The snow is still coming down. It shows no sign of abating. It swirls in speckled eddies high above the buildings, pelts sideways against my skin, tap tap taps quietly at our windows. Piles of snow are pushed up against the glass windowpanes. This is wet, slippery snow, the sort made of fat, heavy flakes, that sort that goes smoosh and swoosh under your feet, sending your boots sliding every which way.
Are you hunkered down? Is it snowing where you are? I think you might be outside spinning in it; I picture you laughing with your head thrown back, cheeks ruddy with cold, catching icy bits on your tongue. Maybe you’re playing Frisbee, slipping over snowbanks without caring that the wetness is seeping into your left sock, which will leave an angry red mark even after a hot shower.
Are you making snow ice cream, like we did growing up? Leave a bowl out for an hour to catch drifts of clean, white snow. Drizzle thick, heavy cream over top, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and add a glug of vanilla extract. Stir to a near slush, and eat.
Tonight we’ll make a pizza. There’s pizza dough ready, and plenty of odd ingredients for inspiration because I braved the hustle of the grocery store this morning. Elbows were thrown, fresh baguettes were snatched up, the cheese aisle was ransacked. I noticed that people were buying the oddest emergency rations, like twenty single-serving lime Chobani yogurts, tiny jars of pickled cocktail onions, and vanilla ice cream. I’ve never craved miniature pickled onions in a snowstorm, but you do you.
Laden with bags of produce, I set off for home, trudging through the snowbanks. My clothes were soaked through from a morning hot yoga class, and by this time I was thoroughly chilled.
Here’s my plan: Peel and cube a butternut squash, and roast it with a pinch of rosemary until tender inside and crisp and nearly burnt on the edges.
Stretch out my pizza dough and top it with ricotta, shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped kale, and the roasted squash. A little harissa sauce to finish it off. Bake until warm and golden-brown and chewy.
Next, a salad. Chopped romaine, raw kale, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and more of that shredded chicken. A dollop of hummus and a drizzle of miso dressing. Toss in a very big bowl.
I’m going to put on music while the pizza bakes (do yourself a favor and go listen to “Something for Nothing” by Rationale and “Harlem River” by Kevin Morby). I’m going to pour a glass of Prosecco, and drink it slowly.
For dessert, there are my very favorite cookies. It’s my mom’s recipe (yikes, basically everything is, thanks ma for being you), and I’ve told you about them here before, but I’ve riffed on the recipe a bit this time around.
If you’re snowed in, or lonely somewhere, or cozied up with someone somewhere, or just plain hungry, make these. Wherever you are, make these.
Kitchen Sink Cookies
I call these kitchen sink cookies, because you honestly can’t go wrong with the ingredients. Dried fruit, cereal of any kind, nuts, coconut, chocolate, and so on are all good. Think about what you’d put in granola, and try that. This combination of cacao nibs and chocolate and coconut is one of my favorites.
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
1/2 cup cacao nibs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little bit at a time, beating until well combined.
Add the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, Grape-Nuts, and cacao nibs. Stir into the batter until mixed fully. If you're doing this in a stand mixer, you might want to use a spoon or spatula for this step, as the dough will get very hard to mix with all the add-ins.
Using a spoon or your hands, drop balls (about 2" in diameter) onto your baking sheets. Leave some room, as the cookies will spread, especially if you haven't chilled your dough (you don't have to do this, but I often let it chill for a bit to firm up).
Bake the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes, until they're just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven and let cool on a rack.