This Again? A New School Year, Writer’s Block, and Chef’s Block (if that’s even a thing)

So here we are. Another school year is beginning. Another semester. I’d say same s*** new semester, but it honestly isn’t this time. Everything about this now 90% online academia experience feels different. Like there are dozens of NEW ways for the semester to be a disaster that we haven’t seen or experienced yet.

Yay.

I haven’t posted in months. I can see that. I cooked, kind of, and I took some pictures, and I even wrote up half of a bunch of posts, but the truth is, I had writer’s block. Or cooking block. Is that a thing? I’ve been uninspired, losing track of time, not cooking much new stuff, and every time I think “I should share this!” I end up not knowing how to put words on the page.

Even if you’re not a home cook, if you ARE a grad student, you’ve probably experienced this with research. Or writing. If you’re NOT a grad student, I’m sure you’ve experienced this at work, or on that DIY home improvement project you keep saying you want to do but you never seem to muster the energy. You know what I mean. We are all completely burned out; our emotional reservoirs are depleted, and we need to regroup.

But in the past few weeks, I have finally started cooking again. I’m ready to start exploring new flavors and new ingredients. I’m ready to start being excited by food again. Summer brings a lot of my favorite flavors, and I’ve been cooking a lot with peaches, eggplant, corn, okra, and zucchini. I’ll confess: I do eat these even when they’re not in season, but they’re definitely better when they are in season–fresher, more locally sourced, and just generally better-tasting. Don’t worry, though-~-there are a TON of great fall flavors ahead, including Brussels sprouts, acorn and butternut squash, apples, cranberries, and fresh citrus. (You can learn more about seasonal fruits and vegetables here.)

I’ll start posting recipes and pictures very soon, starting with Smitten Kitchen’s Apple Honey Challah, which I baked for Rosh Hashanah, and maybe photos (or at least a discussion of) her Tangy Braised Brisket-Style Chickpeas, which I am now a bit obsessed with-~-all the brisket flavors we love, but vegan? What else could you want? I’ll also be trying to post some of my favorite recipes, a project that got derailed due to comps and COVID.

In the meantime, here are some seasonal recipes to help inspire you to fall back in love with food and cooking, or at least make weeknights go a little easier!

Simple Baba Ganoush (from Minimalist Baker)

Spicy Corn and Peach Salad with Burrata (from Half-Baked Harvest)

Black Pepper Tofu and Eggplant (from Smitten Kitchen)

Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread (from Pinch of Yum)

Butternut Squash and Veggie Pizza (from Minimalist Baker)

Extra Summer-y Okra Succotash (from Love and Zest)

Skillet Balsamic Peach Pork Chops (from Half-Baked Harvest; you can check out my own post about this recipe here)

My Curried Lentils and Butternut Squash

Prosciutto Apple and Sage Butter Chicken with Cider Pan Sauce (from Half-Baked Harvest)

Zucchini Fritters (from Smitten Kitchen)

Harvest Wild Rice Skillet (from Pinch of Yum)

Eggplant Parm Pasta Skillet (from Cook Nourish Bliss; you can also see my post on this recipe here)

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa (from Pinch of Yum)

Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops (from Gimme Some Oven)

Apple Pecan Arugula Salad (from Minimalist Baker)

One-Pan Baked Gnocchi and Veggies (from Chelsea’s Messy Apron)

Five-Ingredient Green Curry, ft Tofu, Broccoli, and Butternut Squash (from Pinch of Yum)

My mom’s easy Cranberry Muffins

Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Eggs (from Damn Delicious)

Molly Gilbert’s Sheet Pan Ratatouille

My Mediterranean Chickpea and Veggie Skillet (ft Eggplant and Zucchini)

Please Excuse My Absence

Like many of my students, I became victim to the end of the semester. I also had a lot more absence from this site than I expected.

First, the end of this semester was a little extra rough.  Grading piled up, papers became due…if you’re a grad student, you know the deal.  Second, WordPress started having technical difficulties so I was unable to log in to generate new posts.

And, maybe the most frustrating thing of all: the stress (and following head cold) messed with my appetite.  Put simply, I wasn’t really cooking.  I was running on side salads and sugar snap peas and yogurt and scrambled eggs and mac’n’cheese.

I’ll post more on this in the next couple of days…as well as new posts with actual recipes now that I’m finally back to cooking. So stay tuned, and if you have recently crossed the finish line of spring semester: congratulations!