Variety

about variety being the spice of life?

We've been spending so much time in our kitchens that each week seems brighter based on the infusion of a new snack in the pantry, a different meal plan (including takeout when it feels safe to support local restaurants), or a fresh recipe that makes our mouths water.

On the one hand, it feels like we are missing out on a diversity of experience - limited by where we can go, what activities we can plan, what kinds of spontaneous interactions we may have. One of the harder limitations is our inability to celebrate or participate in those once-in-a-lifetime events that have been postponed, or have simply vanished, never to be reclaimed. I'm talking about graduations, burials, wedding ceremonies, festivals and conferences and concerts and gatherings of all kinds.

It's vital to express our grief over these losses - as Brené Brown says, you have to name it - and I'm feeling them especially this week as schools in our state of New York have announced closure through the end of this school year. I already miss that light-but-aching feeling on the last days of school, when projects and school supplies trickle homeward and yearbooks are signed and families are out on the playground letting their kids run free because there aren't any after-school activities to rush to or homework to do. The collective sigh. The sunshine. The bearing witness to growth and change as students move up and out of their past achievements.

What's the up side, you ask? Don't worry, I've got one. And to me, it's a biggy (in our house we like to say, 'it's a huge-y'):

In April of last year, almost six hundred jobs were posted on our site. Typically you can find between 800 and 1,000 jobs on GFJ at any given moment, a number that changes constantly as old jobs expire or are removed by an employer who is no longer searching, and new jobs appear, sometimes trickling in from one hour to another, other times pouring in by the handful in the same instant that we refresh the page. This April, just under two hundred jobs went live. A significant change.

But I have to say, folks: every one of those jobs makes me want to cry with gratitude for those who are out there doing the work that moves them, and making it possible to add team members from a pool of workers who desperately need the role. Our work has always felt as personal as we could make it for a web-based business - real, live humans reviewing jobs post and answering customer service emails - but now it feels more personal than ever. I feel a part of every job that comes in - the humans that make up all sides of someone's occupation, whether it's temporary or part-time or a stop-gap. The work we do makes a difference, and we see that more than ever. I can only hope that as we move forward out of this dark, uncertain place, we can mourn the systems that needed to be left behind, and welcome more just and balanced ones in their place. There is much that needs to be done, but - truly - each good food job gives me hope. And in those times when I can't keep my head up any longer, I go into the kitchen...

TAYLOR'S GRANOLA

Be prepared to throw out every other granola recipe you've ever come across - you will not need them once you make this. This is based on the original recipe from Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Granola, and I've given it out to so many people who now make it their own go-to recipe. I used to work with Nekisia's significant other and can remember one specific Christmas when she mentioned that Neki was making granola for gifts. The granola became an addiction for many before it turned into a full-fledged business. While we like to support her whenever we have access to be able to pick up a bag (or three), this recipe that we've adapted has become a staple in our own kitchen, as we've moved further afield from her local market in New York City. We hope it will find a way into your kitchen, too.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup hulled raw Austrian pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
2 cups unsweetened coconut chips
2 cups raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 pinch coarse salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 300F.
Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, sesame seeds, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 1 hour.
Remove granola from oven and season with more salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

NOTE // The major differences in our recipe is that we added more of the things we love (coconut!) and bake it for longer to get a nice, deep crisp and color. But feel free to experiment with what you like. Different nuts? Seeds? Dried fruit? Spices? Chocolate? Skip the sugar? To each their own.

WHAT IS IT THEY SAY . . .

tidbits...