsafe behavior. I've actually had requests for parties that clearly violate restrictions that dissolve into thin air when I state that I'll be following state guidelines. I've watched silently as social media posts of violations abound. Will my commitment to following the guidelines pay off with reservations for safe parties? Or will I simply miss the onramp to the road to recovery? Maybe I'll even save myself and my family in the process, because all of these safety measures protect the client, not the worker. I still expose myself every time I deliver something "contactless" but instead face an unmasked individual answering the door unexpectedly to take a handoff in a closed vestibule, rather than letting me leave it hanging on their door as planned. The more troubling trend, of course, is that the well-to-do have cut their spending , and catering relies heavily on these folks. There is some concern about the ability to reverse the shutdown , and some sectors will certainly be more affected than others. The onramp to that road to recovery may be closed to me, regardless of what I do. The great news is that so far, safety measures overall seem to be working: cases in New York continue to drop, and fatalities are way down (10 on Sunday -- still tragic). And widespread testing continues, with a very low positive rate (less than 1% for the state overall and slightly higher in our region). Now, the concern is rising cases in other states, with half reporting surges  and some  increasing restrictions on activity (paywall). But full return to business as usual in general brings increased cases, and experts warn of that risk in New York and New Jersey, as well. For the early phases of reopening in New York, that hasn't happened. Will decreased vigilance, possibly with travel from other areas, ruin that happy early trend? So, now we're left in a the bizarre limbo, of "Yay, let's party ... but this is no time to relax!" I've been out and about pretty often these days, shopping for ingredients, delivering to the Dobbs Ferry Pantry, delivering meals, and most recently selling baked goods. And I'm seeing some disturbing trends. The streets are busy, which is nice to see, but no one's staying distant. Even folks who are attempting social distancing are actually about 3 or 4 feet apart -- like we've collectively adjusted our standards downward. Fewer and fewer people are wearing masks, still fewer wearing them correctly. Now, it's quite common to see people out without even carrying a mask "just in case." We just don't want to think about the risk anymore. Our tolerance for this particular stress has maxed out, and we've reverted to a mindset in which masks are just not needed. Recent research has shown that men are more resistant to wearing masks (a trend I've seen first hand). The reduced cases we've been enjoying so much, and our very opportunity for freedom, though, relies on each person's commitment to safety measures. The only way we can avoid the daily stress of the risk of this disease is to engage in the daily reminder of wearing a mask. Maybe we can make this a habit, one that we no longer associate with negative thoughts of the virus. For me, this is already happening. I wear a mask the whole time I'm cooking, packing, and delivering. On days that I cook for the pantry, that means I'm masked almost the whole time I'm awake. I spend more time masked than unmasked these days. It's uncomfortable, yes -- very uncomfortable in a hot kitchen! But the stress of what it means fades into the background, and the awkwardness of how silly I may look has disappeared entirely. I'm in it for the long haul. This week's recipe Early summer means shortcake. Many strawberry shortcakes are made with spongecake instead, a sweet and fluffy concoction that does not go well with sweet berries and sweet cream, in my opinion (although I like sponge cake for other things quite fine!). This is a more traditional shortcake, with very low sugar. It works well with strawberries, but I like to use a mix of berries: strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry or raspberry. Fresh cream, of course. Cut the shortcakes into flower-shapped individual biscuits, and then cut each of those in half and fill with berries and cream for a very classy plate. Shortcake 2 ¼ c flour ½ c sugar 1 ½ tsp baking powder ¾ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 6 Tb butter 1 c homemade buttermilk (scant c milk or cream or combination, plus 1 Tb cider vinegar, let stand to sour) 1 egg yolk ½ tsp vanilla Sliced almonds Dusting of sugar Mix homemade buttermilk, and let stand to sour. Mix dry ingredients. Rub in butter until combined. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk. Mix until combined into loose dough. Fill buttered and lined pans (about 1/2 inch deep). Or turn out dough on floured surface, and fold once or twice to combine with a little extra flour into a biscuit dough. Do not knead or overwork! Pat flat to about 1 inch thick. Cut out flower shapes and place on lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash, cover with sliced almonds and dust with sugar. Bake 425 until beginning to brown (about 10 min for flowers, about 20 min for cakes). Cool fully before filling. Use within 1 day (they get stale fast!).

Cases are skyrocketing, and the world is alarmed . Several states are now increasing lockdowns, several weeks or months late, much like New York State was delayed in its initial response. But those states should be benefiting from hind site, not repeating our first mistakes. Florida new cases have increased 5-fold in the last 2 weeks, suggesting they are well on their way to a crisis. Even in New York, some areas are seeing cases rising, although more slowly. In our own area, locals attending the Chappaqua drive-through graduation as well as a field night involving several schools may not have followed guidelines set out by the state, and 5 have tested positive so far. At the Sleepy Hollow graduation, I can attest that very few followed guidelines, with most people gathering in groups, hugging, taking photos arm in arm, and very few masks worn -- even fewer worn correctly. At a local celebration, masks were ironically worn well by the grads and younger kids, but not by the parents. We've decided to collectively forget the danger, conveniently overlook the risks. That leaves a heavy burden on those who want to take personal responsibility seriously (we either have to give in or isolate to avoid exposure), and an even heavier burden on folks who cannot exercise that extra caution: workers who must interact with the public. It's the latest privilege that those who do not work in the service industry can exercise. By contrast, China has locked down 400,000 people in response to just 18 new cases. And their lockdowns are no joke: villages, communities, and buildings closed; only one person per household permitted outside to purchase supplies once daily; and all outside vehicles banned. This is a far cry from our "lockdowns," which were never more than mere suggestions anyway. There was no consequence for violating guidelines, not even any reinforcement of those guidelines. How would Americans react if we had to comply with such restrictions, after only 18 confirmed cases? Do we simply prefer the risk, even if that risk is extreme for whole segments of our society? I'm beginning to think of America's defining characteristic as group sacrifice for individual benefit, rather than individual freedom. Maybe it's time for a little reframing. I'm trying to move this newsletter from an ongoing rant at the pandemic and institutional evils to something more on-brand. I'm a Chef, and my business is catering to clients to make beautiful and delicious events. A screed at our country's response to the pandemic seems off-topic at the least. When I was sharing tips on how to cook at home, that was fine. But now I've veered into the weeds of personal responsibility! So, let me know consider a bit of hope: what elements of life in the pandemic do I wish to keep, and what have I learned as a Chef? My family is actually pretty happy together I've actually enjoyed spending time with my family, and my husband and I have discovered that we can't wait to retire together. If we didn't have to worry about earning a living in this mess, we'd be perfectly content with the extra time and attention. So, that's an easy keep (at least on the surface). All we have to do is keeping making extra time to be together. Let's see how we do with that once we all get super busy again. I can cook something from anything I already felt pretty resourceful, but now I feel really confident in making delicious, client-ready food out of anything that's available. I've been serving as a private chef for the entire lockdown, purchasing only every other week at the beginning (and planning menus from ingredients that could last 8 days from one weekly session to the next), scrounging during shortages, and making do around client allergies and special diets. And the clients have been thrilled. Not even, "well, we'll make do because it's a pandemic" satisfied, but really thrilled with the food they've enjoyed. So, that's nice to know. I think I'll take that confidence along with me. I don't need as much as I thought I did I don't need as time, money, food, resources, support, clients, income, or anything as I thought I did. It's amazing how you learn to make do when you just don't have as much as you'd like. Check. Keeping that one, too. Our food system is a disaster Food shortages were nearly immediate, and in some cases extreme. And many were due to how we source food. Reliance on factory farming and food processing leaves us vulnerable to pandemics, political unrest at home and abroad, climate change, transportation and shipping interruptions, and probably a host of problems we haven't even considered. So, this is my next focus: what are we going to do about food (and water) insecurity, locally, globally, and personally? Finally, this week's recipe As you know, I've been making soup and bread for the Dobbs Ferry Pantry for the last several weeks. I'm going to continue through July, as local families cope with the loss of food provided by the schools. I wanted to commemorate that, and let folks in on some of the soups I've been making. Southwestern Chicken & Vegetable Soup Whole chicken 1 1/2 c black beans, prepared (or 15 oz can, drained and rinsed) 2-4 carrots, diced 2-4 stalks celery, diced 1 medium onion, sliced in semi-circles 1 red pepper, diced 1 c frozen corn (or 15 oz can, drained and rinsed) 1 c frozen peas 15 oz can diced tomatoes Dash each cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander 1/4 tsp paprika Salt & pepper to taste Boil chicken until completely cooked and falling off the bone. Retain broth, and pull out chicken. Add beans, vegetables, and seasonings to broth, and simmer until softened but al dente (about 1/2 hour). Remove all meat on chicken, and cut up or shred larger pieces. Return chicken to soup and reboil. Serve alone or with shredded cheese. Vegan alternative: substitute zucchini and/or yellow squash for chicken, and add some vegetable Better Than Bouillon to water. Boil all veggies and seasonings together.

Several years ago, I just couldn't face buying a bunch of paper wrapping and plastic ribbons, struggling to make it fit the gifts, and then throwing it all away in a few hours. (Yes, I have always procrastinated wrapping until the last minute, but now my husband and I have a pretty great tradition of hiding in our room once the kids have gone to bed and laughing ourselves silly trying to get it all done before we drop. So, really the paper was only on the presents for a few hours and then tossed.) I decided I'd use cloth. I'm one of those people who always has random scraps of cloth around. I have one HUGE piece that's been used as window dressing, then as curtains on my son's school project, and finally a hooded cape with the leftover going to wrap gifts. You may have all kinds of old cloth you could use, but you can also find remnants at a discount at most cloth stores. Ugly, gaudy, silky, velvety, luxurious, even fake fur. It all works. It's fast, looks great, and can be used year after year. Tie with cloth ribbons or strips of cloth in any shape or form. In our family, we chose a color scheme for each person, so the piles under the tree even look coordinated. Cloth wrappings can be used for absolutely any occasion with any look and feel you like. Some tips:  Instead of cutting larger pieces to size, just fold them in halves or even smaller. You may have a giant gift next year that needs that huge piece of fabric. Same thing with ribbon: just fold and make double or triple bows. Consider wired ribbon, so you can reshape it each year and pep it up a bit. Sheer fabric is not a waste! It's great for layering on the inside or outside to create a different effect. And if you fold enough layers, the gift will be obscured by just the sheer fabric alone. Fold fabric to store, and by next year, most creases will be flattened out. Roll ribbon, so you can grab the pieces you need easily. Storage:  I keep the fabric folded in a clear plastic storage bag (I use one with a comforter years ago). Ribbons get rolled and tucked into a plastic container. Cleanup is pretty easy after all the gifts are opened, and then you just tuck it away until next time. I have everything from cotton in kids' patterns (bears and such) to vinyl, fake fur, satin, brocade, and actual holiday patterns with sparkles. For other seasons and celebrations, I have pastels, golds, whites, and florals. Ribbons come from everywhere -- even those wide cloths with velcro that come with linens sometimes. I have no idea how that helps in packaging, but it can be used to wrap gifts! Soft, round, or irregular gifts: This is where cloth wrapping really helps! Just place the gift in the middle, and gather up the corners. Tie with an oversized ribbon. Tuck in any edges of cloth that stick out around the sides. This is a great opportunity to layer, too. Place one cloth inside the other askew, so that the corners of the top cloth overlay the sides of the bottom cloth. Gather and tie the same way, and your cloths will puff out at different angles at the top and make a more festive poof. Long and thin or tubes:  Wrap these like a piece of hard candy. Just roll in a piece of fabric and tie off the ends with bows. Fold the tail of the fabric down before tying the end and tuck in a small card. Rectangle, like a book or box: Place the gift in the center of the cloth, and fold down the top edge. Fold down the side edges at angles. Fold the bottom edge in on itself, so it's more of a triangle, then fold that up and tuck it into the bottom side fold. Tie a ribbon or cloth around the base to secure, and you can tuck in a card if you like. Here, I used three pieces of smaller scraps of embroidered fabric: two to make a double bow and one to tie it to the gift. I didn't have any pieces long enough to do the whole thing. Want more recipes and tips?   Join  the list and get a monthly newsletter!

I love gingersnaps! When I was younger, we'd stock up when they hit the stores once a year, just in fall, in the orange and black boxes. Dipped in milk, they were just perfect. And so much better, because they were only available for a short time. Now, of course, I make my own, but still only at this time of year. They're just tied to fall. This is the very best recipe for gingersnaps, I promise! But I don't make them as crisp snaps. Instead, I soft-bake them for a rich, chewy texture that just bursts with spice. They're unbelievably easy and so irresistible! Makes about 5 dozen cookies 3/4 cup butter 2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup dark molasses Juice of 1 lime 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 3/4 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt About 1/4-1/3 cup white sugar for coating Preheat oven to 350. For best results, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Handheld mixer will also work (avoid the whisk attachment). Cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and then the rest of the wet ingredients until smooth. Stir together all the dry ingredients, except for the white sugar. Slowly mix the dry into the wet mixture in batches until fully combined. Mixture will be somewhat stiff. Chill the dough for about an hour, if you have time. This really does help, but as a baker with very little patience, I can attest that you can move right on to the next step and it'll be alright.  Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in the white sugar to coat. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving plenty of room to spread (I usually fit 20-24 on a full-size sheet -- do NOT overcrowd!). Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Cookies will spread, rise, and then begin to crack. Dough inside the cracks will look wet and raw at first, and very soon begin to dry. Cookies are soft just as the dough starts to lose its gloss. For crisp cookies, cook until the dough looks completely dry in the cracks. Do NOT let the cookies get dark around the edges -- they will develop a dark bitter burnt taste. If you overshoot the soft stage, then, well done, you've made a traditional gingersnap! If you need the cookies to last for a while, go for the crisp texture. It will not go stale as quickly. In my experience, they never last that long! Leave cookies on the sheet for a minute just to set, and then move to a rack to cool. Throw out the paper, and remove any sugar dust from the cookie sheet, and shove that right back in your cabinet and congratulate yourself on not having to wash a bunch of cookie sheets. Want more recipes and tips? Join the list and get a monthly newsletter!

Here's a quick tutorial on how to build a board of any kind, from the traditional cheese board with charcuterie to grazing board, mezze board, vegetable board, or even butter or icing boards. It's very quick and easy to do: This one took me about 15 minutes, with photography. I love the plentiful look and all kinds of special treats: hot or cold hors d'oeuvres, roasted or fresh vegetables, dips, sweets, hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs, roasted tofu spears, mini salads using fruit or vegetables or both ... Get creative, play to the crowd with your favorites or theirs, and keep it seasonal. Before you start:  Decide on open board, showing lots of wood, or a packed board, with elements layered on. I like an over-stuffed board. Here, I'll use some open space around the edges to show how the wood can showcase your food. Feel free to leave open spaces in the middle, too, to separate foods. Step 1:  Choose a range of soft and sharp cheeses from cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk. Here I have gruyere, cabernet sauvignon bellavitano, chèvre rolled in cranberries with cinnamon and honey, and brie. Place your cheeses toward the outside of the board. If it's a large board, add one or more in the middle. These serve as anchors for the board. Step 2: Add the meats. The key here is to separate the meats and add air: fold in half twice and kind of tuck them in to make a ruffled edge, roll longer pieces, or just fold and pile. This fills the space nicely, but it's essential to ease self-service. This also the time to add meatballs, savory baked goods, mini tarts, and the like. For a vegetarian board, add fresh or roasted vegetables. Group meats and veggies together, so that folks can recognize what they're getting and see the different flavors. Step 3: Add fresh fruit. Again, separating and fluffing is key, both for appearance and to make serving easy. Be seasonal! Grapes are often my go-to, either in a large bunch for the look, but usually snipped into single-serve bunches and places around the board. Strawberries and blackberries are wonderful, but only if they're fresh. If you're not serving right away, put fruit that browns into a water bath with citrus juice for a bit to keep it looking fresh. Avoid fruits that are too soft (like raspberries). Step 4: Finish with all your layered small items. My standards are dried fruit, like dates, apricots, and cranberries or cherries; nuts, especially pistachios, walnuts, pecans, or fresh coconut; and a variety of olives and pickled vegetables, like hot peppers. I love adding fresh wine-stewed mushrooms. Color is important here. Group little piles together next to contrasting colors. This helps the overall appearance, but it also makes it easier for folks to pick what they'd like. Oil-marinated black olives look a lot like dried cherries! I like to finish by sprinkling something loose to make the colors pop: cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and shaved coconut work well. Want more recipes and tips?   Join  the list and get a monthly newsletter!

Last Friday the Dobbs Ferry Public Library presented Jump In, my flash workshop on reimagining yourself in the post pandemic future. We had small, but engaged group speaking over Zoom. The approaches we discussed can be used by anyone considering a change of direction, but I thought of them primarily for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creatives meeting the challenges of life with social distancing. Two of the participants are looking toward retirement, and it seems these approaches work for any life change! Have a look at the video (password: 9v$+^7&4 ). Skip the first 30 seconds while I get the video setup!

I read an opinion piece in CNN a few days ago, and it struck a chord with me, because it really highlights a lot of what's on my mind these days: The US food system is killing Americans . The title says it all, but I really recommend you take a moment to read it fully. Part of the argument is that the problems with our food system, resulting in deteriorating health for many Americans and particularly for poor Americans, are now -- during the pandemic -- potentially increasing death from the novel coronavirus. Our poor diets are leading to poor health, which makes us more vulnerable to severe complications and death from COVID-19. This is a valid point, and, of course, a nice tie in to our current obsessions. Hopefully, this will grab attention and the magnitude of the impending danger will help folks sit up and take real notice of the relationship between food and health. We typically think of this relationship as one of prolonged and delayed consequences, allowing us to put off the salad we should eat today until tomorrow. But this connection reveals that the diet-health interaction can be much more acute. The danger of this messaging may be that readers take it to the next extreme, and I've read plenty of other pieces masquerading as "news" in the Apple News Feed (what about an ad is news here, people?), touting the benefit of supplements, etc, to boost your immune system and help fight the coronavirus. This is not what I'm referring to, and it's not what the authors of this opinion piece are saying at all. Rather, there is a real, and potentially immediate, consequence to providing food in the way we do in this country. I've been thinking about our food supply chain a lot these days. In the onslaught of the virus and mobility restrictions, the problems with our supply chain were immediate and evident. There was a seemingly unique combination of scarcity and abundant waste. As the crisis wore on, I began to think of it more in terms of food scarcity -- which the authors differentiate from nutrition scarcity -- another valid point. We cannot simply provide food, we have to look at what food we provide. As I was working with the local food pantry to provide fresh, nutritious soup and bread, I started to consider how we provide food for those in need. First, it struck me that people who really deserved a public benefit were instead being fed by local charities, which sources food from a regional charity that was funded in part by the government. The pantry and other local charities also provided clients with gift cards to a local shopping market. In both cases, there are a lot of steps and entities involved, and, in the case of the gift cards, the local market (which does offer a very small discount on the cards) actually benefits, because the families must shop at their store to use the card. Offering a discount on the card amounts to just offering a small sale, a very common practice to boost revenue and generally considered advertising and marketing, not a donation. In fact, since the pandemic began, I've been regularly approached -- once even with a rather in-depth phone pitch -- to begin offering gift cards to save my business's bottom line in this new world. Second, I looked at the food provided. The pantry distributed packaged goods, which were a combination of branded goods, often processed, bought at retail cost in small sizes for easy distribution and of bulk-sized dry goods that could not be distributed because of their size and weight (the pantry had to find other ways to use these and sometimes they ended up in my soup). The more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed. Why would someone want a small box of mac-n-cheese, when they can make a better, more nutritious meal out of a larger quantity of plain ingredients that cost the same? Why do health department regulations prevent you from buying 50 pounds of flour and distributing that just like bulk good stores do? These policies and practices ensure that branded, packaged food essentially gets a cut from providing food for the poor, and individual donors are funding it. Finally, I started to think about how I could help more. I talked to several people about providing food, either working with existing charities, or by forming my own. I was hoping to disrupt the supply chain for the needy, and work directly with local farmers and wholesale distributors to provide the most bang for the buck. Surprisingly, I heard from some people that there was no unmet need in my area. But every week when I dropped off soup at the pantry, the line formed long before the pantry opened, and volunteers would often text me half-way through distribution to ask if there were any more. Clearly, there was as disconnect. And it seems to me that the disconnect keeps the system working exactly as it is -- with the needy dependent on the gifts of locals with money and a lot of people along the way profiting or taking their share for administrative costs, but not any more money going to local farms and not enough fresh, unprocessed food going to the hungry. (Thankfully, New York State has a program to finance pantries purchasing produce directly from local farms, and we can hope that becomes permanent.) In the end, I've completed my tenure making fresh soup and bread for the pantry, but I'm continuing to subvert the system in a very small, very local way. I'll continue to get bulk goods at wholesale prices for the pantry and repackage them by hand to make them easy to distribute and stretch the pantry dollar. This also means that we can offer relatively unprocessed ingredients, instead of mixes that are high in salt and preservatives. The health of the country very well may depend on our ability to do much more than just this. This week's recipe Last week, I transitioned my business from a commercial kitchen to a home-based baking and private chef venture. Already, I've started returning to my roots as a Chef. For the past few years, I've been pushed toward reproducibility, as clients repeatedly ordered what they'd had before at their own event or someone else's, because they just loved it and wanted it again. It's always great when folks love what you cook, and it's wonderful to be able to say something is a crowd favorite. But before I fed such large crowds, I did a lot more experimenting. I'm hoping to return to this more. The last dishes I made in the kitchen were wonderful and delicious modifications of some crowd favorites. And here's one for you! Salted Caramel Brownie Cross between a brownie and a blondie, with a lighter chocolate taste, airier texture, and salty goodness. 1 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 cups best dark chocolate chips, melted 1 Tb vanilla 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp of baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3 cups flour 1 Tb molasses 3 eggs 1 Tb vanilla Melt butter, and add chips, heating lightly and stirring until fully melted. Stir together dry ingredients. Stir in melted butter and chocolate. Add molasses, eggs, and vanilla and blend completely. (Make sure you break up the eggs nicely -- I don't beat ahead of time, because I don't want it to get fluffy, and I also feel it's a waste of time and a bowl. I'm a pretty lazy cook.) Spread in a well-buttered pan (I use a 1/2 sheet size, which is about the size of a large jelly roll pan). Bake at 350 until set completely and edges begin to brown a bit. Do not overtake (it will get hard and brittle). In my next improvement, I'm going to try drizzling it with caramel sauce before baking -- I'll let you know how it goes!