Sam's Weekly Quarantine Digest #19: July 19, 2020

Hi all,

This week, I've been thinking (again) about what connection during the quarantine can look like, and how it will change when the pandemic ends.  I continue to think that sending snail mail letters and cards is a great way to stay in touch - there's something so heartwarming about getting a handwritten note in the mail.  I've also enjoyed playing games via Zoom and Google Meet, and getting my entire family together from all across the country for holidays and celebrations this spring has been amazing.  However, I think we're all also suffering from some serious Zoom fatigue.  Recently, I've been setting up one-on-one Zooms rather than larger groups, and that helps a bit, but man do I miss just hanging out with friends on our couch or at a restaurant.  As a hostess by nature, I miss testing out new appetizer recipes for our next football gathering, or baked goods for our next game night.  And, perhaps most of all, I miss hugs!  Good old hugs.  While things are definitely not going back to our old normal any time soon, I choose to use this time to recognize how much I appreciate the little connections and interactions we are so lucky to be able to enjoy during non-apocalyptic times, and how much I look forward to getting them back.  Being forced to go without hugs and game nights and sharing my baked goods has only made me all the more grateful that I will one day be able to do so again.  And when I can, it's going to mean more than ever to me.  I look forward to seeing you all then!

Previous digests can be found on my blog at thatsthewaythecookiecrumbles.com.  If you have suggestions or would like to stop receiving these emails, just let me know.

Best,

Sam

Staying sane

• Have you found yourself "doomscrolling" lately (perhaps during the quarantine, perhaps since late 2016)?  Break that habit with this advice.
• Feeling stuck or overwhelmed?  Check out this advice for dealing with difficult life transitions.

Staying active

• Looking for additional workout options that you can squeeze into a busy day?  Check out these 6-minute options from the New York Times, or these 7-minute options from Johnson & Johnson.
• Looking for a way to keep your kids active?  Tune in on Monday at noon for a 20-minute workout from Spear PT that's specially targeted to children; see the details here.
• Looking for a way to shake up your weekly yoga routine?  Austin's Umlauf Sculpture Garden hosts a yoga class in the garden every week for a suggested $10 donation.

Staying engaged

• NYC enters Phase 4 on Monday, which means that outdoor cultural institutions like zoos, botanical gardens, and outdoor museums are allowed to open.  Keep an eye out for more opportunities to spend some quality time outdoors.
• Taking MetroNorth?  Don't be alarmed if you run into their new (and somewhat terrifying) robot mascot - if you're lucky, he'll hand you a free mask.
• Broadway Bares will still be happening this year - the Broadway community will be taking it online, with plenty of performances that they promise will "make social distancing sexy."  Tune in here on August 1 at 9:30pm Eastern.
• New York City Center is hosting a new series called Studio 5: Great American Ballerinas.  The first episode, featuring Tiler Peck, premiered on Thursday, July 16, on YouTube, but you can also view the video on their website through Wednesday, July 22.  The other four episodes will be released on July 30 and Sept.16, Sept. 23, and Sept. 30.
• New York City Center is also hosting a new series called Ayodele Casel's Diary of a Tap Dancer V.6: Us.  A new episode will be posted every Tuesday at noon, from July 14 through August 25.
• Love the opera and wishing you could travel around the world?  Check off both boxes with the Met Stars Live in Concert series, which will feature opera superstars from around the world performing from breathtaking locations such as a former Bavarian abbey, a Norwegian castle, and a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean.  Performances are $20 each for a virtual ticket and will run from this Saturday (July 18) through December 19.
• PBS is hosting a short film festival; voting is open online through Friday, July 24.
• Haven't quite found the time to dive into that list of antiracist articles and books?  A teenager in Vermont put together an antiracist calendar to help you make progress - check it out here.

Staying full

• 92Y has released a new slate of summer cooking classes.  I'll be attending the $15 ice cream, gelato, & sorbet class in the hopes of finally justifying to Luke why I brought our ice cream maker into the city a few weeks ago.
• Baldor is now offering DIY kits from top NYC restaurants, like a pizza-making kit from Roberta's, Shake Burger's Shackburger, or even various pastas from Hearth.
• Recipe of the Week: Sweet Corn & Ricotta Ravioli: Prepare pasta according to your favorite recipe; roll into very thin sheets.  Use a ravioli maker, or place dollops of filling (~1 tsp) spaced every 2-3 inches, then press down between them to seal each and use a pastry cutter (or a sharp knife) to separate the ravioli.  For the filling: Pulse 2 cups of fresh corn kernels in a food processor until roughly chopped.  Mix in 2/3 cup ricotta cheese, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 1 egg, salt to taste, and fresh herbs (1-2 tbsp, to taste).  Serve with a white wine, butter, & herb sauce (see previous digests for a base recipe).  These also freeze really well if you make too many to eat all at once!

Sam's Weekly Quarantine Digest #18: July 12, 2020

Hi all,

Apologies for the delay this week - it's been a busy one!  One constant battle I've been facing during the quarantine is balancing my love of baking and cooking with my need to be at least reasonably fit and healthy.  It's hard to stick with a good exercise routine for an extended period, especially when we're not able to physically go to the gym or attend a regular fitness class in person.  On the other hand, it's relatively easy to get ingredients delivered and work through our long playlist of recipes that had been ignored for years before the quarantine hit.  On the plus side, retailers would be happy to deliver new jeans (or sweatpants) to your door should you change sizes right now, but most of us would generally like to avoid that fate (at least on an upward trajectory).  I have no easy solutions, but I have favorites on both sides of this battle.  So this week, I offer you some delicious recipes to test out, as well as some great new workouts as a counterbalance.  Remember that it's a marathon, not a sprint - it's definitely ok to indulge from time to time, but it's important not to lose sight of the big picture.  Best of luck on the road ahead!

Previous digests can be found on my blog at thatsthewaythecookiecrumbles.com.  If you have suggestions or would like to stop receiving these emails, just let me know.

Best,

Sam

Workouts

• I'll be trying out this free at-home HIIT cardio boxing class (no equipment needed), this Thursday.  Tune in with me!
• Obé Fitness: A monthly subscription gets your access to unlimited fitness classes.  I haven't yet tried this myself, but I plan to this week, and I'm excited about the variety of classes they offer.  Apparently there are also ways to tune in as a group, so if you're into doing that kind of thing together, let me know.  I'm also able to send an unlimited number of invitations for a free one-month membership, so if you'd like to test it out too, just let me know and I'll send you the details.
• One of my first recommendations for you, back in March, was this amazing 19-minute cardio-boxing workout.  If you never tried it, now's the time!  This workout kicks my butt every. single. time.  And I'm still not sick of it, after fairly regular inclusion in my rotation for four months straight.
• It's not a workout, but if you're really trying to keep your weight in check, one effective way to do it is also quite simple: track your caloric intake each day, and make sure that you're directly balancing any extra indulgence with a workout that makes up for the calories. It really is a numbers game, and while it's not glamorous, it just plain works.  I've used MyFitnessPal to great effect in the past and would recommend it if you've never tried a calorie-counter before.  One added bonus: You can hook up a smart scale (like the FitBit Aria) and certain fitness trackers in order to automate some of your tracking and to enable reporting over the course of weeks or months that can be really informative and motivating.

Food!

• I don't know who needs to know this, but...Pillsbury is now making all of their premade doughs safely edible raw.  That's right, you can now do what I've been doing for years, open the package, and just put the dough directly into your mouth.  No pesky oven and cook times to get in your way.  Happy bonus: no more fear of salmonella (been there, done that, not fun, but totally worth 27 years (at the time) of licking the bowl)!
• Readers' reward: If you're seeing this, congratulations - you're a winner!  Fill out this form and you'll receive a shipment of cookies over the next few weeks!  Offer valid while supplies last; roughly 10 winners per contest.
• Recipe of the Week: Cornmeal-Crusted Shrimp.  I used frozen jumbo shrimp, and this was a phenomenal, restaurant-quality dish.  If you're using frozen shrimp, the first step is to either thaw them or to put them in a Ziploc and start running warm (not hot) water over them while you prep the batter; either way, peel and devein before using.  In a bowl, combine 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, and preferred seasonings (I used salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and a smoky maple barbecue seasoning mix).  In a separate small bowl, mix 1 egg and 1/2 cup milk.  Heat a layer of oil in a large frying pan - it should be about half as deep as your shrimp (so if you're using small shrimp, you'll need less than for jumbo shrimp).  One by one, fully submerge each shrimp in the egg-milk mixture, then completely cover with the breadcrumbs, pressing them onto the shrimp until you have a reasonably thick coating with no shrimp visible, then pile on a plate until you're ready to fry.  Once your shrimp is battered, place one layer in the pan, leaving about an inch between each so they don't stick together.  Cook about 3-5 each side, using tongs to gently flip each one  so as not to rip off the cornmeal crust.  Once the shrimp are golden brown and crispy, remove to a paper-towel-lined plate for a few minutes to drain.  I served them over white wine & herb pasta (with garlic, fresh chives, rosemary, thyme, and sweet), and it was absurdly delicious - see previous digests for my base white-wine-garlic sauce recipe.

Other entertainment options and helpful tips

• Bored of the same old fallbacks when it comes to date night or game night?  Sick of having to come up with fresh ideas to entertain your husband or your kids every weekend?  Ran out of jigsaw puzzles in Week One of the quarantine?  Check out AmazingCo Experiences, offering an awesome assortment of curated virtual activities, including everything from "Foodie Fun Night" to "Family Date Night" to virtual escape rooms, trivia nights, and even playdates and birthday party activities for kids.
• Do diplomacy, protocol, and etiquette matter anymore?  Tomorrow, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Capricia Penavic Marshall (former U.S. chief of protocol and current ambassador), and Jennifer Palmieri (President Obama's White House Communications Director) will tell us why they do.  Visit 92Y for details (and support a truly remarkable slate of talks and classes in the process).
• Glasses fogging up when you wear a mask?  Here are some ways to avoid or minimize the problem.
• Need to keep the kids occupied?  When the quarantine began in March, Union Square Play closed their physical location and started focusing their energy where parents need them the most - right at home.  Each day, you can visit their website to access 3 new activities: a family activity, a kids' video, and an online talk for parents.  With tons of activities available on demand, this could be a game-changer this summer.
• Not tech-savvy?  Hello Tech is offering a remote plan for 24/7 computer support, for $99/year.
• Overwhelmed by the options on your streaming services and don't know where to start?  Three times a week, a New York Times editor is offering very specific streaming recommendations (e.g., today's include "I have a few minutes, and I need good role models...", "I have a few hours, and I like dramedy...", and I have a few hours, and I already watched everything on Fx...").  Sign up for the newsletter here.

Sam's Weekly Quarantine Digest #17: July 1, 2020

Hi all,

This weekend is typically one of the biggest celebrations of the summer - fireworks and hot dogs; beaches, barbecues, and beers with friends and family.  This year will of course be different, but the celebration should be no less important.  The Fourth of July is Independence Day - the day when we celebrate our freedom.  Freedom means so many things, and it's all the more important to celebrate at this incredibly strange moment, when many of us feel far from free.  We're unable to do many of the things we'd like to do; we're unable to see the people we'd like to be with; we're unable to fully express ourselves through the myriad relationships and activities we used to fill our time with.  And yet - despite all of that - we are free.  We can be whoever we'd like to be.  We can speak our minds.  We can disagree with those in power.  We can do nearly anything we want to, say anything we want to, learn anything we want to.

As the recent protests have made clear, there's still a lot of work we need to do to make sure that everyone feels comfortable truly being themselves - even here, even in this country that has long symbolized freedom throughout the world.  There is much to be done to ensure that every one of us is able to fully take advantage of that freedom.  And yet, I'm still full of hope.  I believe that our country truly is the country I grew up believing in - the one where I can do anything I set my mind to, be anything I want to be.  And I believe that we can get to a place where every American feels that way.  So this Fourth of July, let's not just celebrate that our country's founders fought for their freedom and ours, but let's also remember the fight that still lies ahead, and let's take steps to make that dream a reality.  If you haven't yet, please take some time this weekend to engage with these issues, to reflect on where we are and where we can go, and to take real steps toward getting there.  My blog post from June 4th includes many ways you can help, if you haven't yet found a way to do so.

And, perhaps most importantly, please be safe this weekend.  In order to change the world and to see what the future holds, we need to stay healthy and stay safe.  Unfortunately, that means that many of our typical Fourth of July traditions may need to be modified or put on hold this year, but there are many, many ways that you can celebrate from home.  This incredible guide from the New York Times lists so many different ways to celebrate this weekend, whatever you're in the mood for.  It has lists of fireworks displays, activities for kids, families, and individuals, and lots of other suggestions and information to make sure this Fourth of July is just as spectacular as ever.  Some of these suggestions are called out below, but there's no point in reinventing the wheel, and this guide to the holiday is fantastic.

Previous digests can be found on my blog at thatsthewaythecookiecrumbles.com.  If you have suggestions or would like to stop receiving these emails, just let me know.  Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Best,

Sam

The Yummy Stuff

• Ever wanted to learn to carve fruit into incredible sculptures like flowers?  Join me for a fruit-carving class (and a sesame brittle demonstration) led by 2020 James Beard finalist Natasha Pickowicz this Friday, with all proceeds benefiting community organizations and Fair Fight, the anti-voter-suppression organization founded by Stacey Abrams.  Check out the rest of this 10-part cook-along series, Cooking for Equity - Asian Chefs for Black Lives here.
• Resy, one of several restaurant reservation services that was thriving prior to the lockdown, has pivoted to offer special takeaway meals for pickup at a variety of top NYC restaurants.  They're unveiling a theme each Monday, along with special menu items offered by participating restaurants, which you can order all week.  This week theme is Fourth of July.  If you live in Brooklyn, please order the corn dog, crinkle-cut fries, and cotton candy combo (paired with a Pinot Gris) from Red Hook Tavern so I can live vicariously through you!  If you love me enough to order a second one and walk it across the bridge, I'd happily invite you stick around and eat it with me (from a safe distance) on the roofdeck...
• Outdoor dining has been open in NYC for over a week now, with over 6,100 restaurants having been approved to offer outdoor seating.  Phase Three theoretically begins here next week, although the much-anticipated plans for restarting indoor dining (at 50% capacity) have been delayed.

The Fun Stuff

• Phase Three in NYC also includes "personal care services."  I know many of you were waiting with bated breath for your haircuts a few weeks ago, but what I've really been struggling with is going without a massage for the past few months.  As careful as I've been about ergonomics with my work-from-home setup, some back and neck pain is basically unavoidable when we sit for so many hours at a time, and my shoulders are desperate for some professional help!  Check out your favorite places' websites or other channels for information about when they're reopening, but remember to check that they're taking appropriate precautions - just because businesses are legally allowed to open doesn't mean you should let your guard down, so be careful!
• The world has been gradually reopening, but large gathering spaces like stadia and theaters remain empty or sparsely populated.  Barcelona found a way to turn the empty space into something beautiful and remarkable.  When the El Liceu Opera House in Barcelona opened this month for the first time since April, the UceLi string quartet performed to an audience of 2,292 lush green plants, which were then donated to health professionals from the Clínic de Barcelona hospital.
• Missed the Pride celebrations last weekend?  Check out this virtual 3D tour of NYC's LGBTQ+ landmarks, from the Stonewall Inn to Christopher Park.
• Every year, NYC is replete with numerous outdoor movie options, and this summer will be no different.  The organizers of the Tribeca Film Festival are teaming up with IMAX and setting up drive-in's on the beach at Orchard Beach in the Bronx (up to 500 cars) and Nickerson Beach in Nassau County (up to 250 cars).  Check out the details and the movie schedules here.
• Spending so much time with your kids or loved ones that they're starting to feel like aliens to you?  Send them to outer space on Thursday at 1pm with the Liberty Science Center.  You can check out the institution's many other virtual activities and live-streamed events here.
• Bummed that NYC public pools are remaining closed this summer?  Check out the Cool It! NYC program to find one of over 1,000 "cooling elements" like misters and fire hydrants that will be set up throughout the city to help families stay cool.
• Want to get away with your kids but can't travel?  Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey reopened its Safari Adventure a few weeks ago as a drive-through experience!
• Desperate for live entertainment?  The Parking Lot Social is a touring experience offering a wide variety of activities in a drive-in setting - the activities and schedules will vary from city to city.  Check out the details here.
• Two of the world's leading experts on the science of happiness are teaching an 8-week course via 92Y on How to Be Happier, starting this Monday.

The Fourth of July Stuff

• The Macy's Fourth of July fireworks displays were spread across NYC over the past several days (at surprise locations to avoid crowds), but the finale will take place on Saturday from 8-10pm, from the Empire State Building, and will feature highlights from this week's displays.  Please view it from home on TV (tune in on NBC) if you can't find a spot to watch while keeping a safe distance from others!  Many other cities will also be hosting online presentations and fireworks displays if you'd prefer a local vibe - see here for details.
• ESPN has gotten creative with its coverage during the quarantine, hosting spelling bee marathons and the Cherry Pit Spitting Championship (seriously), but this Saturday, at noon, they're hosting a NYC classic, live!  The Nathan's hot dog eating contest will not fall to the quarantine - it will continue on, sans audience.
• Take a tour of an important historical site: You can take virtual tours of so many different places these days, including the U.S. Capitol, Philly's Independence National Historical Park (home to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Benjamin Franklin museum), and the Statue of Liberty.
• Reflect on the ongoing struggle of our fellow citizens to fully realize the freedom that so many of us have long enjoyed.  One option is this virtual exhibit on The Struggle for African American Freedom, courtesy of Google Arts & Culture.
• Take an Independence Day quiz and test your knowledge of our country's history.
• Having friends over anyway?  Check out these tips for how to do so safely.