You're Doing It Wrong

Since we are spending so much time in the kitchen these days, we have done some light rearranging to try to make things we use the most often easier to grab. I was hoping I had one of those storage drawers in the bottom of my oven that somehow I never knew about in the last 20 years. I pulled at the thing that looked like a handle and it popped off and revealed a dusty space and a big black spider scurrying off.

Oh well.

I think I already mentioned it once but I will mention it again, Kenji’s cooking videos are fantastic. Most of them are him cooking in his own kitchen making things he likes and dispensing little instructional nuggets. This is my favorite treat in the afternoons when my brain is tired.

He did a no knead bread video and I used this to change my technique. I thought that the really wet dough was a mistake and I was adding more flour. I was wrong. I also preheat my Dutch oven much longer and do a shorter cooking time. I’m still using sourdough starter.

The bread has come out fantastic. (Didn’t take picture of crumb. Too busy eating it. Sorry.)

Do you see what I see?

Yes, looks like Percy will give us a few figs this summer. I can’t wait! Except I have no choice.

I’m having some trouble dealing today. It feels like I spend so much more time on the computer. Every time I think I’m finished there’s some work thing I need to follow up on, or some financial thing that needs to be investigated, or some person that I have neglected to check in on.

I’ve been trying to get out to the backyard to putter and get some fresh air for almost an hour but I keep getting derailed. I’m going out there now.

I received an update from my dental insurance yesterday and I burned through my entire benefit by February 26. Yay me! My tooth feels better and I am super grateful that my tooth imploded before all this stuff happened. To the extent a person can be grateful about an imploded tooth.

Bonus mug! Filled with old stamps of different denominations:

It’s funny how quickly marketing has adapted to our strange new world. I get a New York Times newsletter each morning and the ads are all for comfortable pants, softest sweats ever, and the most popular exercise pants finally back in stock.

The rest of them have to do with home cooking.

If you would like a mug like this, purchase link here.

My major league soccer newsletter comes every weekday and they manage to scrounge up content, too.

Last Friday was our first time to leave the house in a couple of weeks. We had grocery shopping, an errand, and a Dad delivery.

Since the fridge was mostly empty, I completely cleaned it out — checking all of the condiments and rarely used items. I emptied the shelves in the door and scrubbed them clean. I pulled out the produce drawers and wiped them out.

It was shiny and beautiful.

But then —

I was rearranging items on the top shelf and in my gleeful reverie, flipped over a full deli container of olives.

Olive juice splashed everywhere and olives and juice dripped down on every shelf and into every drawer.

Oh poo! I said. (Kidding. I said a creative variety of many, many, many, bad words.)

Bob helped me take EVERYTHING back out of the fridge including the shelves themselves and we team-worked that thing clean again. Then we did our shopping and we’re good for at least another few of weeks.

Bob and I moved in together in March of 1996. Who knows math? Is that 24 years?

And today, for the first time in our relationship, we cleaned house together. He has no excuse to get out.

We are hanging in. Working from home is going okay. Bob finished grading last week and he’s on spring break.

We eat lunch and dinner together and mostly cook here and get takeout a couple times a week to support our local businesses.

Yesterday we watched Parasite which we had mixed feelings about — too much to articulate at the moment. It is definitely worth seeing.

I wanted to watch something light before bed and after scrolling through a jillion possibilities, I ended up starting the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice, which is the best Pride and Prejudice. It almost seems like now there are so many choices of things on TV, it’s too hard to pick something. I don’t want to waste my time on anything I’m ambivalent about

And with the current state of the world, I’m having a hard time getting into new shows and I don’t want anything that’s too big of a bummer.

The flowers look amazing. I hope all the people getting out and walking their dogs are saying the same thing.

If you’re running out of things to do, I recommend drawing with Lynda Barry. First person cooking with Kenji is fun, too.