Musings of a Messy Mind

It’s just another COVID-19 Saturday. We are now very accustomed to what is the new normal. Nothing in our lives has particularly changed. The Great Brit and I have had discussions about how to proceed now that things are opening up here in Florida.  This past Monday restaurants, many retail stores and even the big shopping malls have opened up. I have read that not all stores within all malls have opened yet. Beginning Monday, hair salons and nail salons can also reopen. The Brit and I have mutually agreed that there is absolutely no need for us to rush to a restaurant to have a meal. Restaurants are only allowed to have 25% occupancy and diners must be seated according to  distancing guidelines. The other thing is we have probably close to $800 worth of frozen meat stashed between two freezers. Even though we cook every day, we have barely made a dent in it. Our goal is to use up this food in a timely manner. We have not used take-out services from any restaurant ...

Here’s a little yummy sunshine all baked up in a cake pan. This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Janet, who lives in Oxfordshire, UK. She made it one year for my birthday. It is rich, moist and scrumptious. Take my word on this one.  WHOLE ORANGE CAKE 1 fresh orange (I use a big sweet naval orange) 140 g caster sugar (US put 3/4C white sugar into processor or blender and make fine) 3 large eggs 85 g self-raising flour (US) 2/3 C self-rising flour 100g ground almonds  (US 1/2 cup ground almonds blender or processor) 50g  butter, melted (US 1/4C butter, melted Put the orange in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for one hour. Remove the orange and let cool. Preheat the oven to 180 C gas/4/fan oven 160 C (350 F degrees for US).   butter and line the base of a 20 CM/8 inch round, deep cake tin. Roughly chop the cooked orange discarding the seeds. Process in food processor or blender ...

It's another Pandemic lockdown Sunday.  I'm doing laundry, reading, and generally just lounging around.  I did get out of my Batman nightshirt and even brushed my hair.  The scale was unkind to me this morning..it cruelly informed me that I have gained two pounds.  So, just to show that digital scale how much I don't care what it says, I moved this rich, gorgeously delicious recipe over from my old blog.  I mean, it's a vegetable dish, how fattening can it be?  Isn't it beautiful? Spaghetti Squash AuGratin Prep: 45 minutes Cook: 30 minutes Serves: 3-4 as a side, 1-2 as main 1 medium spaghetti squash 1 medium onion, diced 2 tbsp butter 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt (or sour cream: let your conscience be your guide) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 + 1/3 cup sharp white cheddar cheese 1/2 tsp salt (+/- to taste) 1/2 tsp black pepper Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash lengthwise, scoop out seeds, drizzle with olive oil, salt and...

S urreal is the only word I can think of for this past Friday, Good Friday, only the second time we have left the house in four weeks.  The first time was for The Great Brit/TGB (my husband) to see a spinal neurosurgeon. Yesterday’s outing was for a follow-up MRI and X-rays. My sweet neighbor had made us quilted face masks with a place to insert a filter.  We wore them to our appointments. Photo When we arrived at the four-story medical building, there was a check-in station outside the door. Our temperature was taken, we were asked a series of questions. Have you been out of the country? Have you traveled to New York, NewJersey or Connecticut in the last 48 hours? Have you been on a cruise ship in the last 48 hours? Unless someone who has lived under a rock for the past two months or is insane or certifiably stupid would answer “yes” to any of those questions?  We had our temperatures taken, hands sanitized and were admitted. There were paper masks avai...