COVID-19. I should start by expressing I am utterly aghast by what's happening in the world. The terrible sickness, the rising number of deaths, the staggering unemployment, the flailing economy. The list goes on. The fact that countless bars, restaurants and shops will shutter for good is heartbreaking; an utter apocalypse for so many. I want to underscore, I speak from a position of ignorance. I only know what I read and what I hear on the news, and yes, we are diversifying with regards to our sources. I know two people who had COVID-19 and thank God, both survived. One was in NYC. He called his doctor with symptoms who said, you most likely have it but tests aren't available. He self-quarantined, all alone in his Chelsea apartment, for 14 days of feeling like he had been run over by a truck. Another friend was hospitalized in London, put in a medical induced coma for two days. He called his twin to outline the details of his will unsure of his own fate. Thank God, he is home and recovering. I mention these two because so many people say to me, I don't know anyone who has it. I suspect it is only a matter of time before we all know someone who either has it, had or it has been adversely affected by its wrath.
On the other side of the coin, there have been many pluses, in my book. Cuomo's daily press events. The new skin regimen I have started thanks to products pulled from other bloggers. The Barry's Bootcamp, yoga and barre classes I am streaming every day via Zoom and getting to know (virtually) new friends. The livestream concerts. We listened to Dave Matthews Band in our den on a Friday night with libations and him crooning from my iPad. That was pretty cool. It is almost as if we have reverted to our most primordial selves. We are learning how to cook again (I will expound upon this more, momentarily), bake bread (my Mom has become the maestro with a seeded South African number), make our own beer, bring mixology to our very own homes. I for one am experimenting with citrus and tequila. Quarantinis abounding over ice. Some shaken, others stirred. Stay tuned.
Perhaps most importantly, our daughter. The line between baby and little girl is fast blurring, and it is such a privilege to be home with her as she squeaks her first words and takes her first steps. Games, puzzles and picnics in our front yard. I just picked up this new blanket, and it's perfect. I have heard of others learning second languages (I am hoping Matt brushes up on his Spanish) and YouTube "teach me to play the guitar" videos are taking the web by storm. As society has put the screeching brakes on any sort of social activity, we are all exploring new ways to engage, identify with and connect. My neighborhood has become ground zero for social distancing cocktailing. My family around the world came together virtually to create an amazing video. Please see below! Help us make it go viral! My folks saw our daughter walk for the first time via video chat. Perhaps, one day we will all look at this knowing we set ourselves on a more clear course. I don't know.
We were supposed to be celebrating Passover and Easter on the Jewish Riviera with my family but of course that went out the window. All the beautiful smocked bubbles procured for Lucy will continue to hang in her closet as it is 49 degrees today. I miss my sister, who lives in NYC with two little boys and hasn't left her apartment in going on (I think) 26 days. I miss my brother, who lives in LA with his lovely lady Erika and their roommate, Adrian. Their quarantine was just extended to May 15. I miss my folks, who are in southern Florida and enjoying their daily routines. I don't know when I will see any of them, and nevermind the daily FaceTiming and HousePartying, I miss them. I am sure they miss me and our sparkling home, too!
One productivity boon in our lives (cleaning, organizing, etc. aside) has been finding the time to cook properly, again. Let's face it, as a working mom with a baby, our lives move at the speed of light. When I returned to work, dinner was meals prepared efficiently on a Sunday, baked chicken or scrambled eggs. But now that I am home, I have returned to the kitchen. We had two nights of Passover feasting (I will write about this later in the week), and I am preparing to set the course for our Easter feast (peppercorn tenderloin with orange horseradish sauce, roasted sweet potatoes with tahini and soy drizzle and a parsley with chopped fennel salad). This morning began with my looking at our fruit bowl and seeing three ailing bananas. These days, I am furiously dieting to lose the last 16 "Lucy pounds" but figured I would make a sweet treat for the family.
And so, while Matthew took the baby to his mother's grave to wish her a happy holiday, I got to work on banana bread. It was not my most elegant of preparations. I somehow cut my finger (discovery made when I saw smears of red on my white cabinets), dropped and subsequently broke my mixer, accidentally forgot about a stick of butter in the microwave that turned into an almost beurre blanc that was a real bitch to clean, put two huge gouges in the Black Fox paint of my island when I dropped said mixer (thank God I hadn't brought out the Kitchen Aid mixer) and with my bloody, butter fingers, knocked over a pound bag of hemp seeds that scattered from the island all over the floor. Winning for sure. This said, the end result is a clean house that smells like cinnamon, warm bananas and toasted nuts. And Matthew just had a slice citing, "F*ck, that's delicious."
Lots of people say they can't cook or bake. That's absolute rubbish. If you can read or ride a bike, you can cook. Hell, if you can hold a pen or brush your teeth, you can. Just ensure you measure properly, and go to town. I figure you may have some time on your side right now, so why not?
Banana Bread
You Need:
Cooking spray
1 stick of butter - soften it in the microwave
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 pinches of salt (I use Maldon salt)
2 eggs
1/4 cup of Greek yoghurt (you can use milk too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1 tsp hemp seeds
To Do:
1. Set the oven to 350. While the oven heats up, throw in your walnuts to get nice and toasty with the mosty. And spray down your loaf dish or pan. I use this one.
2. Carefully soften your butter and transfer to a bowl. Add in the sugar. Mix until creamy with whatever devise you want.
3. Add the eggs. Mix. Add the yoghurt and vanilla. Mix some more.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until uniform.
5. Add the toasted nuts. Mix some more.
6. Now with a spoon or fork, add the bananas, gently mash and mix until sort of uniform. Like corn bread with actual corn in it, I want some banana pieces herein.
7. Transfer your batter to the dish. Sprinkle on top with hemp seeds. Bake at 350 for one hour.
Serve and enjoy however you like. Butter, whatever. We are animals and grab pieces directly from the dish. I am going to wash and blow dry my hair today. Happy Easter!
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