Homemade Naan, Curried Chickpeas, Journals

Good morning! Yesterday was another gray one here in New York, but I managed to squeeze in a long walk-and-talk “with” my friend in Providence. (I walked to a mailbox in town to send her some glove-packed yeast, since she claims there isn’t any left in the state of Rhode Island.) I tested yet another cabbage recipe for the book; over on Cup of Jo, I wrote about what passes for riotous fun these days; and along the same lines, we each rotated one seat clockwise at the dinner table last night just because we are wild. For Today’s PPP, Project (homemade naan) and Pantry (coconut-curried chickpeas) ended up joining forces to be a single delicious meal. Here are all your glorious details…

Project: Homemade Naan

Naan is a good yeast project for those of you like me, who might’ve, say, failed the famed marshmallow test. It takes ZERO patience: You only have to let the dough rise for an hour and fifteen minutes and I’ve been meaning to make it every since Ali Stafford posted these incredibly clear instructions. (I got better with each piece, which is why you see my best work on the top of the stack.) Fresh, warm, buttery bread — it’s the kind of thing you build a meal around.

Project: Coconut-Curried Chickpeas

It helps to pick a meal that maximizes the dunking and dipping possibilities. We made our old standby curried chickpeas, upping the coconut milk by a few tablespoons to make it a little more creamy and indulgent because…well, do I need to even explain why it feels good to selectively spoil ourselves these days? I hadn’t made it in a while, and was reminded of how easy it was.

Purpose: Journals

As I’ve mentioned many times, I started blogging regularly again because it’s unbelievably therapeutic to produce something every day and connect with a community outside the four walls of my kitchen. (Favorite mantra: It’s hard to be sad and useful at the same time.) I’m delighted that you guys are pulling up a chair to join in and cook with me, and I urge you to join in with the other part of it, too — the writing part. Write down what you are cooking, doing, seeing, hearing. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a journal or on a Squarespace site that no one but you and your mother read. You’ll see, no matter how boring your days and notes seem to be (“I walked to the post office!” “I mailed yeast!” “I made cabbage!”) it will feel really good.

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 especially how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at [email protected].