The Weekend of Food

This weekend, Leah's older brother, Rob, visited from Washington State and brought his eleven-year-old daughter, Becca. Also visiting was Leah's youngest sister, Allie, from Maryland State University. Knowing this, I volunteered to cook two meals: breakfast on Saturday morning and dinner on Sunday evening.

For Saturday's breakfast, I arrived a little after eight AM and started making blueberry compote. While that cooked on the stove, I mixed up some pancake batter and heated up a griddle. I made about thirty blueberry pancakes, stacking them up as I went. Becca helped out by microwaving plate after plate of bacon (we made a total of three pounds). As we got close to finishing up, I started cracking egg into a mixing bowl. I added salt and pepper to the fourteen or fifteen eggs and starting beating them. That's when I found out that Leah's other younger sister, Megan, doesn't like blueberries, so I had Leah mix up another small batch of pancake batter. I reheated the griddle and poured the eggs into a hot skillet. With the eggs scrambled and Megan's seven or eight pancakes done, we all sat down to eat. Everyone ate as much as they wanted and there were still a few pancakes leftover, though the bacon, eggs, and compote were all finished off.

For Sunday, I made pumpkin cookies the night before and put them out for people to munch on throughout the day. And munch on them they did. Since it was Fast Sunday, I waited until dinner to eat anything, and there only eight or nine cookies left from the original three-and-a-half dozen. For dinner itself, I roasted two whole chickens, boiled and mashed nearly an entire ten pound bag of potatoes, and sautéed a few pounds of zucchini and onions, or at least I tried to. The pan I used to sauté was smaller than I needed it to be, so I put the lid on in an attempt to have it cook more evenly, which it did, but it also ended getting steamed instead of sautéed. Regardless, there was plenty of food and Allie even took leftovers before she headed back to college.

While I did get lots of compliments on the food I made, I didn't do it for the praise. I like cooking and I like serving people, so when I can combine the two together, it makes for a happy (if tired) Jordan.

Donut Holes

What happens when you're bored and you have deep fryer in your kitchen?

You make donut holes (which you then take to your fiancee while she's at work).

Easter 2017

Easter was busy for Leah and me. We had decided to host Easter dinner and had invited her family and mine, though not everyone was available. In the end, we had Ian, Sherlin, Leah's dad Ulf, and her younger sisters, Megan and Allison, over. (From now on, when I mention Allison, assume I'm referring to Leah's youngest sister.)

I was a bit ambitious with the meal that I planned, though thankfully it all worked out. We made a spinach salad with strawberries, feta cheese, and sliced almonds; a spiral-cut, honey-glazed ham; sauteed green beans with garlic and cranberries; deep fried sweet potato french fries; and a trifle with blueberries, strawberries, and pound cake for dessert. Leah was a champ on the deep fryer and did a lot of prep work by slicing all of the strawberries and about half of the sweet potatoes. The trifle gave me problems as I didn't have enough pound cake and had to quickly bake another, though I probably ran out because Leah and I kept munching on it before I assembled the cake.

Dinner was great, if a bit crowded in my tiny apartment. I don't usually get to entertain in my home (and this was certainly the biggest group that I've fed here), so it was nice to be able to plan out the meal and execute it -- having Leah as my assistant made it even nicer. After most of the guests left (Megan hung out for a while afterwards), I collapsed on the couch, exhausted but happy.

Broke

I enjoy baking.  This is not news.  An important tool (the most important tool, one might argue) is the oven.  It's easy to take the oven for granted, with it being one of the main fixtures of any kitchen.

At least until it stops working.

Last week, while I had a batch of cookies in the oven, I heard an odd click.  When the timer beeped, the cookies were still raw.  I tried resetting the oven, but it didn't do anything.  I checked the burners, but none of them worked either.  I thought it might be a tripped circuit breaker, except that the clock on the oven still worked.  I was left with a batch of pumpkin cookie dough and no way to finish them.

I called and left a message for maintenance, explaining that I needed the oven and stove in order to feed myself.  This was Wednesday of last week and it still wasn't working by Friday, with no word on when it would be repaired.  I called on Friday and talked to an attendant at the front office, who wrote down my information.  I spent the weekend without a working stove and oven.

I stopped by my apartment during my lunch break on Monday and no repairs had been made.  I called yet again, and had to leave another message.  I was certainly feeling neglected and expressed my frustration to Leah.  Without my asking her, she spoke to the office employee and, what do you know, my name was next on the list for repairs.  When I got home from work yesterday, the oven thankfully worked again.

I don't know if all of my calls made a difference or if my name was taken down the first time and no one bothered to tell me.  Either way, I'm glad that I can once again feed myself without having to rely on Hot Pockets and microwavable burritos.

Laborious Weekend

My weekends of late have been full of activities, especially involving family.  This weekend was no exception, though the family was not always my own.

On Saturday, I went with Leah to her mom’s place where I met Leah’s older sister Briana and her four kids.  After a bite to eat (including cookies I brought), we all went to a boardwalk at Havre de Grace.  It was a beautiful day and it was great being so close to the water.  After our walk, we spent some time at the local park and the kids had a good time running around and playing (as did Leah’s mom, Debbie).

Since Leah worked in the evening at her part-time job, we parted ways and I headed home.  After running a few errands, I went to Ian’s place to visit with him, Sherlin, and their kids.  They had just gotten back from the Philadelphia Temple open house and the kids were getting their wiggles out.  I worked in the kitchen with Sherlin, helping her bake a cake for the next day—we ended up having a problem with getting the first layer out, but I knew of a technique to help with that, so the next three layers came out without any problem.  I hung around until much later than I planned, but it worked out because I got to see Margot, Bryan, and their kids as soon as they arrived (which was later than they planned).

The next day, after church, Leah came with me to the big birthday bash at Ian’s, which had as guests Margot’s clan and a friend of Sherlin who brought her children as well.  It was actually Ian’s birthday, but we also celebrated Aeva’s and Phoebe’s birthdays.  In fact, the cake that I helped with the day before was designed to be for all three of them: the flavor was Black Forest (for Ian) and the decorations were a combination of princess (for Phoebe) and superheroes (for Avea) themes.  As crazy as that sounds, the craziest part was the fact that we crammed eight adults and a dozen kids into the kitchen for dinner, though it took three tables of various sizes.  Sherlin made dinner, which was fantastic, as always.

My presents to both Aeva and Phoebe were action figures of girl superheroes: Batgirl for Aeva and Supergirl for Phoebe (which went well with Clara’s Wonder Woman figure that I bought her previously).  For Ian, I gave him the unthinkable, at least for him: a book.  I got him The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories by Simon Rich.  It’s a collection of farcical short stories that I think he’ll enjoy, if he ever actually reads it.

All of this fun over two short days wore me out and I ended up just staying for Labor Day.  I’m happy that I have people in my life for whom I’m willing to exhaust myself.

Full Weekend

I know that it's a cliche that Mondays are so hard because they destroy our weekends, but I think Mondays are one of my favorite days of the workweek: everyone's coming back from the weekend, so expectations are lower compared to other days and it's the beginning of the week, so you aren't burned out from the corporate grind yet.  It's a nice balance.  And occasionally, it's nice to come back to work after a long, busy weekend.  The latter is what I experienced today.

What happened that wore me out?

• On Friday after work, I drove to DC for a joint-ward baptismal temple trip; afterwards, I went and got food with some girls from my ward, plus Jenn (the girl I met at the temple a couple of weeks ago -- we've decided to be friends, so it was nice to see her again)
• On Saturday, I went to the Post Office right as it opened in order to pick up a package (a new Kitchenaid stand mixer that my mom sent me -- thanks, Mom!) and then went to the church to help clean: I was the only representative from the Elder's Quorum (and I was late)
• Also on Saturday, I laid out by my apartment complex's pool; at my dermatology appointment last week, I was diagnosed with vitiligo and the doctor recommended that I get more sun exposure, so I figured that I might as well try to get a tan on my torso as well (yes, I'm sunburned, but only mildly so)
• In preparation for Sunday, I used my new mixer to make some double chocolate cookies
• On Sunday, I taught Sunday School -- it's not a new calling, I was just filling in for the regular teach who was on vacation; I incorporated the cookies into my lesson and then passed them out (and then I made sure the leftovers were passed around in Relief Society)
• My lesson apparently made an impact because after priesthood meeting, the bishop called me aside to tell me that he had gotten some positive feedback from some of those who attended the lesson (and he didn't even mention the cookies) -- I guess word travels fast
• After church, I asked if anyone wanted to go to a fireside at the DC Temple Visitor's Center that evening, saying that I would be happy to drive, I just didn't want to go alone
• I thought it was a YSA fireside; it wasn't
• My passengers were a sister who was baptized about about ten months ago and a brother who had just moved in the Friday before; I think they both got more out of the fireside that I did (I don't regret going, I was just really annoyed at myself for misunderstanding the nature of the meeting)
• After dropping people off, it was nearly 10 PM by the time I got home (for those keeping score at home, that's two trips to DC and back in three days)

As you can see, I had a valid reason for looking forward to starting work again today: I needed a regular work day just to take a break.

The Weekend Where Everything Happened

My weekend was long and full of adventure:

• I reduced my medication and was full of energy again starting Saturday.
• I met Ian, Sherlin, and the kids for lunch and playing.  The younger kids still make sure that I take turns flipping them around and fulfill my duties as the Fun Uncle.
• We went to a barbecue hosted by Jimmy, the guy who plays lead guitar in our not-a-band.
• We had a jam session in front of everyone (the only people who were really invested were the ones we brought).  We were missing our drummer, Joe, and his absence was really felt, but it still felt so good to play with a group again.  And I don't know if the others could tell, but my lessons are really paying off.
• I got home late because I stopped for groceries on the way home and my neighbor asked for some help moving a dresser into his upstairs apartment.  After the dresser was in its new home, he offered me money as reward, but I refused (as I did to his offer of beer); I did, however, accept a box of high-quality chicken breast -- the man works as a delivery man for a meat company and was allowed to use some product for his own purposes, so he used one box to pay me. I may have to help him again.
• I attended a Linger Longer after church on Sunday and stayed the whole time and talked and met new people -- it's amazing what happens when you're not depressed and have energy to do something about it.
• I cleaned up my dining room that had been messy for months due to my depression.
• I baked a loaf of whole wheat fig bread, a strawberry cake, and a double batch of cream cheese cookies.  I took them with me for my visit with my good friends the Simciks.  It was so good seeing them again.  In fact, when I got there, my arms full of goodies, I went right in their open door so I could put the food down before turning to see Mark and suddenly I was giddy with excitement.  Based on how he and Lori reacted, they were too.  It was just like seeing family that you haven't seen in a while.  It was so wonderful talking with them and sharing a meal (the loaf of bread was intended for Samuel, my old roommate, which they promised to pass on).  When it came time for them to leave for a dinner engagement, Lori started debating if they should flake out to stay and continue visiting, but I made their decision easy for them by making my way to the door.  Hugs were exchanged and we agreed that we needed to meet again sooner and not go so long between visits.
• On my way home, I stopped by a clothing store to return some pants that I decided did not fit as well as I had thought in the store.  When I was parking, I noticed a set of missionary Elders walking around.  I made sure to say hi them and ask how they were doing.  I told them what ward I attend and they named some of the Elders serving there, though I had trouble confirming all of them (we have four companionship in my ward).  It was about 5:30, so I asked them if they had a dinner appointment that evening.  They admitted that they did not, so I told them to wait while I handled the return and then I'd take them to dinner.  I had them pick the restaurant because I didn't know the area very well (I knew the store I had gone to and not much else), so we went to a Chinese buffet.  We talked about where they're from and what they're plans are for careers and education, but they mostly asked about me.  After they were sufficiently fed (I had a few pieces of sushi, but I was mostly full from my visit with the Simciks), I paid the bill and I drove the Elders back to their car in the parking lot where I had seen them earlier.  As they got out of the car, they asked for my name because they want to talk me up to the Elders in my ward when they see them at the next Zone meeting.
• I came home and made banana bread to take to work tomorrow.

Like I said, my weekend was busy.  Busy, but great.

Easter Break

I did something different for Easter this year: I went to visit my sister, Margot, and her family.  I was only there for a couple of days, but I had a great time.  I helped make dinner on Saturday, I baked goodies, and I played with my nieces and nephews.

While I was there, one of my nephews, Cooper, was baptized!  His dad, Bryan, performed the baptism and I got to join in for the confirmation.

It was a fun trip, but a tiring one.  So instead of detailing everything that happened, I'll share some pictures.

Making blue cookies for Cooper's baptism.

Phoebe was my helper when I made brownies.

The funny thing about this one is that I'm the only one with a bow in my hair.

Cooper and his parents before his baptism.

Cooper and some of his extended family (we took a bunch of pictures and I guess Cooper is a bit over it in this on).

Thirty-third Year

My birthday was on Wednesday.  Birthdays aren't a big deal for me, so I wasn't expecting much and I was not disappointed this year.

When I got to work, I found a gift bag on my desk.  Inside was a rather nice looking cookbook focused on baking.  What was really clever was that each person in my department had placed a post-it note on the page of the treat they wanted me to bake for them.  I thought it pretty funny: my gift was a book, while their gifts will come later when I use my present.

That evening, I met with the Bishop and the Ward Clerk to discuss one of my responsibilities in my new calling.  The meeting lasted longer than I expected, but I was happy to be available to serve.

While it might not seem like much, the celebrating isn't over.  When I visit the Larsens over the weekend for General Conference, we'll share the cake that Ian baked for me, the first one he's made from scratch.

If birthdays are decent, I consider it a win.  With this year's being better than that, I'm more than happy.

Investigative Baking

On Thursday, my boss, Magda, dropped a hint to one of my coworkers that her birthday was coming up, but she didn't say when it would be exactly.  When I heard about it, I walked down to the HR department to see if they were allowed to tell me.  Since I've built a reputation for myself of being a skilled and generous baker, they knew exactly why I wanted to know, so they looked up the date.  As it happened, Magda's birthday was the very next day.  With the little warning we had, my department members and I each took an assignment, with me handling the cake.  I asked for suggestions on flavors and someone said that I should just make a cake that I liked.  I quickly jumped at the chance to make another Angel Food cake.

The next day, I came in and sat the cake (in a carrier) on my desk.  I didn't announce what it was, but I didn't hide it, either.  After everyone had had a chance to sign her birthday card, we presented it to Magda, who was visibly touched by the thoughtful act.  She asked that she be able to take us to lunch, to which we agreed.  When we had decided on a place, I called ahead and asked for permission to bring in the cake, which I was granted.

I'm guessing that Magda hadn't had Angel Food cake before because she kept commenting on how light and fluffy it was.  I encouraged her to take the leftover cake home to share with her family, but she instead decided to share it with the rest of the office, including the HR department.

While I bring baked goods to the office fairly regularly, this was the first time that I brought a birthday cake, though I doubt it will be the last.

Double-checking the Double-check

I made some cream puffs yesterday, but I couldn't figure out why the custard I made to use as the cream-filling was so runny.  I went back and looked at the recipe and discovered that I had misread it: instead of putting in one-and-a-half tablespoons of corn starch, which is what the recipe called for, I put in one-and-a-half teaspoons.  Corn starch is a common thickening agent and does its job well, but only when used in the proper quantities.

I'm embarrassed that I made such a rookie mistake, but hopefully my coworkers won't mind.

The Best Gift

On Saturday, I visited with the Larsens to celebrate Clara's seventh birthday (it wasn't her actual birthday, but it was when we could all get together).  Last year, my birthday present to Clara (and later, Henry) was to make her whatever birthday cake she wanted -- which was chocolate with mint frosting last year.  This year, I was ready to offer the same gift, but Clara requested one before I could ask.  I was touched: apparently she now associates custom baked goods with her Uncle Jordan.

Clara asked for a strawberry shortcake, but I suggested something that I thought would be a fun twist on that idea: a trifle.  As soon as she saw a picture of one she quickly agreed to the change.  I made the pound cake and custard the night before so that I would only need to assemble everything the day of.  After buying fresh bananas, strawberries, and blue berries, I washed the berries, hulled and sliced the strawberries, cubed the cake and layered everything in a trifle bowl (cake, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, custard, repeat).

When I arrived, everyone said how yummy the dessert looked.

(Ian and I shared this exchange:
Ian: Wow, that's impressive.
Me: 'Tis but a trifle.)

We did a few activities before digging in, though I added fresh whipped cream to the top of each serving.  I don't think it's unreasonable to estimate that if you were to buy a similar dish from a bakery, with everything made from scratch and the out-of-season fruit included, it would cost about 60-70 dollars.  Everyone agreed that it was lovely birthday treat.

I'm happy to be able to provide a gourmet dessert experience to my family and I'm glad that Clara wanted me to be a part of her birthday celebration.

Community Outreach

As predicted, there was a lot of snow.  My guess is that the area outside of my apartment got a little over two feet of snow.  I was safe in my apartment and I never lost power or access to water.  Due to the extreme amount of snow in such a sort period of time, church was cancelled.

Sunday afternoon, I ventured out to take a look at the snow around my car.  It was packed in deep and I didn't have a shovel.  (I found out on Thursday evening that the maintenance crew of my apartment would plow the roads and driving sections of the parking lots, but they would not unbury our cars.  I tried to find a store still selling snow shovels, but they had already been picked over by the time I arrived.)  I went outside ready to use a snow scraper as best as I could, when I saw that the whole building was outside shoveling.  I went back in and grabbed some cookies I had baked the night before -- not with anything in mind for them, I was just bored -- and offered them to my neighbors.  Almost immediately, someone lent me a shovel.

I worked on the snow for about two hours, but eventually gave up with my car still trapped.  The reason?  I have the option to work from home today (of which I'm taking advantage) while many of my neighbors don't.  If I were to completely liberate my car, I'd almost certainly cover someone else's car or at least block their way out.  I decided to walk away and save my back.  Plus, the forecast calls for rain on Tuesday, which may take care of the problem for me.

The best part of this situation was that I had the chance to be a part of a community.  I don't make a point to talk to my neighbors, but it was nice to see that the kindness I showed was quickly reciprocated.

Can't Stop Baking

For the Thanksgiving celebration at my sister's, we had fifteen pies.  Even with us cheating by buying a few pies from the store, that's still a lot of pies to make.  My sister, Margot, made three pies and her nine-year-old son, Peter, made one too.  That left me to make six pies myself.  What flavor of pies did we have?  Nearly all of them.

• 3 sugar-free, crustless pumpkin pies (Margot)
• 2 double-sweet pumpkin pies (me)
• 2 chocolate angel pies (me)
• 1 sugar-free apple pie (Peter)
• 1 pecan pie (me)
• 1 eggnog pie (me)
• 1 razzleberry pie (store)
• 1 coconut creme pie (store)
• 1 mince pie (store)
• 1 sugary cherry pie (store)
• 1 sugar-free cherry pie (store bought, but we had to put it together)

The week after I came back, I barely cooked for myself and I ate out way too much since I was worn out from all the time I spent in the kitchen.  Well, I guess I'm over it because I brought muffins to share with my coworkers on Monday, I brought some weird pseudo-brownies in today, and I have plans for more stuff for Friday and Saturday.  I guess after a long day at work, nothing relaxes me like making sugary treats.

A rare bearded baker at work in his natural habitat.

Tried and Tested

Yesterday was the company luncheon.  As promised, I made the new recipe I posted on Monday.  So how did they turn out?

Better than the first recipe, but they're not my favorite.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that for my pallet, they don't do the trick.  Even so, the new recipe was much better than the original.  The oatmeal made the cookies chewier, the orange zest brought out the tartness of the cranberries but otherwise went unnoticed, and the reduced sugar helped the cookies to achieve a better balance.

All of the cookies were gone by the time the luncheon was over, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone loved them.  I've established a reputation for myself as a skilled baker and several people asked me what I brought so they could have a taste.  I only got feedback from two people (who had nothing but positive things to say), so I can't speak for the others.

Even though this recipe isn't my favorite, it was a lot of fun to make something that was created specifically for me and I hope to get the chance to help build a recipe again in the future.

New Recipe

On Saturday, I went and visited with my good friends the Simciks.  As I often do, I brought some baked goods to share.  My sister Margot had suggested cookies with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries as a fun fall flavor, so I looked for such a recipe online.  I decided to go with this one, though I left out the macadamia nuts since I think of that as more of a summer flavor.

While the Simciks were very appreciative of the cookies, I wasn't terribly happy with how they turned out.  There was too much sugar, with nothing to cut through the sweetness but some also sweetened cranberries.  Lori is a very skilled baker (her first job was working in a bakery while she was still in high school), so she asked me some questions about the recipe and what I wanted from it when I baked the cookies.  As we talked through some changes, I realized that we were making an all new cookie recipe.  While it's not exactly from scratch (we used the first one as our starting point), it's its own thing.  Here's what we came up with:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 baking soda
1/4 salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the zest, egg, vanilla, and milk. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine. Stir in the oats. Add the cranberries, white chocolate chips, and pecans and stir to combine.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and, using a cookie dough scoop, drop the dough on the sheets. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the cookies sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

I haven't had a chance to try the recipe yet, but I'm really excited to.  I've got an office luncheon on Thursday, so I'll let you know on Friday how things turned out.

Surprise Pie

Remember last week when I made mini pumpkin pies to share with my coworkers?  Well, my original plan was to make a double batch and save a few mini pies to share with the Larsens.  When I had my panic attack, I decided to change gears and make a full pie in addition to the miniature ones.  I only have one muffin pan and I wanted to be done as quickly as possible and by using a pie tin I was able to bake both batches at once.  Once everything was out of the oven and cooling on the counter, one question remained: to whom do I give the pie?  A full pie would be too much for Ian and the kids (he's watching everyone's sugar intake), but I still needed to find it a good home.

After mulling it over, I decided to take it to the family from church that wanted me to tutor their son, Jonathan.  I still hadn't heard from the kid, so I thought I might add some motivation in the form of a large pumpkin pie (using my very popular "Double Sweet" recipe).  On Saturday morning, I arrived to the family's home with the pie -- I said I knew I would be in the area, so I might as well drop off a pie.  The mom was absolutely shocked that a man would bake something, let alone a pie.  I met Jonathan, who seemed a little uncomfortable at first, perhaps because he wasn't ready for my help and felt awkward about it, but he warmed up a little while we chatted for a few minutes.  After about ten minutes, I said my goodbyes and went my way.

Since I'm friends with the family's oldest daughter, Erin, I was able to hear from her the response that everyone had to the pie: they loved it.  On top of that, both the mom and dad came up to me the following Sunday to personally thank me for the pie I brought them.

It's kind of amazing: you see someone at church and you're just "some guy"; you drop off a homemade dessert and suddenly you're "Jordan the Baker."

Of Pies and Panic Attacks

You may be wondering why today’s post is so late.  I normally like to have my post written the night before so they can go live automatically the next morning.  However, last night didn’t go according to plan.

I had decided that I wanted to make some miniature pumpkin pies to take into the office, so I made some pie crust and put it in the fridge to chill.  A little later, I mixed together the pie filling and preheated the oven just in time for me to take the chilled crust out and cut it into the right shape.  When I tried to work with it, it completely fell apart.  Then, after being out of the fridge for just a few minutes, it became a gross, gooey mess.

I had forgotten that pie crust is something that has to be felt out.  You mix together the ingredients, but you also need to handle the dough to make sure it has the right texture.  Since I skipped that step, the dough was unusable, but I was able to save it by kneading in some flour and letting it chill again.  With the dough properly prepared this time, I was able to complete the pies.

What I have yet to mention is that when the dough was wrong, I started having a panic attack.  Not a major one, but I was really out of sorts for a bit.  Thankfully, my older sister, Margot, called and her chat helped me calm down.\

So, my apologies about the lateness in my post, I just had too much to deal with last night.

The Itch Returns

My apartment looks like I recently went a coke bender and, no, I'm not referring to the cola.  There are piles of while powder all over the place: in the bathroom, in front of the couch, in front of the desk, down the hall, and plenty in the kitchen.

The substance is sodium bicarbonate or baking soda.

You see, on Monday, I was in the Larsen's backyard for less than thirty minutes, but that was all it took for the she-mosquitoes to feast on my delicious blood.  I knew I had been bit at least a few times, but by the time I got home, I counted twenty bug bites on my legs.

I took as much Benadryl as was safe, but it made little difference.  I woke up Tuesday night with my legs involuntarily twitching from the intense itching.  I looked up different remedies and decided to go with applying a baking soda paste.  Thankfully, the paste took the edge off enough that I wasn't fighting the urge to rip my own skin off.  But due to the way that the paste would dry and flake off, it meant that I needed to work from home on Wednesday.  Thankfully, my temporary manager was fine with that solution and I was able to regularly treat my bites throughout the day.  Enough of the irritant had passed through my system that I was able to return to the office the next day.

Since I'm still applying the paste when I'm home, it doesn't make sense to clean up yet.  I'm hoping to be through the worst of it by this weekend.

The Rack

Have I mentioned how little I use my dishwasher?