I have an idea.
This idea started brewing in the middle of the night, during my covid-recovery insomnia, when my nighttime ruminations wouldn't stop prying my eyes open and pinpricking my limbs any time I found a comfortable resting place. The idea kept percolating all night, even during those meager hours of restless sleep, and now that it's morning, I can smell its aroma like a fresh pot of coffee in my brain.
I take my coffee black, no cream or sugar.
When I first started drinking coffee in my mid-thirties, my first drink was one of those sugar-laden confections from Starbucks that I now lovingly refer to as "dessert coffee." It wasn't long before I tried to find ways to cut back on the sugar, then found that I actually preferred the friendly bitter taste of the coffee itself. Even the milk took away from the dark, rich essence I enjoyed, so eventually, I began drinking plain coffee, just as it is.
I haven't looked back.
By the way, if you search coffee in the New York Times Cooking app, there are more than 560 results for recipes containing or referring to the magical substance, one of which is the Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake I made today.
Earlier today, though, and by earlier I mean much, much earlier (3 AM), I was staying my insomnia by browsing the New York Time Cooking app, tagging recipes to try in the future, when the idea hit me:
Maybe cooking is the answer to everything.
Ok, not everything.
Most things. Many things. Maybe something?
My 43rd birthday is in just a few days, and I'm grappling with the losses and changes of my life in middle age.
I'm a recently divorced mom of teenaged sons, looking for a way to connect with them and establish a reimagination of normal life. I need some kind of outlet to process the stories by which I frame my experience. I want to try new things. And I definitely need to spend less money on take-out.
Maybe cooking is the answer to some of those things.
So, here I am, still home from work because I'm still sick but excited about this idea.
I'm going to try each of the "115 Our Best Weeknight Dinner Recipes" from the New York Times Cooking app.
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| Sick day fun: Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake |
This is not a recipe blog-- there are plenty of those, and I'm not a chef, nor am I a foodie. I'm not affiliated with the NYT, either. I just clicked on their ads on my Instagram.
I'm just a regular person and a very regular cook. I'd like to improve, and I believe in the whole practice makes progress adage.
I love to eat, I love to talk about eating, and mostly, I love the feeling of connectedness that comes with sharing a good meal.
Maybe this blog will just be a place I can record my memories and experiences, but maybe someone else out there in world can connect with what I write in some way.
Either way, I feel like this little idea has potential to help me solve a thing or two.
As mentioned previously, I searched the word coffee on the NYT Cooking app, and one recipe immediately caught my eye.
The Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe stood out because I knew I had all of the ingredients on hand, including a box of blueberries that needed to either be eaten or thrown out, and because I love a good coffee cake. This recipe is lovely, complete with a cinnamon swirl and a buttery crumble topping. The bursts of blueberry throughout add a delightful, summery cheer to this dense cake.
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| My finished Blueberry Cinnamon Coffee Cake. Yum. |
My kids were so-so on the recipe as apparently I haven't explained the idea of "coffee cake" very well, and they had expected something much sweeter. Personally, I prefer a less sugary flavor, so this was just right for me.
I'm counting this recipe as just a preview since it isn't on the weeknight dinners list, and I didn't make it for dinner.
It was a pretty tasty preview. Just right with a nice cup of black coffee.
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