Cinnamon-Apple Muffins, Shaking Beef, Voting

Good morning! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. We hit the farmer’s market on both Saturday and Sunday and were thrilled to see the local apples piling up in crates. Last week, on Cup of Jo, I wrote about the apple-cinnamon muffins I made with spelt flour (which lends a little nuttiness to the equation without weighing them down) and I feel certain there is an apple crisp in my very near future. Maybe you should join me there. Other news that falls into the non-world-ending category on this busy Monday…

Project: Shaking Beef

We are still loving Andrea Nguyen’s Vietnamese Food Any Day, and over the weekend discovered we might like her Shaking Beef even more than the Tofu Bánh Mì I wrote about in July….

Shaking Beef, so named for the back-and-forth shaking of the skillet as you cook the meat, is my idea of the perfect end-of-September meal: Warm steak, cool fresh greens, bright, herby flavor. Let me just say that it disappeared fast. I recommend picking up a copy of Nguyen’s book, but if that’s not in the cards right now, you’re in luck: The recipe was posted online last year.

Pantry: Snack Plate

We are trying to make the most of having people over for dinner (always outside) while the weather is still nice. On Saturday our friends Liz and Ethan came at the last minute, and I was determined to create a starter plate with only what I had in the fridge and pantry, and not do a special shop for it. I was also determined to make it high on flavor and low on carbs because we were having Pork Ragu for dinner. (The first of the season, hallelujah!) Above is what I came up with and I thought it looked so pretty: Sweet-and-spicy nuts (soooo soooo good, I skipped the rosemary and used a bag of pecans from Thanksgiving 2019!); vegetables from the morning’s farmer’s market, a romesco sauce leftover from my book shoot, hunks of Parm, good olive oil infused with backyard basil, and baguette slices. Do other people spend as much time thinking about starter plates as I do? I often wonder.

Purpose: Phone Banking & Postcard Writing

First: Do you know what your voting plan is? Here’s a resource in case you are confused. Second: Once you know your own plan, have you thought about helping others figure out theirs? I spent a few soccer practices last week writing postcards in my car, thanks to a local activist organizing through the Reclaim Our Vote campaign. In the past, I’ve also used Postcards to Voters. Third, if you have a few hours you’d like to dedicate to the cause, the Biden-Harris team have made phone banking VERY accessible and easy. My 17-year-old daughter called over 100 people last weekend, valiantly persevering even after a woman called her pathetic and brainwashed. Lastly: Do I have any undecided voters reading this blog? If so, I’d love to hear from you directly at: Jenny @ dinneralovestory .com.

Stay safe. Wear a mask!

The goal of the Project, Pantry, Purpose series to keep us sane, distracted, connected, and USEFUL. It began in March 2020. 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 story is, and especially how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at [email protected].