The last 2 blog posts have been a break from THE topic that has taken over my writing here on Cultivating Mental Silence since March 16th. I felt it necessary to take a step back and work on writing, in my opinion, that took me out of my own head with regards to what it means to be a teacher during this unique moment in time. I wanted to come back to THIS topic with a fresh take on what is currently happening with me and my students. I'm not sure the day-to-day minutiae is where I want to keep going. 

On Mother’s Day, I asked you...the reader, to leave me a comment about something you’d like to hear me write about that, at the time, you had not yet already consumed. One idea that was forwarded from one of my loyal readers asked me to talk about some of the food I’ve been making/eating while at home (due to my love of being in the kitchen with my wife) so...

Here are some things I’ve been doing in the kitchen that I’ve really enjoyed…not really school related but I think you'll find interesting. 

Making sushi with my wife…My wife and I learned how to make sushi about a year ago, at a class we took with a very good friend. Since that class, we’ve made it several times. We’ve made it for friends as well as family. We’ve also made just for ourselves. During this quarantine we decided, why not make sushi. The thing I like most about the process is that it’s a team effort. From cutting the vegetables, cooking the rice, preparing the tuna, and the part that’s the best…putting the rolls together…making sushi is just plain fun! It’s also super messy! The kitchen looks like a hurricane has gone through it when you’re done but that doesn’t matter because you, and whoever you made the sushi with, are too busy enjoying sushi to care!

Here's a pic of me doing just that!!

We up’d our game during our latest sushi session. We decided to enjoy it with some sake. 

Baking…Since getting my PhD I’ve been obsessed with baking. Let me clarify here…the act of as much as the recipient of. My wife is an amazing baker…always has been. For years I’ve been the recipient of her baking magic! Just as I was finishing my PhD I wanted to start helping more around the house and one of the first places I turned my attention to was the kitchen. What if I could learn how to make (bake) the things I loved the most that my wife baked for me? That would be amazing! Anyone that knows me knows that I love scones. My dream breakfast is a scone (usually chocolate chip infused with coffee) and a great cup of coffee. I also love muffins. Recently, we decided to see what would happen if we introduced Nutella into a recipe I love.

Here's a pic of me enjoying the process of making them. The next picture shows the end result of baking Nutella muffins with banana.

I think one of the things that I like most about baking is the instant gratification that I’ve accomplished something and that something is something I’m going to enjoy again and again. 

Playing around with gizmos and gadgets...We are fortunate enough to have a wide variety of “tools” in our kitchen arsenal. We’ve deployed them happily during this quarantine. One such tool is our air-fryer. We’ve used it to do a lot of things but just recently, my wife found a great recipe for turkey burgers that included air-frying them. All I need to hear is the word burger and I am “all in!” I volunteered to make the burgers while my wife prepared a cucumber, tomato salad. The recipe called for 8 ounces of turkey meat. We had closer to a pound so our burgers were much bigger than what would have come from 8 ounces...oh darn! I guess I made them a bit thicker than I should have because after 7 1/2 minutes in the fryer, my wife checked on them to turn them over and they’d plumped up quite a nicely...again...oh darn! It took them a little longer to reach the 155 degree F inside temp but when we took them out...OMG! These had to be...hands down...the best turkey burgers I’d ever made!

Here’s a pic...

Making sushi, baking, and playing around with the air-fryer have been just some of the ways I’ve been enjoying food during this quarantine!