Think of England

I'm getting the catchup out of the way so that I can return to glamorous activities like going to the theater in the East Village wearing a Miro-print dress.

Because that's definitely an activity in which I engage more regularly than, say, taking a two-hour nap in the middle of the afternoon, bracketed by the rapid and violent consumption of multiple apples and followed by an evening of browsing the Internet and watching Andy play League of Legends. So glamorous.

More provisions for what I'm now calling persistent carb weather (because polar vortex is so end-of-2013).

Will someone please explain to me what differentiates ice
pellets from freezing rain from girth-challenged hail?

Polenta is great even when it's not fried golden-brown. This is topped with roasted bell peppers marinated in balsamic vinegar, caper juice, oregano, and olive oil; toasted walnuts; crispy shaved brussels sprouts; and a poached egg. I wish I'd cooked the polenta in water (or mostly water) instead of milk; it was weirdly creamy in a way that clashed with the Parmesan I'd cooked into it.

And here we have homemade mushroom and kale ravioli, the filling of which* I'm proud to say converted a friend who thought he hated kale. Using my brand-new ravioli press was... challenging. Because of a number of user errors, I thought the ravioli were kind of watery and was, at the time, ashamed to serve them to a non-spousal entity. I stand by the concept, though, and will refine the execution at some point.

And last but not least, have a bonus recipe debut for healthful whole-grain graham crackers containing, in the words of another friend, "seeds and other stuff that white people are into." They didn't turn out as crunchy as I would have liked, but the taste was great. I'll troubleshoot them at some point as well.

Whole-grain graham crackers

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup almond flour
1/3 c wheat bran
1/4 c raw millet
1/4 c flaxseeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
5 tbsp olive oil (or melted butter)
5 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp molasses
1/4 c milk (which may have sabotaged the crispy factor, and which I may do away with next time)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients together; it will form a stiff, yet still sticky dough. Roll out on a piece of parchment paper to about 1/8-inch thickness. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, mixed with brown sugar if you want a sweeter cookie.

*Kale, wild mushroom blend, pinch of nutmeg