Californian Dreamin' Potato Cheese Casserole, by, Gina Meyers

Californian Dreamin' Potato Cheese Casserole

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons of salt
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons of finely chopped chives or scallions
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons of of grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Cook potatoes with water, a dash of salt. Reserve some of the cooking liquid mash the potatoes with butter and a little of the cooking liquid. Add a tablespoon of milk if you like. Beat eggs and mix into potatoes using an electric mixer.

Spread potato mixture in a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, scallions, and mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Brighten Up Your Day Banana Bread, by, Gina Meyers

Lately, I find myself resorting to my favorite pastimes, knitting, baking, cooking, exercising, movie watching and family time. Lately, I have been improving upon my Banana Bread recipe and it got the thumbs up from my son Lucas.

The bright side to all this extra time is I have been experimenting in the kitchen, this evening, I made Taco Tuesdays in Quarantine, an easy and healthy recipe that you too can try at home.

Stay safe and enjoy this special family time that only a pandemic could provide!

Quick Movie Recommendations:
Xanadu
Onward
Houseboat
Crazy People
Julie and Julia
Princess Bride
13 Going on 30
Groundhog Day
Confessions of a Shopaholic

Brighten Your Day Banana Bread

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature or melted in the microwave to soften (if butter cube was in the freezer, fyi)
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons of sour cream
4 bananas
3 eggs, prefer brown eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan or coat with a thin layer of butter. Mix wet ingredients together and add eggs, one at a time, using an electric mixer. You may also add the bananas and if need be, mash slightly with a fork. Next add baking soda, salt, flour and any other dry ingredients. It isn't necessary to consider the cinnamon and all spice as dry ingredients, you can add those with the wet ingredients. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and scoop excess batter out with a spatula. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the center of the banana bread with a knife or toothpick comes out clean.




Tip: if you keep your bananas in the freezer like I do, microwave with the peels for 30 to 60 seconds per banana. It will heat up the peel and make for easy peeling.




Kindly,
Gina
https://www.ginameyers.com

Quarantine Non-Alcoholic Punch

Quarantine Lime Sherbet Punch
1/4 gallon of lime sherbet
1 bottle of sparkling apple cider
1 can 7-Up

Directions: mix ingredients in a punch bowl and enjoy. Serves 2-3 people.

Quarantini Punch, by, Gina Meyers

3 ounces concentrated orange juice, thawed
1 can of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1/2  cup of sugar

Mix and keep cold. Just before serving, add 1 bottle of champagne and 1/2 bottle of chilled chablis. Enjoy your quarantini punch. Serves 2 people.

The Corona Virus Cooking Chronicles, by, Gina Meyers

Sheltering In Place, Monday, March 30th, 2020

As a cookbook author, I love experimenting in the kitchen. I have been doing a lot of that during the Corona Virus Pandemic, however, I am not a BIG fan these days of grocery stores because of the GERMS. So I have been doing a lot of online ordering and got really screwed by Sam's Club yesterday charging $40.00 for shipping charges. Having an account these days with them doesn't cut the mustard, they want you to be like a PRIME member (and pay the prime costs). Anyhow, about two months ago, ahead of the game, I reactivated my Hello Fresh Account. I work full-time and have a hungry teen who likes to experiment in the kitchen. He also, ahead of the curve, we started homeschooling 1 1/2 months before the rest of the world. Another story for later. Back to The Corona Virus Cooking Chronicles.

Well this latest Hello Fresh recipe, which my son made yesterday, disturbed him sooo much that he actually demanded I take him to his dad's house to EAT, teenagers!

Up until the meltdown and the sit down, I was in the middle of eating my dinner when he abruptly wanted me, which I did drive him to his dad's house. It's true my son had been working hard in the kitchen for over an hour on this recipe.  I might be getting off track here, but it's hard enough sheltering in one place as an adult, socially distancing myself from my significant other and completely distancing myself from friends and family--so no one said life would be easy, let alone, during a pandemic, but we have to think about the things that we are doing to instill family routine, and normalcy in our youth and teenagers lives. Especially children of divorce who still are supposed to shuffle back and forth between homes, since they have more than one shelter legally, morally, and technically.

So, when he came to mama bears' shelter yesterday and volunteered to make the Teriyaki Pork Luau Bowls, of which he personally chose as the dish he wanted to prepare and me to order for us.For a family of two, like we are, we chose three meals per week. It was kind of like a scene from a movie or an urban legend that is actually true, like couples who try to put Ikea Products together, don't stay together.

Well this Teriyaki Pork Luau Bowl was the pitts.

Anyhow, to complain, the amount of rice was really sad, my son showed me my portion and his, way too little. The kiwi that came with it, somehow ended up on the floor, the pork was easy enough for his to cook but the color of their pork in the picture, no where near the color. The flavor was sort of confusing and the cost of the meal verses going away hungry, a BIG zero!

Good luck and hope you have better luck. Son is back now and just said, "not sure if I have the energy to cook one of those Hello Fresh meals." We went on a LONG bike ride and eventually one of us will muster up the courage to cook this evening.
Taco Salmon perhaps?

https://www.ginameyers.com

InstructionsPDF

1

Wash and dry all produce. Peel and dice kiwi. Core, deseed, and thinly slice green pepper crosswise. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion; finely dice a few slices until you have 2 TBSP. Dice tomato. Mince garlic. Zest and quarter lime.

2

Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small pot over mediumhigh heat. Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4) and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

3

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine kiwi, tomato, diced onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, half the lime zest, and a pinch of garlic to taste. Stir in water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

4

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and sliced onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, 6-7 minutes. Add remaining garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer veggies to a plate.

5

Add a drizzle of oil to pan used for veggies. Add pork and season with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, press into an even layer. Cook without stirring until browned on bottom, 3-4 minutes. Break up meat into pieces and continue cooking until pork is cooked through, 1-2 minutes more. Return cooked veggies to pan. Stir in teriyaki sauce, 1 tsp sugar (1½ tsp for 4 servings), and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4). Cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes.

6

Fluff rice with a fork; stir in remaining lime zest and season with salt. Divide between bowls and top with pork mixture. Top with kiwi salsa and lime crema. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side.

Pantry Pleasers, what essentials to have in stock in your pantry during Covid-19 Pandemic by, Gina Meyers

Pantry Pleasers, what essentials to have in stock in your pantry during Covid-19 Pandemic.


The lesson we've learned these past two weeks? Limitation inspires creativity! We've been treating every day like a champ. I started ordering Hello Fresh about two months ago, again, so it's been a great resource on avoiding the grocery store. But what to keep in your pantry? Well, you are in luck. I had already created an essentials pantry list in my Dorm Room Essential Cookbook FREE Kindle Preview
as well as Love at First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook, Love at First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook, by, Gina Meyers both also available on kindle, nook, and in softcover, so what are those essentials to keep on hand in the future or perhaps you may already have them. Don't get ripped off this morning like I did when I bought $50.00 worth of supplies/groceries from Sam's Club and they charged me $40.00 for shipping!

GIVE ME A BREAK! (this last thing we need right now is to take advantage of people!)


So while you are staying home and being creative like myself and my son, here are a few creative ideas on what to stock your pantry with and what to improvise with.




10 Must Have Ingredients for a Stocked Pantry

Baking Staples. I always keep the following basic baking ingredients on hand and restock as needed: ...

Preferred Spices. Spices are the key to making meals flavorful and kicking them up a notch. ...

Necessary Oils. ...

Canned Goods / Stock and Broths. ...

Grains, Pasta, and Legumes. ...

Healthy Snacks. ...

Meat and Seafood. ...(keep in the fridge)

Refrigerated Basics such as cheese, which can also go in the freezer, butter, can also go in the freezer, milk, etc.


*Bonus:


Substitutions:


If you are out of:

Butter try margarine or butter-flavored shortening

All-purpose flour, (try rice flour, wheat flour, almond flour, polenta, unbleached flour)

Dark brown sugar (try light brown sugar)

Whole eggs (try liquid egg substitute or brown eggs)

Oil (try applesauce)

Chocolate (try carob)

Olive Oil (substitute vegetable oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, cooking spray)

Lard (substitute for shortening or butter or margarine)

White Rice (try brown rice, risotto,)

Nuts (try water chestnuts)

Sour Cream (substitute for nonfat plain yogurt)


If you are out of

1 Tablespoon baking powder (substitute for 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar)

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch (try 2 Tablespoons of flour)

1 cup of milk (substitute for 1/2 cup of evaporated milk with 1/2 cup of water)

1 cup of buttermilk (try 1 cup of regular milk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice)

1 cup of sugar (try t cup of honey and then reduce other liquid ingredients in recipe by 1/4 of a cup)

Well it must be a Monday in Pandemia, my new word for the world I currently live in during Covid-19, by, Gina Meyers

Well it must be a Monday in Pandemia, my new word for the world I currently live in.

Last night my washing machine broke. Wouldn't drain and the belt smelled or whatever mechanism is in that thing. I filled out an electronic work order and was called on my OLD phone number and criticized, chastised, and condemned this morning by the uptight, not knowledgeable manager.



Apartment manager, has always been difficult, she absconded with my charcoal grill from December until February, I thought someone had stolen it, cause after five years of living here, her justification was, "I am not allowed to have a charcoal grill." That's not what they told me five years ago, they said I could use it in my driveway and being that my daughter and her fiancee were visiting during Christmastime and they live in England, when I instructed John to use my hose to water down the coals and he cleaned it out, he placed it by the left side of my garage. Remember folks, people drive on the opposite side in England so they do things like me since I am left handed, LOL.

The derelicts who lived underneath me either moved out willingly or were forced out, regardless I lost a charcoal grill that I guess management thought was theirs when they vacated, either willingly or unwillingly, maybe that's where my three missing orders of Hello Fresh went and my bicycle and my box of vintage barbies. Anyhow, that's another story....

Back to this morning and Monday in Pandemia. It took practically a call to National Headquarters to get my washing machine fixed, apparently a pair of my panties got sucked into the drain, CRAZY. Also, last night, all this washing clothes in hot water caused my washer to malfunction. I had to call the apartment I live at and have a maintenance person come out and fix the problem. New problem, the way managers who used to be high strung and clueless now are taking the DEFENSE and calling me on my old phone number, even though they have my new number. The hassle that some people try to put you through isn't going to change due to a pandemic. If they hassled you before or were rude, don't expect them to change or be a nicer person now.

First accusatory question: "Are you sick?" NO. (thinking to myself, is that your business, are you SICK?) As in sick with the Corona Virus.
Second accusatory question: "Whose in the house at the moment?" Just me. Third accusatory statement, ARE YOU SURE? YES
Fourth accusatory statement: Well, when we do come over, if we decide to come over, you cannot be at home. (This made me think, they are painting outside and all of the cars have sheets except mine on it, they didn't offer, should I wait in my car??) I can't drive anywhere as there is a STAY at HOME Order in effect, my mind was swirling.
Me taking the bull by the horns. Who are you planning on sending? I need to know their name. They can go through my garage and go up the back stairs, they must wear booties and gloves, and a mask, if possible. I will disinfect before and after they come. My town home apartment model and the appliance that needs to be worked on there would be NO need to have contact with me. "Well, make sure the side door is closed too." Federal case, good thing washer works NOW, case closed.


If you can imagine, this also took an email to the more sensible assistant manager and texts that manager was able to send, but then suddenly was UNABLE?
TEXTS:

Good morning Gina. Maintenance is on his way to your apartment. Can you please leave the garage open for him. Thank you. 8:16am
Maintenance went over to your garage and it wasn't open. He is going to the next work order. Give us a call and we can set an appointment for you. Thank you! 8:21 am
It is open. 8:21am.
Ok. I will close. 8:23am
Text me when he arrives. 8:25am
Thanks for your inquiry! Our Leasing Center is currently closed, but we will get back to you as soon as we open! 8:30am




I'm out of espresso pods. Drove to Starbucks and they are closed due to COVID-19. Opted to put mask, gloves on and go through s.o.'s garage and use his espresso machine, with permission. Like a Brave New World, he can see me and talk with me through his RING system. I bring my can of Lysol, spray his key pad, take off my shoes, put the slippers I leave at his house on to walk a short distance to his espresso machine via the garage, laundry room, indoor ping pong table to the kitchen, try not to touch anything, I forgot my ceramic mug at home as I figured I was going to Starbucks to buy PODS, and use a Styrofoam cup

I've communicated with my son's tutors, son is chelaxing at his dad's house with no answer on if or when he's coming over here.

I started a new job yesterday. LOVE it, and grateful!

I really needed my cappuccino.

It's all good, tomorrow will be Tuesday.

For some reason, my life is feeling like Confessions of a Shopaholic scene where she opens the bills.

I guess it could be worse, we could all be hapless idiots in Independence Day. "Oh, wait". The Covid-19 Crisis can affect anyone, be safe and well and careful!