Prepping for a Pandemic - Thread 16

[Sprayitall]

I don’t know why another thread hasn’t been created yet , so here you go. Now as we prep ourselves to the peak of this pandemic, let’s all face it together and appreciate how fragile our lives are and how we need each other to survive and flourish.

I don't think the medical industry are in cahoots with insurers!

Posted too soon. That sounds a bit conspiracy theory-ish and scaremongering.

However there are variations in reporting and I think anyone who dies with COVID-19 is being recorded that way right now, no matter what else contributed. It's probably their easiest way of getting numbers rather than having doctors dither around about cause of death?

@Oxyiz I thought so too but still it’s scary to think as I had counted on it to provide for dd if something happens to us. There are now 22 Covid deaths reported in our local hospital and I think the numbers are getting bad. I want to check the insurance clauses now to be more sure.

This is what it says on insurance providers website - I think I have to check the small prints on my own one

If someone has a life insurance policy with us and they pass away due to coronavirus, we’ll pay out, if the claim meets the terms and conditions of the policy.

Coronavirus isn’t covered on our critical illness insurance. But if you have complications from the virus that lead to conditions that are included in your policy – such as kidney, liver, heart or respiratory failure – the claim will be paid, subject to the policy terms and conditions.

I've been doing some actual work today, I'm exhausted!
Yes, *Sprayitall" Nilgiri was very beautiful, as was Darjeeling.
Assam was quite a dangerous area when I went there, not sure if it still is?

@Weedsnseeds1 aww.. take lots of rest. Recently I’m finding it hard to sleep if I am not physically exhausted. May be it’s down to lounging lots more than usual. Got my first veg box delivery today and I’m happy but I don’t think I use half of the veggies in them lol. How do you even use these Jerusalem artichokes? Just seeing the news and it’s sad to see the pm in icu. Poor him.. they are expecting as well isn’t it.

Yes, poor Boris, I hope he recovers.
Jerusalem artichokes? They are delicious!
Roast, make soup, add to a vegetable mash..
They do havd a bit of a reputation for making you a bit windy though!

@weeds Is it? The veg box has more of very challenging collection I should say. Oh is it good on soups? I made cream of veg soup this evening with some breads and some garlic bread for dd. Pity I didn’t know that or I would have added that along too. How do you even prepare it? Should we peel it? On a side note, With the windy aspect to it , I think it should be called as fartichoke?Lol 😂 Sorry for the horrible pun but I can’t stop making one this time 🤣🤣

With the insurance policy small prints, I have emailed anyway to get a confirmation. I think the worst thing people do now is scaremongering and it doesn’t help my anxiety at all. Now let me not allow this to spoil my mood now ..I have to share the important fartichoke fact with dh right away lol

Some single mothers may feel they have no option but to go and stay with a family member. Some supermarkets are not letting children in, so this may be accerbating the situation.

Peeling them is a pain, so I normally give them a good scrub and eat the skin too.
They have an amazing sweet, slightly smokey flavour - one of my favourite vegetables, along with globe artichokes ( not related to each other, but have a similar taste).
They are also lovely roasted and, yes, also known as fartichokes

I ended up with two lots of milk today, so my yoghurt is becoming labneh cheese and the extra milk is becoming more yoghurt, using a bit of the previous yoghurt.
I bought skimmed as that was all there was, but OH bought semi, so using the skimmed with some full fat milk powder mixed in for yoghurt.
Any ideas for using the whey from the cheese?
I have used it for making bread before, but always up for a new recipe

@Weedsnseeds1 what is labneh cheese? Is it acidic whey or normal whey? I usually make fresh cottage cheese (paneer) with the extra milk. If it’s acidic whey you can use it to tone hair and skin. If it’s normal whey use it with smoothies and shakes to drink it straight?

It's acid whey
Labneh is Lebanese soft cheese. You add salt to yoghurt and allow to strain overnight, until you get a firm paste, then roll into balls with or without a herb / spice coating of your choice. You can also store in oil to make it last longer.
I might try it as a hair tonic!

The finished article

Oooh that looks lovely @weeds. Today I’m just trying to take it easy with dd and her activities, zoom classes etc. With preps I received part of my Costco grocery delivery order today other than couple of things which I think is good. Can’t get a supermarket slot anyway. I wiped them all and put it aside. I made the buns for charity this morning and was lucky to end up with a good batch of them. So happy how they turned out.

We've been lucky with some tesco click and collect slots so far, I recommend keeping an eye on the app!

@Oxyiz oh Couldn’t find one until the 27th but will have a look at it often then. Thank you .

Hello everyone, it’s nice to see that people are still here! We are on day 7 of our self isolation because both DP and I felt like we had symptoms last Thursday. It occurred to me that DS had been feeling a little hot on and off 10 days/2 weeks prior so suspect he passed it on to us.

I’ve finally managed to secure a milk delivery, so now I’ve got milk and eggs. I’ve mmmm trialling a different fruit and veg box to my usual one too, as this one delivers bread, milk and butter, which I’m struggling to get otherwise.

I’ve got a supermarket delivery on Saturday and managed to secure two click and collect slots for the subsequent two weeks after, so feeling pretty lucky.

I meant to say I’m really enjoying the food chat and have been inspired to try to make Labneh!

Aloha I had some today on toasted bagels for lunch - very tasty!

@Weedsnseeds1 you are tempting me with bagels. I used to love bagels when I was working in NY and NJ. There I saw this unique way of living - $1 for a bagel and a coffee 24/7 to be honest and no one cooks at home. Another funny thing is we had this apartment Food club that we paid $1 a day per person but the breakfast/coffee were on them. The breakfast had atleast 10 items in huge quantities which people were asked to take away even if they need to pack them away for lunch or dinner and the coffee/hot drinks is free all day. You can just pop in anytime for it. The quantities are all so huge I have seen some of my colleagues empty a large tub of chicken nuggets on their way to work in the taxi. The New York two bed apartment I lived was spacious than the house I’m living here with mortgage costs double the rent there. It also had concierge service, 24/7 lobby along with common gym, roof deck with beautiful city views and a resident lounge/ party hall where we had movie nights. missing those days! I think I really need to move out of here and put our foot down somewhere safe and be near to family. Problem is all of the extended family live in the us, parents in India, sibling and all her husband’s side of family in Nz - I’m just waiting for covid to end now so if I survive I can pack my bags and leave for good!

That sounds a fantastic lifestyle Sprayitall.
I've been to New York state for work, but never New York City, it is on my bucket list, but last place I would want to be right now!
The bagels were some reduced ones that I unearthed from the freezer, but now I have all the time in the world, I might try making some.
I am currently amusing myself by growing some wild yeast cultures from figs, raisins and dates ( will let you know which is the winner), I have yeast, but this is just for fun!

@weeds I have been amusing myself lately with all the funny quizzes in buzzfeed and trying out cheesy pick up lines with dh Lol. With dd at home all day who is also suddenly keen on co-sleeping in our bed (between us bang in the middle) this is where all the romance ends.( she is a light sleeper as well) 🤣