RECIPE 7: Whole Roasted Snapper with Harissa and Gold Tomatoes

As COVID cooking continues, so does Paulo and my's quest to cook every recipe from Alison Roman's Dining In. After hearing from a friend about her Whole Roasted Snapper with Harissa and Gold Tomatoes and easily tracking down the ingredients despite the bare shelves at the grocery, here it is in all its garlicky glory.

An easy main dish, I paired the fish with couscous (per Alison's recommendation) and peas for a little more color and whelp I love buttered peas. This fish would be great for a crowd, especially if you're able to get ahold of a whole fish and not just snapper fillets like I cooked. And the Harissa gives this dish just enough spice to share with the other elements on your plate.

Another pro tip is to eat this fast. We had so much leftover that we ate it for a couple of days and each day the fish got more stinky and no one likes a stinky fish dish, especially when stuck at home! Want the recipe? Click HERE.

RECIPE 6: Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola

Another busy week of cooking and eating in quarantine. And thank gahd for Alison Roman! This week Paulo and I took on Decidedly Not-Sweet Granola from Dining In. I upped my game with using the granola as an ingredient (per Alison's direction) to make Smashed Cucumbers and Scallions over Garlicky Yogurt.

First, let's talk about the granola. It's heavy on seeds - which the Hubs and I loved not only for color and texture but taste. It's likely one of the healthier dishes in the cookbook, which is good for us and not gaining what I've been calling the COVID-19.

The addition of cucumbers and yogurt only makes the granola sing further. An added bonus is that this dish transports you a Mediterranean coast with its mix of creamy tartness, lemon, olive oil and healthy dose of garlic. Perfect for a sunny spring lunch or afternoon snack. Raise your hand if you're ready for a vacation?

I only have one bone to pick... Alison includes the yogurt recipe in her "Savory Breakfast" section of the cookbook and both the Hubs and I agreed this was not a morning meal. Brunch/lunch/afternoon snack? 100%. But for breakfast this dish would be a bit much with all that tangy garlic. Maybe this is because we get up early with our two year old and no longer sleep in? Do me a favor and give this recipe a whirl and let me know what you think. It's time to hive mind!

Bookworm Update

If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic is giving us all an excuse to read more. I keep a long to-read list in the notes app of my iPhone and am happy to tackle a few on the list.

Thus far in 2020, I've tackled five books: Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, One Year and Way, Way Too Many Emails (a quick read that reminded me of Sex & the City but with younger and trashier women you don't really care about), The Family Upstairs (I love a thriller and this one is definitely a page turner,)  Red, White and Royal Blue (the love story you wish would hit the pages of Esquire), Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire (from one of my favorite modern

mercantiles - this book highlights several stories of creatives from across the country and is gorgeous to look at) and Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators (glad I read it but it's a bummer knowing the complaints of women were ignored for decades and that still happens in 2020. Silver-lining Harvey Weinstein contracted coronavirus?)


Currently, I'm reading both an interior design coffee table book, Habitat: The Field Guide of Decorating, and a novel by Sally Rooney - the winner of The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award - Conversations with Friends. I love having a coffee table book in the rotation so that I can pick it up while Henry plays quietly in the morning, though that's increasingly rare given our new battle with the terrible twos. Coffee table books are easy to put down and pick up again, which makes them the perfect pick for toddler life.

Up next I plan to read The Holdout (a nod toward my old Grand Jury Days), I'm Thinking of Ending Things: A Novel (that thriller jam, folks!) and The Sun Down Motel. Once I've finished Habitat, I'll also pick up Kate Spade's All in Good Taste (all about hosting because once this shelter in place is over - it's on!)

What are you reading, m'dears?!