Hello Y’all! I hope your are healthy and doing well in your part of the world during this shelter in place ordinance aka ‘trapped at home’ restriction. The weather is so beautiful in North Texas right about now, it’s such a shame that we can’t be out and about and enjoying life as we know it because of this darned virus. So far, most of us have settled into a daily routine and are finding new ways to occupy ourselves as we ‘patiently’ await the end of the lockdown and hopefully a possible cure. I have to say that those of us whining about being bored at home and restricted should really be thankful that we are healthy and not infected; because from all the horror stories I’ve heard of people who have either gotten sick, to what they endured or the hospital conditions is enough to keep anyone traumatized for life.
I remember when the quarantine first began, aside from the concern and fear we had, a lot of folks were somewhat relieved to catch a break from the daily hustle and bustle. There were so many things to take care of that it wasn’t too bad or as boring…AT FIRST. But by the end of the first month, literally everything became a slow lull. It has been documented that the consumption of alcohol has skyrocketed, online shopping is through the roof, and binge eating is at an all time high. A friend of mine was telling me that they actually counted the number of times they opened the refrigerator for snacks in a day and it was unbelievable; so much that we vowed to not to be the size of whales when this was all over and started working out together…virtually. But I get it, there literally isn’t much to do that we have to be intentional about everything on a daily basis like working out, waking up on time, getting some sun, eating healthy-er, minimizing alcohol consumption etc…or else, it will be a Whale-Fest when we get back out there. And yes, I invented the word. It literally means ‘a person looks the size of a whale’. LOL!
Anyways, after my last post, I received quite a few requests on what my next bread recipe was going to be. I wasn’t planning on going in that direction but it didn’t hurt. So I decided to try my hands at a different bread recipe famously known as Soda Bread. The fun thing about this blog is the fact that I’m not a professional baker neither I’m I Cordon Bleu by any long shot. Just a fun gal who is willing to try her hands at baking, so be rest assured, there isn’t going to be any judgement here. This recipe is so simple and the ingredients may already be laying around your pantry. So here it goes!
Making Soda Bread!
Ingredients: 3 Cups of Flour, ²/3 Cup of Sugar, 3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 Cup of Raisins, 2 Large Eggs (beaten) or Egg Substitute, 1-½ Cups of Buttermilk, and 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil.
Directions: Preheat your oven to a temperature ranging between 325 – 350º F ♠ Bring out your baking utensils – I dislike reaching or searching for things when I’m partially covered in flour. ♠ In a missing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. ♠ Stir in raisins. ♠ Set aside a tablespoon of beaten egg in a bowl – to be used for basting. ♠ In a bowl, combine buttermilk, oil and remaining beat eggs. ♠ Stir in the flour and mix until sticky. ♠ Transfer into a greased, round 9-inch baking pan. ♠ Brush the top with the remaining egg that had been set aside. ♠ Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. ♠ Cool for 10 minutes before transferring the cake to a wire rack. ♠ Cut into wedges and serve.
By now, it seems like everyone inclding yours truly has either exhausted their to-do list of things ‘to do’ or you just don’t want to do anything exerting, you can write a daily thankful list, and read it out loud at the end of each day. Another thing we can all do is include a forgiveness list. With the lockdown, a lot of things and issues that we may not have dealt with or we may just have pushed to the background and overlaid with ‘activities can now come to light. This is the time to unravel, acknowledge and forgive…or at least do something about it. Trust me, your heart will feel lighter afterwards. Now if you are a saint, it just means that you’re either dead or in an isolated monastery located on some mountain somewhere, so these don’t apply to you. Folks, it’s been great. Thank you for sticking with me till the end. Please take care of yourselves, stay healthy and happy and remember to like, comment and follow. Until I come your way again, I remain
Periwinkle Starr♥
Periwinkle Starr 