COVID-19 Virus Shutdown, Day 48
I've been thinking about the "new normal" when we return to being able to leave the house for more than groceries. And I've decided a couple of things.
I get real joy out of gardening. There is something almost necessary about going outside and soaking up the sun, digging in the dirt, and watching your "babies" grow into real plants that produce food. Eating your own carrots that you grew from seed is one of the best things I can remember doing.
As fussy as it can be to grow from seed, weed nearly every day, hack away at vines that don't quit, and constantly clean up dog poo, I love love love being out there just puttering around. It's very peaceful.
So my decision is to always make this a part of my life, as much as I can. Maybe I'll get into canning this year with a real canner. Or start dehydrating.
The other thing is that I need a few hours a week to read, alone, and soak up a new story. I love stories where there is travel and food involved. Luckily I have a friend who is an avid reader with the same taste, so I have probably 6 or 8 books to read through, still.
That also brings me peace, even when the world gets crazy.
I think we all need some things like this in our lives. Even if the good chaotic things that takes our time, all our talent, and brain power that we love dearly, like pastry & baking feel like it's absolutely the right thing to spend our time doing, we also need something that helps us feel peace.
And finally, as hard as it can be, we also need to practice some form of exercise every day. It's difficult to do this last thing, even if its something that we get a lot out of like martial arts. Tough to find time to do it, and it can be hard on the body. Still, without this exercise, we become couch potatoes, sitting so long we grow shoots! And those fun days gardening make us pay a price if we aren't in shape.
Anyway, back to the every day life things!
For dinner, I made chicken .It seems like I fry food too much, so this time I made baked chicken.
I took chicken tender meat, put it in a bowl, added olive oil, saffron, garlic powder, and the last of last year's greek oregano. I added salt and mixed this all in a bowl.
Place foil on a cookie sheet for easier cleanup, and lay out each tender. I baked at 375 and it probably took around 25 or 30 minutes. I temped it to 162 since residual heat is a thing!
Meanwhile I made green beans and onions in butter and cinnamon. It was ok but I think my method of boiling them first was a mistake.
In my Imperfect foods box, i got some brioche buns, so i buttered those and sprinkled on some garlic to make garlic bread. That was fantastic!
I cut up some "pickle" cucumbers - you know the small ones? My son thought they were already brined and pushed them away until i explained that they were just cucumbers but smaller.
I added some grape tomatoes and dinner was served.
Later on, I visited the sourdough starter, and it was bubbly! This is a good sign. Today I mixed it, pulled out half a cup and added flour and water in the right amounts (1/2 c and 3/8 c).
Another little project was that I cut the core of an onion and set it in a jar of water. Within 3 days it had roots and shoots. I planted it today. The green part of the onion looks like hands holding an invisible ball to me.
That's all the news that's fit to print!
Stay safe, sane, and healthy, friends!
Vicky
I get real joy out of gardening. There is something almost necessary about going outside and soaking up the sun, digging in the dirt, and watching your "babies" grow into real plants that produce food. Eating your own carrots that you grew from seed is one of the best things I can remember doing.
As fussy as it can be to grow from seed, weed nearly every day, hack away at vines that don't quit, and constantly clean up dog poo, I love love love being out there just puttering around. It's very peaceful.
So my decision is to always make this a part of my life, as much as I can. Maybe I'll get into canning this year with a real canner. Or start dehydrating.
The other thing is that I need a few hours a week to read, alone, and soak up a new story. I love stories where there is travel and food involved. Luckily I have a friend who is an avid reader with the same taste, so I have probably 6 or 8 books to read through, still.
That also brings me peace, even when the world gets crazy.
I think we all need some things like this in our lives. Even if the good chaotic things that takes our time, all our talent, and brain power that we love dearly, like pastry & baking feel like it's absolutely the right thing to spend our time doing, we also need something that helps us feel peace.
And finally, as hard as it can be, we also need to practice some form of exercise every day. It's difficult to do this last thing, even if its something that we get a lot out of like martial arts. Tough to find time to do it, and it can be hard on the body. Still, without this exercise, we become couch potatoes, sitting so long we grow shoots! And those fun days gardening make us pay a price if we aren't in shape.
Anyway, back to the every day life things!
For dinner, I made chicken .It seems like I fry food too much, so this time I made baked chicken.
I took chicken tender meat, put it in a bowl, added olive oil, saffron, garlic powder, and the last of last year's greek oregano. I added salt and mixed this all in a bowl.
Place foil on a cookie sheet for easier cleanup, and lay out each tender. I baked at 375 and it probably took around 25 or 30 minutes. I temped it to 162 since residual heat is a thing!
Meanwhile I made green beans and onions in butter and cinnamon. It was ok but I think my method of boiling them first was a mistake.
In my Imperfect foods box, i got some brioche buns, so i buttered those and sprinkled on some garlic to make garlic bread. That was fantastic!
I cut up some "pickle" cucumbers - you know the small ones? My son thought they were already brined and pushed them away until i explained that they were just cucumbers but smaller.
I added some grape tomatoes and dinner was served.
Later on, I visited the sourdough starter, and it was bubbly! This is a good sign. Today I mixed it, pulled out half a cup and added flour and water in the right amounts (1/2 c and 3/8 c).
 |
| bubbly starter |
Another little project was that I cut the core of an onion and set it in a jar of water. Within 3 days it had roots and shoots. I planted it today. The green part of the onion looks like hands holding an invisible ball to me.
 |
| creepy onion hands! |
Stay safe, sane, and healthy, friends!
Vicky
Comments
Post a Comment