Albums, Snacks, Jerry Stiller

Good morning! Another unseasonably cold one in New York, but the sun is out, so I will take it. Yesterday I crossed something off my to-do list that I think might hold the world record for Longest Time Ever Spent on a To-Do List: I sent ten first-day-of-school photos to Shutterfly to make prints. Like a lot of parents out there, I started a First Day of School Album when Phoebe entered kindergarten (in 2004), taking a photo of her, and later her sister, every year on our front doorstep. I was pretty good about keeping up with it until, of course, we went 100% digital. The blank pages following 2009's front-step photo have been haunting me for a decade -- and especially this past year, Phoebe's last. So I spent about 30 minutes sleuthing around my photo library and Facebook yesterday, and managed to scrape up every single image except 2014's. (Curses!) Anyway, the prints will ship later this week and I will make a big show of it when I slide them into that album, that is, if I'm not crumbled on the floor having a happy-sad breakdown. I'm calling that today's Project -- here are the other two P's in your daily Pantry, Purpose, Project...

Pantry: Snacks

A couple of you have asked about healthy snack ideas, so I thought I'd share the two munchies that have the power to (almost) quash the 4:00-potato-and-baked-good-sometimes-at-the-same-time craving. One winner? Popcorn! (I know what you're thinking: Is she um, actually giving us a recipe for popcorn? YES I AM.) Right at the beginning of quarantine, we picked up some good kernels from a farm market, and I've recently gotten into popping up a batch in the late afternoon. It makes the house smell good and I always remember Mark Bittman singing its praises as the ultimate healthy whole grain snack. Unless you decide to turn it into Kettle Corn, of course, which we've definitely been guilty of doing.

The other thing we've been really into -- and by "really into" I mean 100% addicted to -- are these Wonderful chili roasted pistachios. I might like them so much because I tried them for the first time in Seattle, and they remind me of a great long weekend with my college friends right before the world upended. I've taken to hiding the bag in the basement to make it last longer, especially because they are pricey.

Purpose: RIP Jerry Stiller

Damn he was so funny. A lot of people on social media were sharing a blooper version of the iconic "You Want a Piece of Me" Seinfeld video yesterday, and I think I watched it every time it showed up. We are all Jason Alexander literally falling on the floor laughing with him. What a gift. What a life.

Stay safe. Stay home.

The goal of the Project, Pantry, Purpose series to keep us sane, distracted, and connected. Please continue to comment below with suggestions for recipes, projects (for kids and adults), good deeds, donation ideas, stories, movies, games, puzzles. Or just tell me how you’re doing, what your daily routine is, and especially how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at jenny@dinneralovestory.com.