QUARANTINED
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I don’t know about you but my outlook has been way up and way down these past few weeks. I feel like there is a hurricane swirling around just off shore and we are waiting for it to hit. But at least with a hurricane, you can buy batteries, fill your tub with water (for some unknown reason), board up your windows and know that once it finally hits, it won’t last more than a day. But this virus wants to come and stick around for a long while.
At “up” times, I think that maybe this pandemic is a great time to hit the reset button for all of us. I agree with our doctor when he suggested that our lives had become over-scheduled, over-programmed, over-traveled, over-distracted and overly complex. And now, because we are being forced to slow down and stay put, we are eating at home, spending time with each other, cleaning our houses and doing projects we never had time for, having long conversations on the phone and watching a lot of Netflix. Our grown children, without daycare for their kids, are seeing how we raised them. They are hanging out with them, going to parks, taking walks, playing games. Although it’s busy and hard, and they are having to be super creative to get their work done, my sons and their wives are kinda loving being with their kids and seeing the absolute joy it brings to our grandchildren to have mom and dad around so much.
“Down” times center on worry for our two sons, who own their own businesses in the food and bev industry, who might lose it all to this virus. The other two are busy with kids and trying to make a living on a computer from home. I’m grateful they still have their jobs because there are thousands who are out of work altogether- so, so many in our town of Charleston. And I pray for friends who can’t be with loved ones in the hospital or who can’t be with others in need. I think of 3,400 families grieving the loss of a beloved family member or friend today. I see homeless on the street and can’t fathom how they will survive. I worry about all those parents working from home, including my own children. In many cases both parents (most, in fact) are working! At least my grandchildren are not needing to be homeschooled as well. Think of teachers, with their own children at home, who they are supposed to teach, while trying to virtually teach 20 or 30 additional ones! Ugh.
It’s tough – there’s no doubt about it. But it can be an interesting and I dare to say fun time as well. Jay has challenged himself to make things for dinner that he’s never made before – chicken pot pie! Yum! On my night, I made Beef Stroganoff (see below). I played my first ever game of chess – I lost but not dismally – that’s almost a win in my book. We are taking dinners from our son’s restaurant to people each night, to support the business and bring a little comfort to church members – with mask, gloves and sanitary wipes, we drop our dinner bags on the porch. I’ve also sewn some masks for the babas team which is pretty fun – youtube can teach you too! Plus I am doing a “Mystery Knit” through the knitting shop A Good Yarn in Sarasota. You pick out yarn, pay online and they send it to you. Then you get clues by email every Wednesday to continue to knit something that is a mystery! I got yarn for my neighbor Bettye too, so she can help me by phone when I get confused (which is often!). Being quarantined is a great time to learn something new. Try it! And helping someone else makes you feel connected. Buy a gift card from your favorite shop or restaurant to help them stay in business. This weekend, I’m going to make a dozen sandwiches for our church homeless ministry. There’s plenty you can do, in your pjs, without leaving your living room.
At first, I felt freedom in not having to look at my calendar because there was nothing in it! Now it is starting to fill back up with Zoom* meetings. Seeing a face and hearing the voice of a friend is especially welcome right now. I have three Zoom meetings this week – my Bible Study, my Book Club and my friends from kindergarten. That’s pretty cool, huh?
I’ve given you some Netflix suggestions and a couple of recipes to keep you going. I’ll keep in touch and hope you’ll do the same. You can start by adding your favorite show and/or recipe in the Comments section. I would love to hear from you! Praying you all escape this dreaded virus and we can hug each other again soon.
*Zoom is a way to video conference with friends and family. You can meet for 40 minutes for free or longer for a fee. Download on your computer/ipad or get the app on your phone.
So here are some fun Netflix series to check out
Anne with an E
Virgin River
Ozark
The Crown
Big Little Lies
Victoria
Game of Thrones
Mad Men
This Is Us
Grey’s Anatomy (my personal fave)
Please add your favorite in the comments section. :)
EASY AND QUICK BEEF STROGANOFF
6 ½ cups water, divided
4 oz uncooked egg noodles (extra wide)
1 pound flank steak (I used 2 filets)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ hot paprika (smoked)
6 oz. presliced exotic mushroom blend
1 cup beef broth
5 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onion (1 bunch)
1-2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add noodles, cook 5 minutes or until al dente. (I like a softer noodle so I cooked for 10 minutes.) Drain
2. While noodles cook, cut beef into ¼” wide x 2 “pieces.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef and sauté for 4 minutes until browned. Remove browned beef from pan. Add I cup of onion, pepper, salt, paprika and mushrooms. Sauté 4 minutes or until tender. I added a bit of butter to this. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Whisk ¼ cup beef broth and flour together in a small bowl. Add this plus beef, ¾ cup beef broth and ½ cup water to pan, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Cover and cook for 8 minutes or until sauce thickens.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, green onions and butter.
6. Serve beef mixture over noodles; sprinkle with parsley.
Easy and deelish!
MY FAVORITE MEATLOAF (or meatballs) Recipe – comfort food!
2 lb. ground beef
1 cup crushed corn flakes (usually this are available in a box near Panko but I got regular Corn Flakes I’ll put in the food processor)
½ cup chopped onion
2 beaten eggs
¾ c. sweetened applesauce
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. garlic salt
Dash of pepper
1-8 oz. can seasoned tomato sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except tomato sauce and brown sugar (use your washed hands :). Shape into loaf or meatballs and place in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, spread tomato sauce mixed with brown sugar over the top and bake for a ½ hour more.