Our AFS student is here on a State Department scholarship and at the beginning of the month, they took all the kids to DC, and we think she came back with Covid. The trip was from a Monday to a Thursday and she tested negative on the following Monday after she got back, but then tested positive Saturday. She texted us while we were finishing up getting Thanksgiving ingredients at the Farmers Market, and about to drive out to Matt & Susan’s to get the turkey. We isolated her in her room, and had her mask outside of her room. I got bleach wipes for wiping everything down, and no one has to share a bathroom, but I must’ve been exposed and I tested positive on Thanksgiving Day. I’d been feeling like I had a cold since about Tuesday.
So we missed both Jasper’s first birthday and Thanksgiving. And we were going to have a post-Thanksgiving potluck on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and that had to be cancelled, too. Since I was positive on a holiday, I asked Mark if he thought it was more polite for me to tell our guests about our Covid outbreak on the holiday or wait, and he said soonest is best, so I texted everyone on Thursday.
Mark is still negative. I’m sleeping on the couch in my bedroom with the kittens.
Here we are thinking about it on Thursday afternoon
They keep me pretty warm but on the 2nd night I added another blanket
For both Jasper’s birthday and Thanksgiving I made food and took it over and left it on Al & Emma’s porch and folks came out & said hi. It was mini pumpkin muffins and a musical toy present for the birthday. Emma made Jasper a smash cake.
I thought he was wearing a little black mask at first
Since we couldn’t go to the big Thanksgiving with everyone I kept out some of the (vegetarian) stuffing and sweet potatoes I took over there, and then I roasted the 10-pound Whole Foods turkey I panic-bought last year when I thought Matt & Susan wouldn’t have any. I was going to roast that bird for the Saturday potluck that cancelled. And I made a pumpkin pie and some cider glazed Brussels sprouts. And of course mashed potatoes and gravy.
Covid Thanksgiving dinner
Pia and I, the positive test kids, ate in the dining room. Mark took his plate upstairs. I was searching in the basement for some white wine to pour over the bird, and found a bottle of something sparkling, that said it was Charme Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut, which sounded kinda fancy, but I looked it up and it was $16.99 so I figured OK for cooking. Half over the bird and that left two glasses for me over dinner.
The pie cracked but still tasted good
The cracks got more pronounced as it cooled
I made an apple slab pie to take to Al & Emma’s. They didn’t finish it – they had less people – we’re not the only ones with a Covid outbreak – so I got the big half of it back Friday
I tried out Smitten Kitchen’s extra flaky pie crust for the pumpkin pie and the top of the apple slab. I thought it was especially good for the pumpkin, plus I used the King Arthur method of cooking the pie on the bottom shelf at a high eat for 15 minutes. It really works to get the usually soggy pumpkin pie bottom crust actually brown.
Here I am thinking really hard about either getting up to bake cookies or maybe it was Thanksgiving prep, with the kittens helping me
When I thought there were going to be lots of people, must’ve been Tuesday or Wednesday, I baked two challah thinking I’d take one to Al & Emma’s on Thanksgiving and have the other for the Saturday potluck. Emma’s sister & brother-in-law were going to bring a ham, and ham sandwiches on challah are so good – like bacon on a bagel. Now one challah’s in the freezer and we’re enjoying the other for turkey sandwiches.
Last post I promised jam cookie pictures. I finally baked them Monday night and there’re 314, so I was happy about that. I put them in the vestibule for the jam to set thinking it’d be most kitten proof.
Since I am in quarantine now with the Covid, I figured I’d get lots of extra cookie baking time. I called in sick to all my volunteer gigs next week. Today, day one of quarantine baking, didn’t go so great. I tried out some rolled lebkuchen, and the traditional boiled sugar glaze went lumpy on me the way it always does. The smooth looking ones in the top half of this pic are a powdered sugar glaze that I put on the bar lebkuchen that are already made.
And the pine nut macaroons are actually going to be a do-over. Some are too brown and the rest are not brown enough and have really sticky bottoms. I usually use Solo, but I got some Odense almond paste and used that and it should’ve worked because the recipe is from the Odense website, but they didn’t. Do-over.
Reject almond macaroons. Too dark, too sticky on the bottom, and all too flat
I might try sandwiching some of them with chocolate, I’m sure that would be eaten at the party. <grin>
Friday it was sunny and cold, and I had a prescription to pick up at Walgreens. At first I thought I’d just walk there, and mask up and go into the store, but then I decided to be a good quarantine citizen, and get the prescription at the drive up. I was driving over to Al & Emma’s to get the leftovers anyways. So I took a walk without a destination, and then went out again by car. But something screwed up with shifting me over to medicare, and the insurance didn’t go through and it was going to cost more than three times as much. The pharmacist said I should called the insurer, so I left the prescription. The insurance help number said they were 24/7 so I called them after I got back home, and spoke with a very pleasant person, who called Walgreens and fixed it.
Which meant Saturday I went out on another round of car errands, to get the prescription, and I also tried driving up at Woodmans for get some flour and sugar and molasses. Which went smoothly except it all came in plastic bags. I’d prefer to get the rest myself, in-person and masked, either Monday or Tuesday. Hoping I test negative one of those days. Tuesday is my possible end of quarantine, anyways. And my symptoms are a lot less.
So I feel like I have nothing to show for Day 1 of quarantine baking, it was just a shitty day. And I’m afraid my sense of smell is a bit faded (damn Covid) – I mean I can still smell, and taste, but nothing seems as intense as it should. All of which meant I was pretty grumpy by the end of the day. We’ll start the day tomorrow with the macaroon do-over and I think some cranberry bread and maybe the baby fruit cakes … it all always looks better in the morning.
We had hot turkey sandwiches & other thanksgiving leftovers for supper. Mark took his upstairs & here’s my solo sandwich in bad light.
Solitary hot turkey sandwich dinner in bad light.
Oh, and the other good news is that our student tested negative Friday and immediately took off to spend the weekend with her friend. So that’s exactly 7 day since her positive test – hope my math is equal. It means I’ll be free Wednesday.
The kittens are ready to cuddle up for the night. Thought I might watch a movie but it’s too late. I think I’ll just read with my new sleeping buddies.
PS, Sunday afternoon: re-made the macaroons:
Much better.
And Jasper got a Christmas tree.
