Off Day

 Something people mention quite often on twitter about this blog is they quite fancy posting but they never cook stuff that seems worth it. (They also say they forget to take photos, which... yes. I have also been there.) But the cooking isn't all the point of the Confined Kitchen - at least, not for me. My first post was an M&S curry. It's about how we're all doing amidst all this... well, amidst All This. 

I've had a bit of a shitty week. I got drenched and chilled doing a Long Healthy Walk on Sunday, because I feel like I have to get out at weekends, rainstorms bedamned. My new walking boots felt okay for 100 yards but I think my feet have spread what with all the loafing about in slippers as they then rubbed all the skin off my little toes, dammit. (I have new walking boots because nobody from work has seen my feet in almost 7 months and I can't imagine they will care about footwear if they ever do again. Covid doesn't half bring a bit of perspective.) Various work things have got me down, even ones which are to do with a big and exciting project which I really believe in, and I've done some long days online, often about things that would have been much better in person. Neighbours have just finished replacing their kitchen, with a week of sanding things in the garden - and they were succeeded by tree surgeons who have butchered all the trees out front. Whining power tool noises for 10 days when you can't escape? Ugh.** I have marking for job #2 for the first time in months, and though I love interacting with students they are all newbies so there are fiddly presentation notes to be made - far from my favourite kind of teaching. And, of course, infection rates, general news, darkness, encroaching cold and all that haven't helped.

My dinner last night was mushrooms on toast. My dinner tonight is mushrooms on toast and jalapeno crisps* and fancy wine. (The fancy wine notes say have it with tapas - apparently this counts as tapas, as endorsed to me on twitter by a passing tweep. I will take that.)

The mushrooms are at least cooked fairly slowly, with loads of garlic and plenty of lemon and oil, and technically they come from a Claudia Roden book. But apart from about 5 minutes of slow cooking to finish them off, it's exactly how I'd always cook mushrooms. 

The toast is toast. Warming it all up today took maybe 3 minutes. It's very nice. Some days, this is exactly what I need. And it's okay to blog that too. 

Wishing you Good Mental Health, whatever that is. And if not, toast.

*Friends Fear She's Bulk-Ordering Pipers Again. Friends are spot on, and it's one of the best decisions of this week. 

**I'm sure there are Reasons for hacking off all this happy growth and rendering it a single leafless trunk, but... Gloom.