Birthday Negronis, Lemon Tart, John Prine

Greetings friends near and far. Yesterday was Andy’s birthday and we celebrated with a scavenger hunt, by car, through the neighborhood ending at a favorite pizza place for take-out. (Along the way, our friend Annie, a professional musician, played “Happy Birthday” from her front doorstep with her French horn, and it was the highlight of my month.) Back home we drank Negronis, FaceTimed with his brother’s family, and finally finished the puzzle we started on Saturday, the one I recommended in a past gift guide. It was actually a really nice day. Here’s today’s PPP…

Project: Lemon Tart

Andy and Abby share the same complete indifference towards cake (yesterday’s quote: “Have you ever heard someone say, ‘I had the best cake last night’”) so for their birthdays we usually end up sticking candles in pies or tarts or brownie sundaes. Abby’s gift to her dad was this lemon tart, a mash-up of this recipe for the filling and this one for the crust. (But swapped in gingerbread cookies for the graham crackers, because it was all we had!) To decorate, she piped whipped cream from a makeshift pastry bag, i.e. a ziploc. Oh my God was it good. PS: For the record, Phoebe and I are cake fans of the highest order.

Pantry-ish: Birthday Negroni

One of the reasons why I love this cocktail so much is because the formula is so easy to remember, 1:1:1 — gin, Campari, sweet vermouth. I add an extra large squeeze of juice from the orange slice garnish. Best enjoyed on the Amalfi Coast, or — a close-second — with take-out pizza in the dining room. (Anyone have an iron I can borrow?)

Purpose: John Prine, RIP

Ever since we heard John Prine was sick, we’ve been listening to his first album on a loop in our house, and the news of his death hit hard last night. I have such happy memories (and videos) of the girls singing “Pretty Good” on long road trips, and “How Lucky,” already a gut-level favorite, now has a whole new level of sadness and beauty. Today’s assignment is to find the song on whatever platform you find your music, play it while you make dinner, do a puzzle, or take a walk “down streets you used to wander,” and pay your respects.

Stay safe, stay home.

The goal of the Project, Pantry, Purpose series 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 you’re doing, what your daily routine is, and how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at [email protected].