Nobody Knows Anything

Welcome to Diane Patterson's eclectic blog about what strikes her fancy

Comfort baking

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I learned something new this week: when you’re violently ill for 24 hours, it’s not a “24 hour thing,” it’s the “stomach flu.” I haven’t gotten the flu very often, okay?

Anyhow. Whatever this thing was, it has completely kicked my ass for the past week. I’ve been lethargic and my stomach has felt queasy for days. I’ve been home a lot.

During this week, I’ve discovered that one way I like to pass the time is by baking. In fact, several times I was itching to get started baking something and felt stymied that I had to do something like, I don’t know, laundry. Or napping.

On Friday I made the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for shortbread. I burned the first batch. So I dumped the entire thing and got to making a second batch. Not that I particularly felt like eating any, and Darin certainly wasn’t in the mood for a cookie. (I’m a little disappointed, because while the CI recipe is good, it’s still not the kind of shortbread I want to make, which is the kind I get at a local coffee house: softish, flaky, very buttery. Maybe I can’t make it at home, but I keep trying.)

I picked up Chocolatier magazine (personally entranced by the “perfect chocolate chip cookie” recipe, just as Ivonne at Paper Palate was, but the deciding factor was the Chocolate Cherry Bread recipe, which I want to make for Darin) and 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson. Yes, I’m currently into the whole cupcake craze.

I made the honeycomb recipe from Chocolatier, mainly because I had some honey on hand and because I love Violet Crumbles so much. It was fun to make — the part where the sugar-honey goo bubbles up with the baking soda is cool — but the end result screamed, “Extreme dental work will be required if you eat more than one crumb of this!” So I tossed it.

Yesterday, however, was the sine qua non of baking mania: I made a loaf of sandwich bread, I made biscuits for dinner (the best I’ve ever made! and the kids didn’t eat them! what’s up with that?), I made banana chocolate chip cake after dinner.

While I am enjoying some of the fruits of my labors (I am as fond of banana chocolate chip cake as the next person (the next person who likes banana chocolate chip cake, that is)), I’m not especially crazed to eat these things I’m making. I’m just finding that baking is very relaxing for me. The idea of mixing a whole bunch of stuff together and having a new food at the end is just deeply appealing. And very odd. Would never have thought it was possible, but there it is.

If When we remodel the kitchen, I am so asking for a baking area.

St. Patrick’s Day

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Gotta admit, as a dyed-in-the-wool Irishman, I don’t get the whole St. Patrick’s Day thing.

I didn’t even hear about the pinch-if-not-wearing-green thing until I was in high school. I stared at the girl who pinched me and said, “What?” When she explained, I said, “I’m Irish the other 364 days too. I don’t have to wear green.” I’ve stocked up on my corned beef and potatoes and shepherd’s pie rations for the rest of my life. I don’t need to prove to anyone I’m Irish.

As I drove around today — yes! I can operate heavy machinery again! — I saw lots of people wearing something green. One street was blocked off so that the Irish pub could put on a big shindig. I don’t get it. Why are Americans so into this holiday? Is it just an excuse to drink?

Laid low

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I know I was sick while I was pregnant with Simon, throwing up nearly every day for those 38 weeks. Like, almost immediately I was sick when pregnant. I took a class with Michele when I was 2 or 3 weeks along and I was already drinking fizzy water and eating crackers. But I don’t think I’ve been sick since. There’s something about having kids: you’re not allowed to be sick.

Until today.

Sophia got sick first this week. Early Tuesday morning. Her room got so messed up she had to move to the guest room, Simon came to bed with me, and Darin started working at 4:30am because he couldn’t get back to sleep. I stayed home with her all day. She ate crackers and drank water and slept.

Wednesday she stayed home too, but she was much better. She was so much perkier I suggested we go out, to do some errands. She said, “Great! I’ll ride my bike downtown.” Clearly she was feeling much better. She rode and I walked along side.

Then, last night, Simon got sick in bed. Repeatedly. We changed his sheets three times. He finally settled down around 1am.

At 4am, I woke up, realized my stomach felt like hell, and then felt my mouth fill with saliva. And I ran. I did this about five times in the next three hours. Dozing, waking, running. Darin stayed home as long as he could — of course, today would be a day he absolutely couldn’t be here all day. I called the moms of Sophia’s friends to see if anyone could take her for a playdate in the afternoon.

Simon and I dozed in the mid-morning, and when he woke up he was Mr. Energy. No appetite, but running around and asking Daddy to play with him.

“He’s feeling better,” Darin said.

“You think?” I croaked from my bier on the couch.

Darin went to work at 1, and Simon almost immediately said, “I want to nap.” He has never uttered these words before, but far be it from me not to take advantage: up to his room he went and up to my room I went. We both passed out for two hours. I felt better when I woke up, mostly suffering from a raging headache. After that nap, Simon does not appear sick in any way now, except for his lack of an appetite. (Which, for Simon, is…unusual.)

I feel a little better. Haven’t had any high pressure explosions from either pole for a couple of hours. But I’m definitely not going to operate any heavy machinery for a while. The highlight of my day: an hour ago, I ate some Jello (peach flavored), and apparently that will be my caloric intake for Thursday.

Please let this be cleared up by morning.

I’m a little worried, though. After Darin picked up Sophia from her playdate and got home, he immediately sacked out on the couch. He doesn’t feel good. He feels weak and run-down. Which is not good, because on Friday Darin absolutely positively has to be at work all day. Let’s hope he’s not sick. Because I know him: he’ll be at that meeting and then all of them are gonna get sick.

Update: Oh thank goodness, it is just a 24-hour thing (although I’m going to keep Simon home today, because he doesn’t seem fully recovered).

And Darin isn’t sick, which means only one thing: he’s saving until this weekend and he doesn’t have any important meetings. Because he always saves being sick for the weekend or a vacation. I don’t know how he does that.

Update 2: Hee hee hee. Darin’s boss just called to find out if he was coming to the meeting or whether he’d gotten sick. Darin’s boss reads my blog to keep up on what’s happening with Darin. Hee hee.