Dana Burland

Some nice cooking-related pros to come out of this wild situation are that my meal planning is more dialed in than ever and my food waste is much lower. Also, the baking. I, along with most of America, have been bread baking. And while I’m typically not a fan of no-knead bread (what’s the point if I can’t pound my feelings out into a poor ball of dough?) this no-knead rosemary bread recipe is, well, damn delicious. Worth noting I’ve made it both with fresh and dried rosemary and either work. I also didn’t have the size pan the recipe noted but I think any circle pan close to a 10” diameter would do. In the sweets category I’ve made these amazing almost-all-pantry-staple brownies and this week I’m trying chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake . If a slice of cozy, buttery coffee cake with hot coffee while we keep getting slammed with rainy days is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Along with these treats, here’s my line-up of meals for the next few days: Merk chicken Sausa...

Hello and welcome to my new series nobody asked for: Cooking In Quarantine. It goes without saying (though I said it anyway ) what a unique time it is right now. It’s also a unique time to be cooking. Suddenly all meals for everyone in my household come out of my kitchen. I have extra time to think and meal plan, but less opportunities to shop and with two young kids at home less time to cook. I want comfort and excitement from food and I also want to feel like I’m taking good care of my family by making healthy fueling meals. Here’s what I’m looking forward to this week: Tomato & white bean soup with lots of garlic + grilled cheese I can't remember what sparked the search, but I got it in my mind I could find a recipe for tomato soup with beans blended in that would amp up the protein. This NYT recipe stood out and I'm excited to test it out. Could this become a new staple soup? Stay tuned. Burgers on the grill + kale chips Crockpot turkey meatballs + roasted p...

Sometimes as I rock you to sleep in your bedroom the door will fling open, setting your peaceful dark room on fire with light and noise. “MAMA!? CAN I HAVE A GRANOLA BAR?” You’ve learned to not startle at the constant whirl of your 2.5 year old brother. I’ve learned how to multitask between the two of you, and how to best explain when my hands are tied. He’s learned to (mostly) respect how my time is split and asks if I want the door closed “jus’ a liddul” or all the way on his way out. And so I rock you even longer. Even though you’re asleep. Even though you’ll do that partial wake up thing when I lay you in your crib anyway. As “liddul” brother you’ll never have the luxury of all our attention. I can relate as a little sister. Because of that I pour so much out of my cup to you, until it’s bone dry, and then I try to pour out a bit more. You certainly haven’t gotten as much tummy time. Often you have to nap on the fly while we’re on family outings. Your toys get confiscat...

Last Sunday, in the beautiful warm sunshine, we took the boys to a nearby baseball diamond to run around. Cam kicked a soccer ball all around the field. He gawked and waved at motorcycles that drove by. I bounced Adrian in my baby carrier and tried to shield the sun from his eyes. Next to the baseball diamond is a covered bridge that crosses a river into a small downtown area. We ran through the bridge and listened to our voices echo. We walked the empty sidewalks and talked about what we saw in shop windows. We got take-out pizza on the way home and had a picnic dinner on the deck. Not only did it feel normal, it felt happy, full and memorable. It took almost 3 weeks for Cam to catch on. That’s when he started asking why all the stores are closed. There’s one of many gut-punches from this virus and stay-at-home order. And I’m worn down from the gut punches. So instead we’re focusing on what’s not closed. Kicking a soccer ball all the way around a baseball diamond is not...