Sometimes you just gotta sleep in

And Monday was that day for me. It was snowing  and cloudy, and it was also Walter's turn to walk the dog. So I stayed in bed while he walked the dog. When they got back, Zia and Magic (one of our cats) jumped on the bed with me. And I stayed a little longer. When I finally got up, it was 10:00 am!

Which means I didn't get a jump on the day. But I did get a jump on making a delicious meal! I've been doing a lot of talking about my baking, and baking takes yeast, and yeast is getting harder to find in the stores, so what's the deal? Well, I bought quite a bit of yeast before the stay in place order, when I was planning bakes because I wasn't working. And Walter's also been helpful as a brew master. You see, he often cultures yeast when he is going to make beer, so knows how to grow it in a bottle before putting it in the beer. So, he's got a yeast starter going for me, in a flask, so that I have a renewable supply sitting on my counter.  What did I make with that yeast? Pita bread! Using a recipe I found on Delish (https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a28143766/homemade-pita-bread/), I made some tasty pita to go with our main dish, Greek-ish stuffed peppers.

The peppers were stuffed with a mixture of sauteed onions, the diced up tops of the peppers, some ground beef, and some brown rice. I seasoned it with mint and lemon zest, mixed it all together, and baked them at 375 for about 45 minutes. I served them with the pita, and some tzatziki sauce that I made earlier - grate a cucumber and squeeze the water out of it. Mix it into some Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and mint. I like to let mine sit for a few hours to let the flavors really meld together.

What went well: The pita was soft and pillowy, just like I like it. And the peppers were still firm, which I like.

What could have gone better: There were no pockets in my pita, and I'm not sure why. I'll need to try it again and see if I get different results. And the meat in the center of the largest pepper wasn't cooked all the way through, so I'll have to either adjust the timing, or try to find peppers that are all closer to the same size.

Yesterday I had a virtual happy hour with my sisters, my brother in law, and a friend of ours. It was amazing. We all got a bit dressed up, like we were going out, had drinks, and laughs. Alicia even made appetizers, which made me wish I was there with her even more than usual. We had a kind of junk food dinner - tater tots with bolognese sauce and chocolate chip cookies. And it was really delicious, and as filling to my tummy as the happy hour was to my heart.

Until next time, be safe, be healthy, and be happy!