Stress Cooking
Lemon meringue pie, herb-rubbed chicken, sweet potato mushroom stir-fry, Spanish frittata, beans with kale and artichoke hearts, goat-cheese tomato tart.

“Challah!” teenage Ava says. “Did you see Lyda’s pic? Unbelievable!”

“Your sister’s got twisting down.”

“I’m not talking about braiding. Where’d she find yeast?”

Fish and chips (Ava’s choice), chicken soup, roasted beets with orange vinaigrette, chocolate-chip cookies, sautéed cabbage with apples and caraway seeds (Grandmother’s forgotten recipe), rice topped with tamarind chutney and spicy green goo.

“WTF!” Ava holds fork midair.

“Puréed mustard greens with onions, garlic, and ginger.”

“Why?”

“Antioxidant packed.”

“Why?”

“They were in the farmers’ market box and I can’t trade now. I would’ve traded. But we can’t. So we eat what’s in the box. Especially if it’s good for you.”

“Why was I stuck with a farmers’-market-shopping, non-GMO, gluten-free mother?”

Risotto with trumpet mushrooms (Yum! Ava says), cabbage-apple slaw, wild rice with dandelion greens.