BREAKING OUT OF THE COVID19 COCOON

 Have you noticed giddiness running rampant among friends who’ve had their COVID19 vaccines? It’s contagious. I’ve even witnessed a few honest-to-God giggles, and I definitely sense a collective feeling very reminiscent of being released for recess in grade school. This whole vaccine thing is turning out to be a collective experience—a sigh of relief—that we can all celebrate, independent of political party or social POV (Okay…maybe not if you’re a conspiracy theorist.) It’s the most positive thing that’s happened since we all retired to our collective homes to hunker down for the duration back in March 2020. 

My husband and I sailed through both of our vaccines without any side effects, but we were prepared for the worst. I even made Jello and stocked up on chicken noodle soup, both of which are our go-to flu and cold remedies. Oh, and of course, we stocked up on the magic cure for all that ails you: Ice Cream ! Like most of you, I was prepared to endure some flu misery in exchange for even 80% immunity to this miserable, life-sucking, hateful virus. We’ve become a society where guarantees are expected (or we sue), but nothing in this life comes with a 100% guarantee, so 80% immunity is more than good enough for me!
 
As much relief as I feel, I don’t want to uncork the champagne too soon. I am definitely flirting with optimism again, hoping that the doors that slammed our individual worlds shut will open up a smidgen. I know I can see daylight leaking through the crack. I wonder if any of us expect life and society to spring back to what we knew as “normal” in the pre-COVID days? I think some of that is lost forever, but I do think that most of us are willing to settle for at least a semblance of the old normalcy: family gatherings without fear of contracting or spreading the virus, dinners out, enjoying art fairs, attending movies and concerts and maybe even an in-person class. I don’t want to ruin my positive mood by being an alarmist, but I have to say that I plan to temper my hopefulness with common sense. I’m all about continuing to mask and distance from those I don’t trust to be responsible. And, before you judge, my level of risk may be different from yours, so we’ll all have to venture out understanding that each individual will break out of their cocoon in their own way. 

But, to keep the post-vaccine party theme going, breakfasts out and restaurant dinners are definitely part of my game plan. There are friends I want to see outside of the constraints of ZOOM, and new (online) friendships to explore on a face-to-face level. The past year has revealed that I can get by with much less personal contact than I thought, but I’m not cut out to be a complete recluse either. Getaways are back on the calendar as well. My husband, myself, and the dog have a few vacation days on books in May and a few more in September. Fingers crossed please that we won’t get slammed back into lockdown.

So, in the spirit of spring and summer entertaining, I’ll leave you with a fabulous fruit cobbler recipe that you can make for your next get-together. (and if you switch the butter for vegan butter and the milk for almond milk, this cobbler is perfect to share with vegan friends and family)
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Rhubarb-Strawberry Cobbler  (Click READ MORE for the recipe)
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RHUBARB – STRAWBERRY COBBLER with EASY TO MAKE CRUST

Filling: 1 1/3 cups sugar 1/3 cup flour (if fruit is VERY juicy, add more)
4 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (or half rhubarb and half blackberries or raspberries) 2 cups halved fresh strawberries
2 Tbsps butter

Crust: (you will need waxed paper) 2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup Canola oil
1/3 cup warm water
To brush on crust before baking: 1 Tbsp milk 1 Tbsp sugar

Method: Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease/butter an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.
Filling: Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add fruit and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Dot with butter.
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Crust: Mix flour with salt, in a largish bowl. In another bowl, whisk together oil and water. Add oil and water mixture to flour, stirring with a fork until a dough is formed. Dough will be a bit sticky. Roll dough between two pieces of waxed paper to form an 11x7 rectangle. Remove top piece of waxed paper and invert dough on filling. Peel off top layer of waxed paper. Brushtop of dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar (This makes a lovely pie-like crust.)
BAKE for 40 – 50 minutes at 425.