What's in the pantry?: Spicy chickpeas with abruzzese sausage and artichoke hearts

Artichoke hearts are the lipstick of my pantry. They can add the final touch to an elegant ensemble, but, in a pinch, you can throw them together with the culinary equivalent of jeans and a black t-shirt and voila – all dolled up!

I’ve been doing more dolling up than elegant ensembles lately. I’m working on the biggest writing project I’ve ever undertaken, and I spend most days floating around in another world. About 2.5 minutes before the afternoon bus delivers my children, I pry myself back to reality, try to remember my name and how to find my way to the kitchen. Then I greet my kids with assurances of snacks and dinner and all the other things that mommies provide, and which I now pretend to have been thinking about and planning and organizing.

Last week, I was so distracted I forgot to go grocery shopping all together, which left me sorting through the 48 condiment jars – I wish I were joking – that have grown quite comfortable now that they don’t have to compete with meat and vegetables for space on the shelves of my fridge. But somehow curried olives with a marmalade and mustard sauce didn’t seem like it would go over very well. And so most nights found me standing in front of my pantry, can opener in hand, screaming children at my feet, thinking, ‘OK, inspiration hit me hard. Now. And make it one of those 10-minute-and-under ideas could ya?’

More often than not, the answer was chickpeas. Really they are the answer to most things. Go ahead, try me. Ask me a question. Anything. What is cheap and round and yummy and healthy? Chickpeas. What is the only protein left in the pantry since you used up all the black beans? Chickpeas. See it’s easy. Try it some time.

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Review: Shining Rainbow, Albany, NY

Here is a link to my review of Shining Rainbow in the Albany Times Union.

Tradition: Candied grapefruit and orange peels

I have an essay about trying to find a holiday tradition in this month's issue of Martha Stewart's Body + Soul Magazine. I haven't been able to find a link to the essay online, but I will add one if they put it up later.

I've gotten several emails asking me for my mother-in-law's recipe for candied citrus peels, the tradition I wrote about.

Here is the recipe along with some pictures.

Getting ready to boil the peels.

Stirring is a family affair.

Draining the peels before adding the sugar.

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