Quarantine Cooking: Episode 1- Hummus

    Last year while I was pregnant I craved canned raw chickpeas with salt and pepper, I would eat them all the time. I become super sick while pregnant and this was one of the things I could eat that caused little nausea.

    A friend told me that is was called raw hummus or naked hummus, I never thought about making hummus before. I have always bought it, it was just one of those things we didn't think about making from scratch.

     I looked at a few recipes and discovered it is very simple to make, and I had all the ingredients, so

we made it.

     I did end up adding a little bit too much Tahini sauce, so it had a strong sesame seed flavor, but still so good!

   I used this recipe here, check it out for yourself!

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

     

Hedgehog

February 26, 2020

  Today our hedgehog Piper passed away, she lived 5 years in our care and was loved by everyone in the house. She passed peacefully in her sleep and is buried in the backyard.

   A few years ago we put her care in our sons hands, she got moved down to his room and it became his responsibility to take care of her. My son was experiencing a lot of behavioral issues and we noticed that once she was down there they stopped. He had a very close bond with her, when I informed him of her passing he cried for days. He kept running down to her cage to see her, he was very distraught.

   Even though she seemed like just a pet to those on the outside, she was a family member to us, her loss was hard to on all of us. Even though she was spunky, had a fierce attitude, and always got her way, she loved to run around outside, eat bugs, sit in your lap, and gave kisses.
 

    When she passed the ground was to hard to dig, we put her in a small box and set it in the garage, for the next few days every time James would become upset he would run outside and sit next to the garage door. We didn't understand what was going on and he kept getting in trouble for going outside without asking.

   A few days later after Pipers funeral services James and I were talking on my bed, I asked him why he was so sad, why he kept hurting others and being mean.
   He said that before Piper died he would go to his room and sit next to her cage and she would sit next to him and he would tell her how he was feeling and she was always there for him, now he goes to his room and she isn't there, he told me he is confused and lost. He told me that he was running outside all the time because because he wanted to be next to her, he was going to the garage to be near here, for a few weeks after we buried her he was going outside to her grave and would sit next to it and talk to her.

   We miss her a lot, but we know she is in heaven enjoying all the open fields and fresh air.

Journal entry #3- Total Panic

Growing up it seemed like our garage was a store, you could go out to the cupboard and find anything and everything imaginable, canned and dry packaged wise. 

That was just how it was, I learned to cook off of canned, frozen, and fresh vegetables and fruit. We had many 5 gallon buckets packed with rice, sugar, flour, and oats. If we needed something, we made it.

When I moved away from home my mother made sure I have 15-20 lbs of all the necessary items, and stock piles of canned goods.

Bread, learned to make it. Waffles, learned to make it, fried egg, learned to make it

 My mom had us in the kitchen as much as possible, and age 5 I was frying my own eggs for breakfast, and age 8 I was making full meals and using the oven by myself. My confidence came from the kitchen.

Now it have been just over a week since the order went out, stating we are on a 2 week quarantine, and well, this order says that we can stay in groupings of less than 30 people, and it also said to make sure you have enough food for 2 weeks, because if you get sick you will have to stay home and not leave your house for anything, for 2 weeks. People went buzerk. Shelves that were always stocked are now empty, store are having to open up specific hours just to the elderly, because people aren't leaving food on the shelves for them.

The top 2 items that are still hard to come by is water and toilet paper, now the governor of our land didn't say anything about the stores closing down, or not being able to leave our house. He just said only leave it if you absolutely need to. And if you are sick, stay home and self quarantine.

The problem we currently have is that a vast majority of the population do not know how to cook with the items that they have now stock piled into their house. They are going hungry, eating out, and complaining about being hungry because they have just filled the house with unusable items.

I am glad that they have bought all the noodles, rice, cream of soups, and beans, but they don't know how to make a meal out of it. Matthew was at the store, getting a few essentials for us, along with some ice cream, and was talking with the cashier. She informed him that she has had multiple people come in and stock up on items, get to the register and realize they can't afford it. So they put back all the fresh produce, frozen meat, and keep the crackers, cookies, and junk. I am lucky that my mom has taught how to cook, and how to live without the "extra's"

Stores are still bare, people are still going hungry because selfish people took more then they needed. Leaving very little for those who really need it.

People are scared, more scared then I have ever seen in my life. I hope things start to calm down soon, I hope nothing else happens and we are able to get back to a normal life.