Baking banana bread during uncertain times

Well, it's been an interesting few days, hasn't it, friends? I figured there was no use showing up and typing "Isn't this a pretty new teacup?" because, if your house is anything like mine, all you're talking about is the coronavirus pandemic. I haven't left the house since Friday, and I "attended" my church service on a livestream on my laptop yesterday morning, something I gather I will be doing for a few more weeks, at least. Ironically, I'd been staying in a lot during recent weeks because of all the bad rain and flooding we've had here in Georgia. One gloomy day, I wanted to make some banana bread but was out of both eggs and milk. It was pouring down rain outside, and I just did not want to get in my car and drive to the grocery store. So I Googled and found this recipe for a banana bread that calls for no eggs and no milk, and surprisingly, it was one of the best loaves I've ever made.

Turns out, learning to bake with what's on hand was a good thing and a skill that may serve me well in the days ahead. So now, while I do once more have milk and eggs in the fridge, I'm happy to know I can use up those overripe bananas in the freezer by baking this recipe even when I don't. When I tried it yesterday, I used just one banana instead of two and added a cup of frozen blueberries. Delicious! (Note: I did add two extra tablespoons of oil this time since that is the only liquid in the recipe, and I seemed to be missing some moisture from that second banana.)

One other thing I've done since hunkering down at home is to increase my consumption of green tea. Why? This article lists 10 of green tea's benefits, and if you'll look it over, you might agree with me that anything that supports our health right now could be a good thing to consider adding to our diet.

I'm with those who initially thought we were probably overreacting to the coronavirus, and I still hope and pray that we are, but now I'm at the point where I want to be thoughtful in my comings and goings (if I do any "going") out of respect for others. As a Christian, I choose not to live in fear because God has told me many times in his word not to fear, but my faith also teaches me to live wisely, so I'm trying to do the best I can with the information I have at the moment.

How are you all doing with this thing? I hope you're doing well and keeping a chin up, because goodness knows, we're all in this together! If you get a moment, I'd love to hear that everyone is doing okay. If you're not and you need some encouragement, just leave a comment or shoot me an email (angelamcrae@charter.net) and I'll be glad to pray for you! And if there's ever been a time to share this slogan, it's now:

Stay safe, y'all! (And I started to add "and wash your hands," but I know without a doubt that my fellow tea lovers are already washing their hands religiously, ha!)