Though twelve months have passed, the calendar on the wall still reads November, 2020. As the wind rattles the rain streaked windows and the dark arrives before dinner, I can almost remember what it was like, one year ago, when we were confined to this apartment by the highest threat of a deadly virus and the piercing shriek of a newborn. Exhausted, elated and terrified, my husband and I shuffled sleeplessly through the hours by making a million micro decisions, each feeling more like a mountain than a molehill. Though looking down at our new situation was daunting, it was certainly better than looking up - up at an untamed pandemic, up at the changing climate, the crooked politics and the societal unrest all threatening to reach their breaking point, up at the darkness. No, best to look down.

(Recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate follows)

This tomatillo and white bean soup was inspired by a surplus of the nightshade from a friends’ garden, my desire to break into my stunning Royal Coronas from Rancho Gordo, and the mismatched contents of my crisper. Add some pork and hominy and you’ve got a nice variation of pozole stew, freeze it and you’ve got a soothing meal waiting for you in the depth of winter, blend it up and you’ve got a creamy soup approved by adults and babies alike (though be warned, the latter will show their approval by five-finger flicking it both into their mouths and onto your face).

(Recipe for Tomatillo And White Bean Soup follows)

The nice thing about a creamy soup is that you don’t have to spend much time meticulously chopping your ingredients. That, and you could absolutely load this soup up with all sorts of vegetables - kale, cauliflower, sweet potatoes - and no picky eater would ever know. I used beans in place of potatoes in this recipe to add more fiber and protein as well as thicken the soup without the addition of flour. Read on, cook on.

(Recipe for Creamy Corn Chowder With Coriander Oil follows)