Week 3: Big Plans in Little Kenwood

Thought I'd share something positive that people can do in their home, other than couchsurf, Netflix and snacks. We've got that down pat. I am trying Zumba, on YouTube, followed by a Relaxing Music YouTube channel laying on my foam roller doing my shoulder PT. And of course, pulling those dang weeds!

From Pilates to Crossfit, you can find a short work out somewhere on YouTube! If you find something you like on YouTube, subscribe, now is your chance to try new gym activities that don't need much equipment. Sleep, fresh air, physical activity, fresh food and not too much sugar, are all good for your immune system. As usual, I am preaching to myself, of course!

So be like Kathy, find a plan. Share it with others. I'd love to hear your ideas for getting off the couch, when there's not far to go!

Banana Bread Victory

I have used to same recipe for Banana Bread since I was about 12., and when I take the time to do it right it comes out light and fluffy each time. Since I was home all day, I had the time.
Thought I'd share my secrets, in case you end up needing a little num num and happen to have 3  ripe bananas.
It is from this cookbook, C'est si bon! published by the Young Women's Christian Organization of Baton Rouge, first printed in 1969.

You should get yourself one, if you are interested in southern cooking.

I would take a picture of the page, but as I said, I have been using it since 1969, and this is my favorite recipe in the book.. so it has a bit of batter damage. 😳

Here is the original from a Mrs. Richard L. Merritt Jr (pg. 223)

	Banana Bread
1 1/4 cups sugar		3 mashed bananas
1/2 cup butter		2 cups sifted flour
2 well beaten eggs		1 teaspoon baking soda
	1/2 cup nuts

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and bananas. Sift flour and soda and add. Beat well.

Fold in the nuts, pour into well greased loaf pan or small ring. Bake for 45 minutes at 375*

These instructions assumes the reader had a Home Economics Class. I did not. Luckily, I had a Granny, who liked to bake and sometimes taught me a thing or two, then there was just trial and error. So here are my improvements with a little instruction.

	Banana Bread
1/2 cup softened butter		1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar		2 cups sifted flour
3/4 cup white sugar		1 teaspoon baking soda
2 well beaten eggs		1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 mashed bananas		a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375* prepare a well greased loaf pan by coating the sides well with butter, (or spray it)

Place butter in a large bowl, if it is not room temperature you can place it in your warming oven for a moment, but don't melt it. Baking is chemistry and these things matter. Add the sugars, and cream the butter and sugar.

Here is a point of instruction, to "cream" butter and sugar together means they become one, and close to the texture of the butter, rather than wet sugar. Think of it as emulsified rather than mixed. Use a medium high setting to cream the butter and sugar together, until it becomes the texture of rather heavy butter.

The picture on the left is mixed sugar and butter, and the picture on the right is creamed.

Next,  move the creamed butter and sugar to the side with a spatula and add your egg.  

STOP don't mix the egg in yet!  Notice the instructions say a "well beaten egg." The egg has to be beaten first and then mixed in.  By adding the egg to one side of the bowl, you can beat the egg in the same bowl, no muss no fuss. 
Beat the egg until it is lighter in color, has bubbles, and has no white  blobs left.  See picture on right.

THEN Beat egg into the batter on high until the batter is much lighter than before, almost the consistency of icing.  See picture on left. Next add "mashed banana" into the batter. I am not a fan of too many bowls.  I break them into pieces, and mash them on top of the batter, and then mix them in. The batter will become quite moist, and that's ok. 
Add the vanilla. You will be glad you did, it's that something that's missing when it isn't there. I have a friend who adds a tablespoon of Banana Liqueur. If you have try it.  Now the dry ingredients. For this, you are going to need a separate bowl. Put all the dry ingredients into the bowl. Take a fork, and stir it well. Maybe you have had the misfortune of a nice little bite of baking soda in your banana bread. NOT GOOD!  Don't forget the pinch of salt, you will miss it if it is not there.  No need to sift, just use a regular kitchen strainer to tap the dry mixture through and mix well. The batter is about the same consistency as cake batter, maybe a bit thicker, but if it is much thicker, you have done something wrong, but dense banana bread is better than no banana bread!  Pour into your prepared loaf pan, and in about 45 to 50 minutes, it's done when the middle feels solid, but springy. I usually turn it half way, but I don't know if that matters, if you have an oven that cooks evenly.  I loosen the edges when it is hot, give it a few minutes and turn it out onto a cutting board, because you are going to want to be sure it's not spoiled, before you serve it to anyone. The end piece is the best!! 

Carnitas.. real good .. real local

I love carnitas. You pick up a burger, I go for tacos.. always carnitas tacos. I don't care, so don't tell me about the fat, it isn't that often and they are so good! And cheap, btw.

A new place moved into Kenwood a couple of months ago. He has been running a food truck,  and a following. 

It is so hard for a business to make it here, because we're a small town, that explodes on weekends at certain times of the years, and sometimes all week long, but never bustling during the week.

Today, I just wanted carnitas so badly, that I took my life into my hands, and called for a pick up. 

Here's the process, because I'm crazed by this avoidance of the virus thing, I called and ordered and said no lettuce or tomatoes (cold food doesn't burn the virus off). He said "avocado" and I took the chance.  I know, but avocado..

I said, "I'm old, so I don't want to have to get close to anyone to pick up the food." He said, "No sweat, I have a bar to the side, and I'll leave the bag there, and there's a bucket for the money." 

Bing bong. So, I picked up the bag of food, brought it inside, washed my hands, put on gloves, transferred the food to my dishes, took out the soiled take out containers to the trash.. and boy, was it good. 

Not worth a trip to the hospital in 5 to 14 days, but good. So, now a new countdown, I was at 3 days since my last encounter with a human, now I am back to day 1. Tick tock..girl.. tick tock. 

If this doesn't go right, just remember how much I loved carnitas, almost as much as mango sorbet. I only have one serving of that left, so my countdown may start again soon. Maybe it's like the lottery? 

I am going to put a notice about his take out service on the Next Door App. There are lots of old people out here, looking for carnitas and he needs the business. That reminds me, shop local by phone, a lot of places will bring it to your car, or drop it off. Keep it local and help your neighbors. 

Day 2 and I'm yelling at the weather reporter

Today, everything took forever. I never thought about how handy a second monitor is to my job! Not to mention a steady stream of internet. When you have two documents opened, and excel sheet, and 3 pdfs.. it gets a little crowded on a laptop, and you run the risk of closing the one document you were building, twice.

So, I spent 3 hours doing an hour's worth of work, I thought how much harder this would be with kids, dogs, neighbors, birds all the things moms and dads have while juggling work at home. That should have made me feel better!

Then, I watch the news, and the weather lady tells me to bring my umbrella with me to work! She knows I can't go to work tomorrow! I yelled at her, and called her an ugly name. Decided a Margarita might be just the thing. It wasn't..

Visited Twitter later this evening. Melania and Ivanka shared that we could have so much family time, while we WORKED from home. Cue picture of Ivanka with perfectly designed children under a $600 sheet, next to a $15,000 couch. Do you suppose she has a live in hair and makeup lady? I love this "real" advice from "real" women. They're just like us.

And soon we may have money from the president. Guess he got the idea from Yang. You can spend it on toilet paper and Lysol.  For my part, I will buy mango sorbet. And if anyone near me is going to the store, I wouldn't mind a pint. Be sure to wipe the bag with hand sanitizer, before you leave it at my door. Then call me from the car. Ignore the latex gloves, I will want to wipe the outside of the container, and dispose of the bag.

Does anyone else check their temperature all the time now? Can you tell me how to get the thermometer back to Farenheit?

In other news, Cannabis Stores are considered "drug stores" for shelter in place purposes, I don't think we have a drive up one near. Also, I'd worry that the person who brought it to my car might be a carrier.

Even Zoey has deserted me, to go party down in SJ with Bill, in the red zone. Look at this picture, she looks just like me.

2nd day, ramblings. I stayed up too late to worry last night, I don't plan to make that mistake tonight. Tomorrow will be better.

That's your short and sour musings.. meh

Day One: March 16, 2020

I just heard a guy on TV say, "This is like living in a War Zone."  Seriously, how dramatic! There aren't any soldiers walking around with guns, no jets, no children dying during bombing.

Only in America, would not being able to go out to eat be considered "like war." 9-ll, now that was like war!

I mean, here I am working from home, cooking beef stew. Here's the view out my backdoor this afternoon. 

I saw a newscaster today explain what to do if you ran out of bottled water. He said, "The water coming out of the sink is perfectly fine for drinking. There is no need to store water, though you should already have some saved for an earthquake." Then he went on to explain the importance of clean water vessels, if you save water from the sink. Basically, another 4 minutes about how to do the thing he just said was not important to do.

My neighbors are all old, like me, they are "isolating" themselves, too. Of course, we can still have yard chats, thank goodness.

Like a lot of other people, I am counting down the 14 days from when I last went to get supplies from the grocery store.  You know that place has to be swarming in COVID-19 bugs!

Tomorrow, I might go for a long walk. They said we could still do that, as long as we stay 6 feet away from others. Maybe I'll find another wild flower for my photo collection.

Here's another picture of the beauty that surrounds me.

Peace, Love and KWood!