Take Out as Self-Care
It's week 20 of WID?! I'm changing my voting plan, meal prepping, eating take out, and baking bread. Plus a recipe for Pomegranate & Honey Braised and Glazed Drumsticks.
Welcome to the 20th week of When Is Dinner? I’m so happy to have gotten here with you!
This past week I was among the estimated 100,000 people in Brooklyn who received an incorrect oath envelope with my absentee ballot. That is to say that although the ballot was mailed to me, the return envelope (which gets signed by the voter to validate it) had a neighbors name, address, and Voter ID on it. I can’t tell you how upsetting it was to discover the mistake, and then even more so to realize how many people were affected by what has been attributed to a printing error. I wasn't able to get through to anyone at the Board of Elections, but have read that everyone affected can expect a corrected ballot in the mail this week.
While my original voting plan was to vote absentee and drop it off in person, unfortunately my confidence in the system has been shaken and I will now be locating my nearest poll site to vote early and in person. Do you have your voting plan in place? How about a backup plan?
The rest of this week has been busy, and speckled with stressors leading to an uptick in ordering take out which over the years I’ve realized is a form of (privileged) self care. The caveat of cooking for others is that often the one doing the cooking fails to cook for themselves.
Guilty.
On a day off my partner and I wandered through Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood we used to spend a lot of time in, but since the Pandemic has seemed too far. We ordered Thai food from Yum Yum Too on 9th Avenue and carried it across several avenues to eat by the water at Hudson River Park. I ordered Drunken Noodles with Chicken, which also came with two vegetable dumplings, and he ordered the Chicken Pad Thai all for a total of less than $20. Both dishes were delicious and we used the extra dipping sauce from the dumplings to pour over the noodle dishes.
I finished my work week on Wednesday afternoon and immediately set out for a stroll on the perfect 70F day. As much as I wanted to enjoy the gorgeous day my growling stomach made its needs known just as I was approaching Bareburger on 7th Avenue. I remembered having a $10 discount saved and decided to do take out one more time. I carried back two “Standard Burgers” (organic beef burger, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and pickles) and Sweet Potato Fries to share.
Bareburger’s burgers are huge, and I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by anything I’ve ordered there before. From the vegan sweet potato burger to the brussel sprouts side, it's all good. I especially love their take on a gluten free option, which is wrapping the burger in a blanched collard leaf. I often find the bun to be way too big and filling for me and sometimes like to opt for the leaf to avoid being uncomfortably full after the meal.
What I’m Cooking
Meal preps for two of my Meal Prep Chef clients this week included a family style prep and vegetarian prep. The family style was Herby Chicken Cutlets, Cumin Spiced Lentils, Lemon Roasted Broccoli, Italian Turkey Meatballs, Salmon Burgers with Yogurt Dill Sauce (not pictured), and Broccoli & Kale Egg Cups.
The vegetarian meal prep of the week included Thai Coconut Curry with Tempeh, Veggies and Cilantro Brown Rice, Beyond Beef Meatballs with Sesame Noodles and Crunchy Veggies, and Chana Masala with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Something for Dinner
Pomegranate & Honey Braised and Glazed Drumsticks with Sauteed Kale and Rice This was the only full meal I cooked for me and my partner this week. Something like this can only happen on a day off, and when I started cooking I didn’t really know where it was going to take me. But the end result was some tender and saucy drumsticks that we struggled to stop eating even when we were full.
After searing the meat in a cast iron skillet, I moved it to the oven to braise in a honey and pomegranate juice liquid. Then, I further reduced the liquid after the chicken was cooked in order to make a glaze (recipe below). The pomegranate juice adds a nice tartness that’s cut by the addition of chicken stock, honey, garlic, dijon, and salt.
Something Sweet
Cookies from Schmackary’s I decided to outsource my baking this week when we stopped by Schmackary’s Cookies on 45th Street in Hell’s Kitchen. The cookies there are big enough for sharing, and average $3 each. We ordered the Yogi Bear, an oatmeal cookie with dried cranberries and nuts, and the Maple Bacon. The Yogi Bear was the favored of the two, but overall this wasn’t my best order from the cookie shop. I do, however, highly recommend their Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies, Pumpkin Cookies, and Double Chocolate.
Weekly Bread
Enriched Sourdough Sandwich Bread I followed this method to enrich my usual sourdough loaf with butter, milk, and honey. I used almond milk because that’s what I had opened, and I sprinkled the top with a few sesame seeds. The bread is baked in a regular loaf pan at 350F, eliminating the need for both a Dutch oven and cranking the heat over 400F. It almost doubles its height during the bake which is an exceptionally satisfying sight to behold. This loaf is much easier to slice than the traditional crusty sourdough, and the pillowy soft inside is comparable to store bought bread.
The first thing we did with it was make some big honkin’ PB&Js.
Recipe: Pomegranate & Honey Braised and Glazed Drumsticks
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 chicken drumsticks (bone in, skin on)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
For the Glaze (optional)
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup honey
Instructions
Generously salt all sides of the drumsticks and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the honey, vinegar, mustard, oil, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl and use gloved hands, or a big spoon to evenly coat all sides. You can allow your chicken to marinate, or you can begin cooking straight away.
Preheat your oven to 350F.
On the stovetop, warm a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the drumsticks in a single layer to begin searing all sides. After about 5 minutes, check the bottoms for the sear and flip them over if they’re beginning to brown. Once all sides have been browned turn off the heat. Pour in the chicken stock, and pomegranate juice. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the whole pan into the oven and leave it to braise for 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F.
Remove the pan from the oven. Using tongs place the chicken onto a separate plate and get the pan over high heat. You want to see lots of small, rapid bubbling in the liquid. Add the remaining pomegranate juice and honey and continue to reduce the liquid while stirring to avoid scorching. When the sauce coats the back of a metal spoon it’s ready. Turn off the heat and transfer the drumsticks back into the pan, turning them over to coat all sides with the sauce.
Thanks!
If you try any of the recipes please share what you think in the comments or reply to this email, and tag me on Instagram! Let me know what you loved (or didn’t!) and how you made it your own. If you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend!