I've been meaning to write, I really have, but you know how it goes - computers crash and need to be replaced after you thought it'd been fixed three times, winter finally freezes you in and you want nothing more than to be warm and watch movies that remind you this season will pass and life will return, you simply forget, you go to Atlanta, you lose your camera in one of the four bags you use daily, you can't think of anything good to say so you don't say anything at all.

I'd like to assure you, though, that while my brain may be hibernating, my kitchen is not.

There were some chicken strips:

Peanut butter toast in the pre-dawn snow:

All the unsatisfactory lemon scones which Geo ate most of in one day:

Aliens in both our bread and artichokes on the same day:

There have been a couple batches of beer George brewed with our friend Taft:

We discovered Brussels sprouts when we actually, for real, couldn't find kale in the grocery store:

George launched into a couple weeks of curries after finding a cheap book all about curries:

Finally we ended up with some radicchio in last night's dinner, Chicken Baked with Lentils, via The Wednesday Chef. :

As we truly hunkered down for winter here something incredible happened: we kept cooking and it wasn't an insurmountable task. I made vegetable stock regularly which got used in making rice and couscous and to help steam kale. Days without meals planned showed up and between us Geo and I could manage to whip up a decent dinner that was nutritious and delicious - not simply mac & cheese with peas. I'm remembering to soak beans overnight, to take frozen chicken out to thaw the night before, I'm making enough food to take to work for lunch. It's a dream come true.

Food quality's been on a roller coaster lately: today there was delicious, lovingly prepared couscous and kale and yesterday there was a bag of Pirate's Booty, Peanut M&M's, and some Vitamin Water. In fact, that's sort of what life's been like lately, and while it's true that life's full of these ups and downs this time it's a little more severe. All my projects were on track, they were big, they were exciting, they were real - not like those projects I just said I was going to finish. I was proud and motivated. Then my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. The doctor is optimistic, dad is optimistic, I'm optimistic, but optimism doesn't magically lessen his pain or magically transport me home.

So I sulk, I thrash around the house, I putter, I watch a lot of movies and TV on Netflix. This entry of Multiple Myeloma into my life feels like it's a secret, like one of those things that isn't real unless I talk about it. Today I've got a little recap of foods I've made since last we spoke and my favorite cookie recipe to share.

Samosas!

Homemade curry powder made after a trip to Dunkin Donuts!

This is where the curry powder ended up: dal! This must be almost a gallon of lentils, we ate about three quarts before we just couldn't eat any more.

Our prettiest loaf of No-Knead bread yet!

Cookies were an integral part of my youth. My mom's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are well known around my old elementary school. Friends used to come over just for the cookies. I've developed my own standard version of the Chocolate Chip Cookie, it's adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant's New Classics and from my friend Cynthia's method. (I say "method" as opposed to "recipe" because she's an eye-baller, you know, "Meeeeh, abooooout this much.")

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

3/4 c. butter

1 c. dark brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour

3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1/2-3/4 c. rolled oats

1/4-1/2 c. flaked coconut

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

2 t. vanilla extract

2 c. chocolate chips

2 T. water

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, then beat in the eggs until blended. Add flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix well. Add oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and vanilla, mix well. If the dough feels too dry or doesn't want to hold together mix in the water.

Scoop the dough into 2-3" balls and place on cookie sheet, bake for up to 10 minutes, checking after 8. The edges should be light brown and the tops golden.

For some variation: use light brown sugar and dried cranberries instead of chocolate chips. They're also delicious with extra coconut.