Covid19 lockdown reflections and signs 2.0

Back in June after our first lockdown, I wrote a post reflecting on lockdown called Covid19 lockdown reflections and signs.  Today I bring you some signs from lockdown 2.0.  The first lockdown was shorter, less severe and easier than the second.  I am still feeling burnt out by the second.  But I have taken photos and now that we have had 8 double doughnut days (ie no new diagnoses or deaths) in a row, it is time to share before we all get to Covid Normal or - please noooooo - a third lockdown! 

Little acts of kindness were really appreciated in the second lockdown.  I love this sign above saying "everything will be ok".  Maybe it will and maybe it wont but a little bit of optimism does not go astray in dark times.  Little signs while out walking lifted the spirits.

Another sign that I really liked.  Stop the second wave, 'kay.  If only it was as easy as a road sign!

And one more sign that I found cheering.  (For those who are unfamiliar with our slang "ISO" = isolation.)

Then there were many Spoonvilles among us.  Little gatherings of people crafted from wooden spoons that would pop up on the nature strip.  Craft for us to do at home and share in public!

One of the big differences between lockdowns 1.0 and 2.0 is that in 2.0 we could not go more than 5km from home, we had a curfew of 8pm and masks became mandatory in public.  Signs about masks sprung up on many shops - if they were considered essential enough to open.

 

As well as signs about masks, there was lots of discussion about the best way to wear masks and why they were effective.

 

Most people wore masks because there were fines if you didn't.  But a lot of people wore their masks slipped down from their nose or on their chin.  (I saw someone talking about chin diapers and the chindiaperatti recently.)  This is a public transport sign above but use of public transport was way down on pre-pandemic.  Not only were many people working from home but the trust in the safety from Covid on public transport was not great.

Some signs had a sense of humour.  Like this sign at a Barbers.  I love the section that reads "It's OK to be a bit OCD: Before all this started, some might have raised an eyebrow at someone who regularly used hand sanitiser.  Now you'll see us dosing it out like candy at Halloween.  Please accept if offered."  And I also like the last line reminding people if you are unwell, the haircut can wait.  I assume this sign was put up before lockdown as it did not have anything about masks but also because many people could not wait for hairdressers to open after lockdown.  (Me, I could cope with home hair cuts but I was excited when outdoor pools opened after lockdown.)

Yes, it seems that it was a matter of life and death to some people whether or not we could have a haircut!

There was less consensus about lockdown this time.  We weren't all in this together.  It rankled that in Victoria, we were the only Australian state or territory in lockdown.  And then Melbournians had a tougher and longer lockdown than regional Victoria.  There were all sorts of complaints about our premier, Dan Andrews.  There was a royal commission into the hotel quarantine system where the virus had come from in this second wave.  And while we had it tougher than other Aussies, you have to commend him for 120 days straight of press conferences and getting us to a run of double doughnut days!

There were fines for defying lockdown.  Not everyone was happy about that.  Though one of the daily amusements was reading about the silly things people did who were fined.  Like the guy who drove a few hours into country Victoria for a burger!

Quite a few shops were only selling by ordering online and having items posted or "click and collect".  We only did click and collect twice.  Once we rode our bikes and queued at the store, which was fine.  Another time we drove to the store and found it a very frustrating experience trying to work out what was happening.

We didn't need the vet during lockdown but I saw this sign on a local vet practice.

This sign gave me a laugh.  "Keep your distance - where you can".  Social distancing remains an odd thing.  We are still seeing a lot of people on tv sitting far apart in a way that looks unnatural, seeing people bunch up to take selfies now seems odd, and crowds were so forbidden that most of the AFL football season was played interstate including the Grand Final.

I liked this sign in Aldi.  Patience was in short supply and needed in buckets.  (Sounds like the American elections which seem so drawn out this year, especially as we are not getting out and about much yet so there just aren't enough distractions.)

And I will end with one more Spoonville with its hopeful rainbow.  We are still living under many restrictions.  The "ring of steel" around Melbourne still is keeping us out of regional Victoria.  Many borders to other states are closed.  We still must wear masks and can only go 25km from home.  Indoor gatherings at home and in public are still very limited (2 visitors to a home, 20 people in a cafe or pub.)  We are waiting to hear from our Premier tomorrow and hope to have more restrictions lifted.  It is a slow process out of lockdown but one that makes me feel lighter and more hopeful.  I send best wishes to those in other countries who are just going into lockdown and still experiencing high daily tallies of diagnoses and deaths. 

In My Kitchen - November 2020

Wow it is November and the year is still weird as anything.  I'd be excited about almost being at the end of 2020 if I could be convinced next year will settle!  In Melbourne it is the weirdness of being out of lockdown after months, of an AFL grand final in Queensland, and today I had 3/4 of a tooth removed.  (Stay tuned on that story....)  And then there are the USA elections which are feeling just about as odd as we expected.  Wow I got through that without saying unprecedented!

There hasn't been much cooking but I have managed some.  Above is a very pleasing dish of gnocchi cooked in tomato sauce which has fried eggplant in it.  Really good and easy.  Sadly, though I love my cast iron frypan, I am still learning about its maintenance.  I have been washing it in soapy water.  Perhaps this is why it seems a bit dull.  I have oiled it and left it on my stovetop while I think about seasoning it.

was the Farmers Market.  It was too rare but on the above occasion I was delighted with all the good food I took home.  Fat in-season asparagus!  Savoury pastries!  Great sourdough plain bread and fruit bread!  An apple and custard tart!  Cheesecake!  That cheesecake was luckily the last and smallest slice so I paid less but I still found it so rich a couple of mouthfuls at once was enough.

I thought lockdown was a good time to get into kombucha.  Sadly my kombucha experiments are what many people found with sourdough.  A good idea for a couple of batches and then it got ignored. While ignored sourdough starter goes really smelly and grey, ignored kombucha just grows layer upon layer upon layer.  I still have hopes I might get into the rhythm of kombucha one day.

There has been too much comfort food in lockdown.  These Birthday Cake flavoured Gaytime ice creams were a fun idea but the original was better.

When we went to Aldi to browse the middle aisles, I was fascinated by their Gaytime rip off.  The original ice creams are better.  Sometimes I don't know why I have to try all the new variations when I know the original is better.

More comfort food.  I was fascinated by these Asian-spiced Jackfruit parcels at the supermarket. They were much better than I expected.  I think the salty sweet sour flavour combination went well with the jackfruit.  I would buy this again because it is not just the same old vegetarian cheese and spinach sort of flavour combo.  And everything tastes better in fried pastry. 

One of the joys of lockdown was getting out for a bike ride.  Not only did it mean I could explore my neighbourhood streets, but I could do it without wearing a mask.  I have really loved fresh air when riding my bike.  Another joy of lockdown is how quiet the roads have been.  Another joy is when the bike found its way to O'Hea's Bakery.  I was pretty happy with my shopping there: pesto, chocolate covered raspberry jubes, honeycomb chocolate, chocolate covered wafers, alphabet pasta and jumbo pasta shells.  And those sharp white cheddar crisps were the best I have had for ages.

One of the reasons we went to Aldi was because Sylvia is quite smitten with the mini gnocchi.  It is pretty cute.

[Updated] Sylvia got back into the classroom in October after months of remote schooling.  She makes her lunches for school and they look very impressive.  This is a photo she took for me of a school lunch box.  Some summer fruit is making an appearance in our kitchen - mangos and nectarines!  We are waiting for the grapes in the supermarket to come from Australia rather than the USA.

It was pretty exciting to be able to go to Heaven Pizza and be given a choice of whether we ate in or had takeaway.  We had potato pizza, margherita pizza and a delicious rocket salad with parmesan, haloumi, caramelised walnuts and a lovely dressing.

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event, that was started by Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial,  If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog and visit more kitchens.

Remembering Alex and Ian 13

It is 13 years since our twin sons Alex and Ian were stillborn.  If they were alive they would have been celebrating their entry into their teens today.  What sort of teenagers would they have been?  I wish I knew.  I do know that their brief time with us changed us as much as lockdown has changed Melbournians.

As I have been doing each anniversary since the stillbirth, today I share some articles about stillbirth that have interested me over the last year.  It seems that each year the media has more and more understanding of stillbirth:
 

"How Chrissy Teigen sharing this loss of her baby validates the 'silent pain and suffering of so many families'" - ABC, 3 October 2020

"Why Parents Take Remembrance Photos After Pregnancy Loss And Stillbirth", Hufffington Post, 6 October 2020.

"‘Walking into that cemetery holding that tiny coffin’: Women recount the trauma of stillbirth", The Independent, 11 October 2020

"Country music star Amber Lawrence details the 'horrific' pain of losing son Edward who was stillborn halfway through her pregnancy" Daily Mail Australia, 17 August 2020

"Sharp jump in stillbirths during COVID lockdown", NewsWise, 12 August 2020.

"Little life, big loss: Miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death in NZ", Otago Daily Times, 24 May 2020.

"How Hospitals Changed Their Approach to Stillbirth: Grieving patients are encouraged to see and hold their stillborn infants—and in some cases even bring them home." The Atlantic, 12 February 2020

"Going back to work after a pregnancy loss", Harvard Business Review, 5 December 2019.

Tempeh black bean taco filling

Hands up anyone who buys tempeh because they want the supermarket to know that we want it available  but then then doesn't know what to do with it.  That would be me!  I do have a standby tempeh and corn soup recipe that is often a default.  But I was really happy to find another easy tempeh recipe that is perfect for Taco Tuesdays.

Yet again, I found the inspiration in my spreadsheet of recipe ideas.  I wanted a change for fillings for my Taco Tuesdays.  I was pretty happy that I had picked up black beans in the supermarket and had a packet of tempeh in the fridge, plus some leftover taco seasoning from a taco packet.  With a bit of onion and garlic I was ready to go.  I wanted quick and this was indeed quick.

 

I found the instructions to add some water to the tempeh perplexing.  I always find that tempeh is quite wet and I squeeze water out rather than adding it.  I cooked the tempeh and black beans in my cast iron skillet which meant I could leave the tempeh a few minutes before turning and let it get golden brown.  (as an aside, I have washed my skillet in soapy water and it is looking dull and needs seasoning.  It seems a bit of an ask but I do love the skillet and hope I will soon understand it better!)

We are into Junior MasterChef this year, which is screening on Tuesdays.  It is pleasing to watch it knowing we have had a decent meal, albeit not as impressive as the cooking of these kids.  I have frozen the tempeh black bean filling and had some of it tonight so I can confirm that it can be frozen.  And tastes great fresh off the skillet or reheated.  After hearing recently that traditional Mexican food is not full of dairy food, I left grated cheese off and was happy to find that the tempeh gave a soft pasty texture that replaced the cheese well.  (I still included yoghurt but might have left that off if I had thought to buy avocados.)  I really loved this taco filling and can see it being added on regular rotation to our Taco Tuesdays.

And as an aside, it is a good day for Melbourne.  Our second day of no corona virus diagnoses and no corona virus deaths (also known as a double doughnut day).  Our Premier has eased the lock down restrictions so shops will open tomorrow, we can have two visitors in the house and in a couple of weeks we can get through the "ring of steel" to visit regional Victoria.  Exciting days but a lot of adjustments and warnings to be careful as we go!

More tempeh dishes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Orange glazed tempeh (gf, v) 
Pumpkin and kale soup with tempeh crumbles (gf, v)
Sage tempeh sausages wraps (v)  
Tempeh and corn soup (gf, v)
Tempeh and pumpkin lasagne (v)
Watercourse Foods tempeh burger (gf,v)
 

Tempeh black bean taco filling
Adapted  from the Garden Grazer
Serves about 4

300g tempeh
2 tbsp taco seasoning*
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can black beans, rinsed and drained

Serving suggestion: Corn taco shells, red capsicum, purple cabbage, salsa, yoghurt, fresh herbs

Squeeze as much water out of tempeh as possible.  Crumble tempeh into a small mixing bowl and pour in taco seasoning.  Heat oil in a skillet and fry onion and tempeh for 8-10 minutes.  Stir in garlic for about a minute and then black beans for a few minutes to heat.  Serve in taco shells and pile with toppings as desired.

*UPDATE (Nov 2020): I made this again with home made taco seasoning (based on this taste.com.au member recipe), which makes about 2 tbsp and am recording it here for next time:

2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground chilli

On the stereo:
Sweetener: Ariana Grande

Quick One Pot Mac and Cheese and random notes

We now have had over 100 days of lockdown in Melbourne and everyone seems to be totally drained by it.  One way I have been coping with low energy is to have more regular meal nights.  Friday has always been pizza night.  We started Taco Tuesdays a while back.  And Sylvia asked for a Mac and Cheese Monday.  So today I am going to share the quick one pot mac and cheese that has got me through some low energy Mondays.

As an aside, today we had the good news that the restrictions will start to be eased at midnight today but the first steps wont make much difference to me.  Unlike a lot of Melbourne, I was already doing home hair cuts before lockdown and cannot raise any excitement about hairdressers opening again!  It's nice to go a bit further away than 5 km from home but we can't do much more than walk and talk.  I yearn for shared meals, a visit to a gallery or a film in a cinema.  But it was heartening to have only 5 diagnoses over the past 3 days and to know there are easier times ahead.  And I don't take this for granted after our long lockdown and seeing that many places around the world are having far greater daily diagnoses than at our peak of 700+.  I am more excited about Geelong being in the AFL Grand Final next weekend.

 

But I digress.  This mac and cheese is far simpler than all our confusing lockdown rules.  It actually started with trying Jac's Microwave Mac and Cheese in a Mug.  I liked it but found it easier to cook pasta in a saucepan than in a cup in the microwave.  I could see a use for Jac's recipe if you only had a microwave to cook in or you wanted to make a very small amount of mac and cheese.  But when we have mac and cheese, I try and make sure there are enough leftovers that we are not fighting over who gets them.  (Because we will if there is not much there!)

So then I checked out a one pot cheesy mac clone that I had bookmarked and it was similar to Jac's but had a few other ideas.  We had a bit of experimenting with the amount of cheese.  Then, unlike many recipes on this blog, I made it quiet a few times to check I was happy with it (and make my Mondays easier).

My usual way of making mac and cheese is to cook the pasta while I make a creamy cheesy sauce using a roux with lots of milk and cheese.  The recipe I have been using recently is different because there is no roux.  It doesn't save heaps of time but is a few less steps if you are really tired or time-poor.  Cream cheese seems to step into place instead of the roux to thicken and add creaminess.  I found had to reheat slowly at the end to make sure all the cheese was melted.  And I can confirm it is great the next day.  Like other mac and cheeses, it is not as creamy after sitting overnight in the fridge but is still good grub!

You would be right in thinking that pizza, tacos and mac and cheese are stodgy comfort food.  I have been making an effort to serve with lots of veg.  My latest favourite way to serve veg is to steam it in the microwave and stir through a little pesto.  When I was photographing this pasta recently I served it with cauliflower, broccoli, spinach and peas with a little pesto.  I also chopped up some tofu nuggets because they were in the fridge.  There are all sorts of ways to serve mac and cheese.  We have had it on pizza, in pies, on tacos.  Anything goes.

Now that I have this great easy mac and cheese, Sylvia has decided she prefers her mac and cheese to be made with a roux!  But if you are gluten free, it is an easy cheese sauce without the flour.

And before I finish, I want to share some random notes:

Easing corona virus restrictions can be as frustrating as it is exciting.  A few weeks back outdoor pools opened again.  Spots are limited and must be booked.  But I have found that you can only book if you are a member because they can book 4 days ahead whereas casuals can book 24 hours ahead.  I am really missing having a swim.

My sister in Ireland was amused that when they went back into lockdown recently, there were families that had emergency first communions with big white dresses and lots of presents.

I have only done one click and collect in the car.  We sat in the car while a guy stared at us.  Then once I realised his stare meant he had something for us (which was so small I had not noticed it in his huge trolley) I found I was parked too close to the next door car to open the door.  My neighbour was out of his car and abusing me for denting his car as I maneuvered my car out to be able to get out and pick up my parcel.  I really miss going into shops to buy clothes and books and cards and and and .....

Though sometimes shopping in the time of covid can seem like being in a spy thriller.  It amused me when Sylvia's phone screen needed fixing and E was told to go through the green grocers and through the back door to an alley where he would find a door to drop off the phone.  I am just disappointed that he did not have a password such as "the toothless tiger rules the restless jungle".

In her last week of remote schooling Sylvia was asked to dress in cultural dress for the Harmony Week online assembly.  She told me her culture was K-Mart.  Which is partly amusing and partly disturbing but it was where she most recently bought clothes so I guess she was referring to what she would wear.  I was too busy with work to go to assembly but wonder how it went, given that for book week the lastest school newsletter noteds that kids will make masks in art so every kid can dress up even if parents can't get out to the shops to be able to make a costume!

The government's budgets this year have been very interesting.  Firstly our government that last year so proudly spoke about being back in the black, have gone into huge debt.  Perhaps this is why they had to get all blokey in this month's Budget speech.  Male dominated industries got the "lion's share" and female dominated industries were left in the lurch.  Most ridiculous was when one of the female MPs told the press that the budget looked after women because "If you drive on roads as a woman ... you will benefit from our investment in infrastructure."

More Mac and Cheese Recipes online

• Caramelised apple mac and cheese recipe - Huffington Post
• Cauliflower mac and cheese - Jamie Oliver
  
• Easiest baked mac and cheese - Smitten Kitchen
• Macaroni cheese - Green Gourmet Giraffe
  
• Macaroni cheese with sauerkraut, cauliflower and blue cheese (v) - Green Gourmet Giraffe
  
• Nachos mac and cheese - Not Quite Nigella
• Roasted red pepper mac and cheese (v) - Post Punk Kitchen
  

Quick One Pot Mac and Cheese
Adapted from Book Lovers Pizza
Serves 3-4

2 cups dried macaroni
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp seeded mustard
125g grated cheese (or a 1 cup of tightly packed grated cheese)

Firstly cook the macaroni in a medium small saucepan in boiling salted water until just done.  (Check the instructions on the packet for timing as different pastas cook at different times.)  Drain and return to saucepan.  Stir in cornflour, then milk, then cream cheese and mustard and then grated cheese.  If the mixture is not quite warm enough to melt the cheese, heat the saucepan gently and stir frequently until cheese is melted.

On the Stereo:
The Swell Season - self titled

Apple and berry crumble

 
Sunday night found me in a good mood with Sylvia set to return to school after months of remote schooling, I had been for a walk with a friend, Sylvia had too, and I had got some order into the house.  While tidying up the fridge I cleared out scraps of uneaten berries and remembered the abandoned apples in the fruit bowl.  Given that we are still coming out of the winter doldrums of mediocre fruit and veg, a fruit crumble seemed a good idea.  I made it while on a House Party video call with my family.  Hands covered in crumble mixture and mobile phones do not mix!

Then we watched the start of Junior Master Chef Australia 2020.  The most heartening part of watching it so far was during the food tasting when some kids admitted to really hating some foods.  Wow if these kids who are amazing at cooking can be fussy, I feel better about what Sylvia is eating.  Sylvia is pretty good at serving up an attractive plate of food.  I am not sure if it is my blogging or all the cooking she watches online.  She sprinkled icing sugar on her crumble and accompanied it with a big spoonful of toffee yoghurt.

The crumble was delicious.  The jammy baked berries have the prettiest of purple hues and who doesn't love a warm crispy crumble topping.  I adapted it from a favourite recipe.  We were both very happy as we dug into our warm crumble and had to exercise some discipline to leave the remaining crumble for the next night.  It was sooo good.

More fruit crumbles on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Apricot crumble with cranberries and hazelnuts
Berry and coconut crumble (gf)
Chocolate custard crumble
Peach crumble (v)  
Rhubarb, quince and apple crumble (v)
Rhubarb and strawberry crumble (v)

Apple and Berry Crumble
Serves 2-4

2 apples, cored and peeled
squeeze of lemon juice
2-3 tbsp granulated sugar
2-3 handfuls of mixed berries

Crumble:
3 tbsp wholemeal flour
3 tbsp rolled oats
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
3 tbsp brown sugar
50-60g butter*

Place apple slices in a small to medium saucepan with the granulated sugar and a few spoonfuls of water.  Cook for 5-10 minutes until apple is bendy and wilting but not soggy and falling apart.  Turn off heat and stir in the berries and set aside while putting together crumble.  (I used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.  Cold or frozen is fine.)

Meanwhile make crumble by rubbing butter into dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  If you want your crumble to be vegan, use margarine.  I used Nuttalex margarine which worked well!

Grease a small baking dish and spoon in the fruit mixture.  Scatter crumble over the fruit.  Bake at 180 C for about 25-30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling around the edges.

On the stereo:
Costello music: The Fratellis

Lockdown Crafts (for kids)

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!  The kids are back at school on Monday!  So much to celebrate!  The excited sounds of kids voices in the playground.  Little heads together whispering secrets.  Awkward limbs skeetering around each other.  Teachers able to see puzzled faces in the classroom (they don't show on video conferences).  And parents working at home in peace!

It seems quite amazing after almost three months of remote schooling to have (most of) our kids returning to the classroom in Melbourne.  But as with previous lockdown, I will miss seeing so much of what Sylvia is doing in class, especially the art and craft.  So I have collected together photos of some of the craft she has done both in class and leisure ad a few that I did with her.

The craft project of Melbourne lockdown 2.0 was Spoonville.  It is fun, creative and a great way to connect communities.  I had bought some new wooden spoons before lockdown 2.0.  It took us a while to get to it but we had plenty of time.  Finally we got out paints and Sylvia painted hers as cows: strawberry, caramel and oreo.

I painted three kids.  As well as paint I used some sharpies (textas) to draw on the faces.  When I found  varnished mine with clear nail polish that it makes the ink weep.  But apparently it helps when spoons are outside in the weather.  Sylvia's school had a spoonville which we were happy to add to (see top photo).

This is technically science.  But, as our government fails to see in their recent higher education bill amending the costs of subjects, science and arts aren't so very different to each other.  They can inspire curiosity and awe in all sorts of ways.  The idea was found in this list: 50 genius STEM activities for kids.

 

Sylvia got lots of ideas from the internet but that does not take from her creativity.  Even to be able to copy what you see, requires some talent and often it has your own style. I loved this baby shark she made from a paper plate.

Llamas are all the rage right now.  These paper plate llamas are easy and pretty cute.

 

 

One of the activities that delighted Sylvia the most was this pom pom drop.  In lockdown it is not easy to find the right equipment.  We were really happy this required very little - cardboard tubes, washi tape and mini pom poms.  Sylvia had a lovely time positioning the tubes on a door so she could drop a pom pom through the tubes. 

 

Some might remember that last year Sylvia got into a slime phase and made jars and jar of slime.  She finds it very satisfying to play with.  So once she saw it in the list of things suggested, the glue and activator appeared again.  I liked the extra work on these jars with a glue gun, googly eyes, pom poms and pipe cleaners.

Sylvia tried different additions to slime to get different textures and looks: pom poms, sequins and googly eyes.

Another shark.  This time a newspaper shark on a felt and fabric collage!

A wee turtle.  Made from an egg carton, pom pom, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, glue gun and a lick of paint.

A cute cloud and rainbow made from felt and craft papers.

Paper plate fish!

Sylvia painted this ombre troll vase and collected flowers from the garden to put in it.

 Fireflies made from juice bottles.  Sylvia raided the craft box for different fabrics and bits and pieces.

The clever bit about these fireflies is that you can replace the glow stick as many times as necessary.  They would be fun for sleepovers when Sylvia is allowed to have them again!
 

Sylvia is already into Halloween so when I had an urge to do a collage out of old calenders, we agreed on a haunted house.  I did the house and she did the ghosts.

  

Lastly, Sylvia decided we needed rock art before lockdown 2.0 so we bought these at Bunnings hardware in the pouring rain.  Finally the paints came out, along with some googly eyes, safety pins and felt scraps to make rock babies.  Pretty cute, eh?

And, as you might imagine, our cat, Shadow, is always curious with the craft.