Anything but (coronavirus) ..what are you reading, have you tried a new recipe....

[lynn]

Any new craft projects.  What puzzle are you working on?  Have you tried sorting family photos?  Let's talk anything......but...shelter in place.

Edited April 5, 2020 by lynn

[lynn]

I plan to go through photos and organize for each kid.    Currently reading American Princess. Thankful for nice spring weather but now hard chores have to get done.

[mathnerd]

I ordered some seeds for cut-flower online and am germinating them. I am thinking about starting a flower patch in the middle of my front lawn sometime in spring.

[fairfarmhand]

This is my daughters birthday cake. She turned 15 today. It’s a Neapolitan cake, with a chocolate strawberry and vanilla layer. Chocolate filling inside. 

[lynn]

3 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

I ordered some seeds for cut-flower online and am germinating them. I am thinking about starting a flower patch in the middle of my front lawn sometime in spring.

My daughter and I planted flower seeds about 5 years ago and I guess they just now like their spot for I noticed today a small patch of pink flowers blooming. We Had forgotten about them.  I thought about a flower garden.  I know what I'd like but don't know  what works in its climate beside daffodils.

[Scarlett]

I am loving my Breville pressure cooker that my friend gave me.  Tonight I sauteed onions and bell peppers and garlic in it and then cooked pinto beans flavored up wonderfully.  While they cooked I fried potatoes and made cornbread.  It was a delicious simple supper that screamed comfort food.

 

[madteaparty]

I’ve ordered seeds from two different places. Dh and Ds building a garden...thing(sort of covered beds. Looks like a little house). And reading Hilary Mantel’s latest (excellent) and watching Call the Midwife and writing my book!!

[WoolC]

I’ve started a new crochet blanket using sock yarn scraps and I’m reading the Home in Mitford series by Jan Karon.  We’ve been hanging out in the yard for the past 3 days now that the sun is shining here.

[Liz CA]

I tried a new recipe today that a friend linked me.

It's called lemon brownies - they are not brown at all but lemony looking.  https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244853/lemon-brownies/

Taste delicious with a little homemade vanilla extract dribbled on....

And I am reading "Truth Stained Lies" by Terri Blackstock.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Liz CA

[Liz CA]

12 minutes ago, WoolC said:

I’ve started a new crochet blanket using sock yarn scraps and I’m reading the Home in Mitford series by Jan Karon.  We’ve been hanging out in the yard for the past 3 days now that the sun is shining here.

 

That's  fun series by Jan Karon. There are quite a few books if you like it. 

[Kassia]

I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice based on all the positive reviews here.  I loved it!  🙂

[regentrude]

I baked scones for the first time. Love that they're not very sweet, just 3 Tbsp sugar for 2 c of flour. Made blueberry scones on Monday (smitten kitchen). Usd teh same base recipe for cranberry orange scones on Wednesday. Tip: to plump up dried out dried cranberries from an open bag, soak in an interesting liquid. I used whiskey. Added a nice touch to the scones without being overwhelming. Today I baked bread. 

I read  poetry at three online events this week.

Edited April 5, 2020 by regentrude

[Shahrazad]

I'm reading Better Together by Pam Barnhill in the mornings with my coffee for advise on improving morning time with my kids and then the book A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum (it came in one of my book subscription boxes) in the evening to unwind. I threw a chuck roast in the slow cooker and made it into french dip au jus sandwiches. Topped them with caramelized onions, provolone, and arugula and they were awesome.

[math teacher]

I started reading "Where the Crawdads Sing." Not a new recipe, but one from my childhood-Waldorf Salad. It was really good, and dh liked it, too. Tomorrow I plan to make another old one-Oatmeal Cake.

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, WoolC said:

I’ve started a new crochet blanket using sock yarn scraps and I’m reading the Home in Mitford series by Jan Karon.  We’ve been hanging out in the yard for the past 3 days now that the sun is shining here.

I bought the ingredients to make the orange marmalade cake from the Mitford books, but my husband pointed out that a cake that literally gives the main character diabetes might not be the best thing to make.  

[J-rap]

I've been enjoying tweaking recipes to use up ingredients that I have on-hand.  Kind of a challenge.  I've also been tackling projects that are the ones you put off because they're not urgent, at all.  (Like, going through old family photos and deciding which ones to keep.)  I'm also beginning creative projects that I've always wanted to do but didn't really have time for before.  I just started reading a book called The Slavery of Death.  (Had actually gotten it before I knew anything about the coronavirus!)  It talks about how we often don't live life to the fullest because we're too consumed with the fear of death.  (From a Christian point of view.)  I haven't read much of it yet so don't know if I'd recommend it or not.  🙂

 

[DawnM]

I finally got up the courage to try a Thai soup I had been wanting to try.  Although I don't think I can post a recipe because I tweaked it so much.  It was so good.

Real Ramen noodles (not the fried and dried kind)

broth (veg or chicken)

pork

shrimp

fish sauce

red chili oil

sesame oil

ginger

garlic

soy sauce

coconut milk

shitake mushrooms

with boiled egg on top and scallions and squeezed lime

SO SO GOOD!

[Terabith]

 

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

I finally got up the courage to try a Thai soup I had been wanting to try.  Although I don't think I can post a recipe because I tweaked it so much.  It was so good.

Real Ramen noodles (not the fried and dried kind)

broth (veg or chicken)

pork

shrimp

fish sauce

red chili oil

sesame oil

ginger

garlic

soy sauce

coconut milk

shitake mushrooms

with boiled egg on top and scallions and squeezed lime

SO SO GOOD!

That sounds amazing!

Edited April 5, 2020 by Terabith

[Pippen]

I had a bunch of green onions to use so I made these green onion and cheddar scones. https://www.budgetbytes.com/cheddar-scallion-scones/

I think I'm going to try the King Arthur flour recipe next time. 

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cheddar-cheese-and-scallion-scones-recipe

[KungFuPanda]

I made this easy homemade pita recipe today.  I found a can of chickpeas hiding in my pantry and really wanted hummus then, of course, I needed some pita bread.  (We call this "mouse-a-cookie" and use it like a verb.) The recipe was easy and the pita's just fry on the stovetop in about 3 minutes.  I don't think I've ever made pita without baking it before.  I blended about 1/3 whole wheat flour and it was still soft, so they must be really soft with all white flour.  

[KungFuPanda]

42 minutes ago, Pippen said:

I had a bunch of green onions to use so I made these green onion and cheddar scones. https://www.budgetbytes.com/cheddar-scallion-scones/

I think I'm going to try the King Arthur flour recipe next time. 

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cheddar-cheese-and-scallion-scones-recipe

Ooooh! I'm making these.  I have green onions popping up in my garden and I think these would go nicely with the (fake) chicken cordon bleu I'm making tomorrow.

[Loowit]

We got a painting project done in the house that I have been wanting to do since we moved in over a year ago. It looks so much better. I am hoping to do the family room this coming week.

I also have been working on the backyard landscaping. I planted a new rose today with the help of my boys.

I want to work on some embroidery too but I'm not sure what to do for a project.

[Pippen]

7 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Ooooh! I'm making these.  I have green onions popping up in my garden and I think these would go nicely with the (fake) chicken cordon bleu I'm making tomorrow.

If you do, please let me know how they turn out. I thought the first recipe needed a little more kick, and maybe a tad more salt. 

I also made arepas today. I didn't have any idea what they were until I saw the precooked cornmeal flour on Amazon while searching for something else. These turned out well. I should have waited until I had some filling to go with them.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/238510/homemade-arepas/

[Ellie]

I read eye candy at night in bed. 🙂 So right now, my eye candy is Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games series (and then I'll watch the movies. Yay Netflix.)

I'm pondering picking up a counted cross-stitch project that I started over five years ago; it's about 1/3 finished. I'll have to figure out how to cross-stitch with a cat in my lap, so there's that.

I'm [ever so slowly] putting my own pictures and whatnot in a photo album/scrapbook. I finished both dds' last year, and after mine I'll do Mr. Ellie's.

I might sew a pa'u skirt for myself (basic hula dancer skirt). I bought the fabric several years ago, and the things happened and I didn't need this one, but I came across the fabric a few days ago and figure oh why not.

[vmsurbat1]

I have a NYT Cooking subscription (recommended by some WTM folks) and yesterday, when looking for inspiration, I typed in "Cabbage,  Bacon" as what I had to use, and found a tweakable recipe that was a HUGE hit.  My MIL who lives with us, kept asking what the special occasion was for such a nice meal.  🙂

[klmama]

I've been using my Instant Pot almost every day, Googling recipes to figure out how to make what I want.  I discovered that it helps to find a few different recipes for the same food, since some recipes give much lower time suggestions than others.  I followed shorter-cooking instructions recently for some stew meat, and the pieces turned out quite tough.  I was out of time, so I froze it and planned to deal with it another day.  This week I wanted to use it for some fajitas, so I threw it frozen into the Instant Pot and cooked it longer, and it turned out great; the pieces fell apart and were very tender.   

We're trying some other new recipes, too.  Homemade pudding, spiced chickpeas, homemade teriyaki sauce.  All tasty.  And dc is learning to cook AND clean up the kitchen.  What's not to like?  😃

[*****]

Heartlikealion, please share the graphic design class, my daughter might like that!  Yes, texture with pumpkin pancakes is tricky. I have a friend who makes great ones, but mine always come out rubbery, I'm not sure why.  Hope your tortillas work out.  My grandmother used to make them all the time before prepackaged ones ever came out. I tried her recipe once and it was a lot of work!  They were so hard to roll out and keep rolled out! It made me appreciate store bought, even though almost all my other baked goods are home-made!

I'm finally listening to Jane Eyre on Audible.  I had always heard it was good, but there mere size of it scared me away. I am enjoying it this way though.

Oh, and I 'attended' a virtual Pampered Chef party for my daughter this past week. That was fun. There were silly questions to answer or react to each day. It gave me a break from the pandemic a bit.  I know a great consultant if anyone is interested in hosting a party!

Fairfarmhand, your cake looks wonderful, how fun!!

[appyonthebeach]

I've been reading the NLT version of the Bible, and wow- I love it!  I've previously only read NKJV, which of course, is wonderful too, but the NLT version reads like a story that is coming alive for me. 

I'm also reading Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis, about her hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Pretty inspiring.

[Pen]

Reading: (from the books thread) got into a mystery series and started its third called Mourn Not Your Dead— as audio, but I keep falling asleep ...

Cooking/food  -  have enough materials for gluten free chocolate muffins or cake/cupcakes or brownies for my bday — but only enough for 1 of those. Plus I don’t usually have any sugar... so I have been enjoying the contemplation and anticipation of which I will make and eat.  Muffins have the least sugar.  But seem the least Birthday satisfying.  Brownies require the most sugar.  So maybe I will go with cupcakes as the middle option.  Or maybe muffins with some nuts in them — make it feel like a “food” for with coffee...

 Do cupcakes freeze well? If so I could freeze half for another occasion. 

I am also contemplating meal I want.  What I most want is...no work!  Okay low work.  I think a big stir fry with mixed greens and snow peas.  Yes. Yes. Wait. For breakfast? Sure. Leftovers for lunch. And ask ds to make eggs for dinner. 😊

 

Quote

I followed shorter-cooking instructions recently for some stew meat, and the pieces turned out quite tough.  I was out of time, so I froze it and planned to deal with it another day.  This week I wanted to use it for some fajitas, so I threw it frozen into the Instant Pot and cooked it longer, and it turned out great; the pieces fell apart and were very tender.   

 

Thanks for that idea—I had similar problem with  a brisket.  I’ll see if I can get it out of freezer and turn it into fajitas, or something like fajitas.  Or even stew with lots more cooking.

👍

Edited April 5, 2020 by Pen

[Familia]

Bagels were not available for pickup.  So, I made homemade.  I had forgotten how easy they are:

[Lanny]

I did the 2019 Federal and State (non-resident) tax returns for DD. Her's was much more complicated for 2019, because of Scholarships and Grants (Form 1098-T) and the State income tax return, which is much longer than the Federal return.  Then, I did my Federal return for 2019, which was quite simple, in comparison. Thank God for TurboTax.   Fingers crossed that DD will qualify for the $1200 stimulus payment and also that we will qualify for it. 

[LuvToRead]

I've been cooking a lot more since we are all home for supper.  I enjoy baking, but haven't baked too much.   Normally I buy flowers, but we are attempting them from seed this year.  I just finished a fluffy Christian Fiction book called "Flights of Fancy" by Jen Turano.  It was cute and fun and I enjoyed it. 

[LuvToRead]

7 minutes ago, Familia said:

Bagels were not available for pickup.  So, I made homemade.  I had forgotten how easy they are:

 

Bagels are on my list of things I want to bake. I think I have made them before, but I can't remember.  Yours look yummy!

[mlktwins]

I’m cross-stitching - it relaxes me.  Started back in mid-December before all this hit and ma so thankful for the distraction.

Also, plan to go through and organize the past few years of pictures that I got behind on - after I get our taxes done that is.

Research for 10th grade is next and decluttering too.  If I am stuck at home for awhile, I really need to take advantage of the time to get my house decluttered and organized.

I wish I liked to cook 😁!

[Shahrazad]

1 hour ago, Pen said:

Reading: (from the books thread) got into a mystery series and started its third called Mourn Not Your Dead— as audio, but I keep falling asleep ...

Cooking/food  -  have enough materials for gluten free chocolate muffins or cake/cupcakes or brownies for my bday — but only enough for 1 of those. Plus I don’t usually have any sugar... so I have been enjoying the contemplation and anticipation of which I will make and eat.  Muffins have the least sugar.  But seem the least Birthday satisfying.  Brownies require the most sugar.  So maybe I will go with cupcakes as the middle option.  Or maybe muffins with some nuts in them — make it feel like a “food” for with coffee...

 Do cupcakes freeze well? If so I could freeze half for another occasion. 

I am also contemplating meal I want.  What I most want is...no work!  Okay low work.  I think a big stir fry with mixed greens and snow peas.  Yes. Yes. Wait. For breakfast? Sure. Leftovers for lunch. And ask ds to make eggs for dinner. 😊

 

 

Thanks for that idea—I had similar problem with  a brisket.  I’ll see if I can get it out of freezer and turn it into fajitas, or something like fajitas.  Or even stew with lots more cooking.

👍

 

If you ever want to do brisket in the IP, I adapted my oven recipe to it and now it makes the best brisket I've ever had at 1.5 hours in the IP.

[Soror]

I've been working outside a lot, so lucky that we are quarantined in the spring.

I've not tried any new recipes yet but have been thinking about it. 

I'll have much more free time once we finish school in a couple of weeks.

We have been working on prep for painting the house and hope to start today! I think we have all the materials we need, at least enough to last us a long while as slow as we'll be.

[mlktwins]

12 minutes ago, Shahrazad said:

 

If you ever want to do brisket in the IP, I adapted my oven recipe to it and now it makes the best brisket I've ever had at 1.5 hours in the IP.

I would be interested in this.  I do love my IP, but some new recipes I’ve tried haven’t turned out.  So....I’ve just stuck with the recipes we love and know are good.

[Donna]

I am currently reading The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston.

DD and I are trying and creating new vegan recipes and she is slowly posting them to her vegan food blog.

I have been working outside and gardening a lot. The weather here in NC is beautiful.

I'm also learning to play concertina.

[vmsurbat1]

2 hours ago, Pen said:

Do cupcakes freeze well? If so I could freeze half for another occasion. 

Unfrosted ones freeze very well.  Some frostings freeze well, others don't, so I never freeze frosted ones.....

And, Happy Birthday!

[KrissiK]

I am reading a really good book “Chanel’s Riviera:Glamour, Decadence, and survival in Peace and War, 1930-1944” by Anne de Courcy.  Basically it’s about Coco Chanel and all the other famous jet setters who hung out on the French Riviera in the 30’s. Very interesting reading.

[MysteryJen]

I made 3 shirts. Hadley Top from Grainline Studio. It is a great pattern and very easy to sew.

I also made a skirt- Tie-Dye Diva's Cupcake skirt- from some black linen I had.

I have a few more patterns to make with some stash fabric and then I will probably piece a quilt.

I am also handsewing a hexagon quilt- that has been an ongoing project for a very long time.

[Pen]

5 minutes ago, OKBud said:

I'm planting sunflowers. Everywhere. Inside my fence, outside my fence, around the trees, along the road, in pots, on planes, in trains...

 

That sounds cheerful! And later on tasty and nutritious. 

 I am usually pretty good at gardening, but have never had sunflower success.

 If I ever try again I will start them in a seed start tray and transplant. I suspect that the utter failure rate may have been related to critters eating the seeds or baby plants.  

I Can’t explain to a squirrel or bird  that if they leave them alone to grow there might be a whole pile of seeds to share in fall. 

Little Animals like sunflower here and there, in box with Fox...  probably the foxes like them too

 

[Pen]

1 hour ago, Shahrazad said:

 

If you ever want to do brisket in the IP, I adapted my oven recipe to it and now it makes the best brisket I've ever had at 1.5 hours in the IP.

 

Oh do share recipe please! 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Pen

[Carrie12345]

I’ve been using a free (jigsaw) puzzle app on my iPad because having real puzzles out is a pain around here.

Seed starting and trying to salvage old garden beds.

Sewing.. uh... stuff, lol.

My reading is depressing. Mostly stuff about caring for neglected children.  Dark humor alert: I no longer understand how my own children turned out pretty good!

I think I may be addicted to YouTube now.

[Farrar]

Just finished reading All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung. It was for a book club. It's a memoir about cross-cultural adoption. It was just okay. It had a ton of praise and good reviews and I feel like I was missing something reading it. I mean, I didn't dislike it, but the writing was just okay, not amazing, and the way she talked about the racial and cultural and parenting issues felt very well-trod to me - nothing surprising or thought provoking. But maybe if folks have literally never seen or read anything about those issues then it would be? Though it's hardly something I'm an expert in.

Now I'm reading Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn, also for another book club. For... ahem... some reason... more book clubs seem to have sprung up or been revived. Anyway, it's about a woman in Jamaica who comes to the US. I'm liking it a lot more - great voice in the writing.

I'm also sewing... um... things not to be mentioned in this thread. And working on some home projects also not mentionable.

I made these chocolate chip salted shortbread cookies that my mom said were really good. They were.

[Shahrazad]

2 hours ago, Pen said:

 

Oh do share recipe please! 

 

 

I don't have an exact recipe because I just kind of throw things in but its kind of a blend of a few methods I've been doing for ages and then adapted for the InstantPot. Basically I season my brisket with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, ground coriander, and some crushed up coriander seeds, melt some butter and caramelize a ton of onions in there, then remove the onions and sear off the brisket in that onion-infused butter. Then I mix up a really generous rub of brown sugar, dijon, and a bit more ground coriander, and layer it with the caramelized onion and some smashed garlic in the instant pot, throw in a bit of beef stock and some worcestershire, close it up and cook in the IP. When it is done with the initial NPR, I slice up the brisket and get the sauce/juice mix boiling/sauteeing in my IP, adjust the seasoning to taste, and then throw the slices of brisket back in and give it a stir to make sure it is all coated up, seal it again and let it go for a little longer. I usually serve with plenty of the sauce and onions, garlic mashed potatoes, and some crispy roasted broccoli.

[Pippen]

I'm making this carmelized shallot recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  Last time I made them with the suggested red wine vinegar and they were excellent. Today I'm trying out white basalmic and cutting back the sugar. 

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/caramelized-shallots/

Last night I made this Raspberry Buttermilk Cake, only with blackberries. (Think I'll try blueberries next.) I rarely mess with the lemon zest--I just use lemon juice to sour the milk. It's a lovely little cake! 

https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/raspberry-buttermilk-cake/

Edited April 5, 2020 by Pippen

[Liz CA]

20 hours ago, Terabith said:

I bought the ingredients to make the orange marmalade cake from the Mitford books, but my husband pointed out that a cake that literally gives the main character diabetes might not be the best thing to make.  

 

It was implied that Father Tim partook quite frequently - one time won't likely hurt you.  ☺️

I copied that recipe a long time ago from the Mitford Companion if memory serves but never got around to making it.

[Annie G]

Reading Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile, which is about Churchill during WW2. 
 

Making masks to mail dd for her and her boyfriend.

Rebuilding our little porch off our kitchen. It’s the smallest of our porches (3 porches and a deck) that I’d like to spiff up. Starting small was a good idea, as it’s still taking two weeks.  Also doing yard work, which I hate. But being outside in beautiful spring weather is helping me so much. 
 

My birthday is this week and I’ll make a cake and I splurged and bought some nice shrimp, which I hope to fry with a super light breading.  Other than that, our meals are pretty much like normal. 
 

[Kareni]

11 hours ago, Familia said:

Bagels were not available for pickup.  So, I made homemade.

Would you share your recipe, please?

Regards,

Kareni