The RoundUp: April 2021
This month marked a turning point in the pandemic for me because my fiancé and I are now fully vaccinated and things are slowly (and cautiously, on our end), feeling like they are returning to (semi) normal. Unlike last spring, when I was just so terrified and worried about everything going on in the world, this year I am actually excited to be outside of my apartment more, socialize a little more (again, with caution) and start experiencing life in DC again, after a year of really being hunkered down inside. While we are still not rushing to get back to anything, we feel more comfortable taking baby steps to resume our life.
Favorite Foodie Things:
This month, I rediscovered a cookbook I have had for about a year: Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music and made a handful of recipes from it. What I like about this book, is that it sets you up to learn techniques in the kitchen, and then dives into the recipes. It is a super approachable book to get you trying new dishes! So far we have made the Caprese Mac & Cheese (unreal, lighter baked pasta that is perfect for Spring/Summer), the Chicken Cutlets with Spicy Coconut Dressing, and the Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs with Italian Salsa.
At the end of March, I also bought Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan and have been trying out a lot of new cookie recipes. If you are looking for a cookie bible, this is the book for you.
My parents came to visit (see below for that highlight) and while they were here, we did a DIY sushi night, which basically means getting a bunch of fresh fish and salads, making sushi rice and getting some nori, and “wrapping your own” hand roles. It was a delicious meal and provided a days worth of entertainment, running from Hana Market, to H Mart to Sushi Taro (for fish) to get all of our supplies!
This month I made my first ever chocolate babka from scratch- I used a recipe from a cookbook called Modern Jewish Baker by Shannon Sarna (I have actually made a few recipes from this book and they are all delicious- highly recommend). For some reason, making babka from scratch seemed super intimidating but it was SUPER easy. Similar to challah, the process is not hard at all, there is just a lot of waiting (yay for double rising). I will absolutely be making this again!
Other Things That Made me Happy:
My parents flew from SF to DC to spend a week with us here. It was the second time I have seen them since November 2019 (the first time was for a month in November). Since we are all fully vaccinated, we spent time cooking in my apartment, and exploring the DC area. One of our day trips included going out to Harpers Ferry, WV for some history and exploring.
Prior to my parents’ arrival, I also got my hair done- which truly just brings me back to life! I went to a new salon called Black Bird Salon in Navy Yard, and I had Bianca for my cut (she has cut my hair for a few years now) and Natasha for my color. While I had a big hair chop in quarantine, I haven’t had my hair colored since December 2019- nuts! I also went a bit lighter colored on my hair, which is something fun and fresh!
My good friend and I made a podcast! (We have officially hit that point of finding new COVID hobbies and here we are).
April also marked the first time I went out to eat at a restaurant (aka not take-out, aka eating outside at a restaurant) since February 2020!!! I am definitely still tip-toeing here on this topic. I don’t think I am ready to jump feet first into “real life” now that I am vaccinated, but definitely open to slowly getting there. Before just making a reservation, we researching the outdoor seating situation and only made reservations where we could select indoor or outdoor. My favorite restaurant experience this month was taking off work for a few days and driving to Annapolis for crabs at our favorite spot, Cantler’s!