Surrender to some Fun, Recipes and Songs to get Through Stressful Days!

( Content is all mine, images are courtesy of Dall-E and my own prompts)

Yesterday, November 1st, I voted for Kamala Harris for President of the United States of America.

I realize for many, as for me, the next few days waiting for the results of an election that could not even be created in Hollywood, that these days will be stressful.

I decided to write a blog that has nothing to do with the election to take my mind off of Tuesday while writing and potentially help others that may take time to read this blog as well.

Travel:

Slight travel hack taxis vs Uber at the airport.  I have discovered that it is often cheaper to take a taxi from the airport than an Uber.  Take my arrival in Savannah last week.  Uber demand pricing had the price at $76 + tip from the airport to the lovely Fairfield Inn Midtown.  A taxi was half that.  To make this more interesting, the taxis were all lined up while people were waiting on an Uber or Lyft to arrive.  This is not unique to Savannah, the city or county sets most taxi rates and do not fluctuate based on demand or other criteria that may cause Uber and Lyft prices to spike. (On an odd separate note, I have had the best conversations and discussions riding in Ubers in Savannah.  They usually have some interesting trivia about Savannah and information that is new to me.)

I ordered Tide travel packets to pack with my luggage.  Most hotels have laundry facilities, and along with a few dryer sheets, I can do laundry and do not have to pack as many clothes.
It is true good luggage is great.  I broke down over the summer and bought a new carry-on roller suitcase from Travelpro.  It was not expensive ($136) and has made travel quite easy and convenient.  The only challenge is it is black and looks like everyone else’s, so I added a yellow IBM luggage tag to make it easy to find my bag when I check it.

Only Gate 1?  There is something oddly convenient about living in a city where the airport has one gate.  First, checking in and getting ready to leave is fun and easy.  Second, in less than 30 minutes, I am at DFW for any connecting flights.  It is also nice being in the middle of the country, where flights are usually less than three hours anywhere in this country.

Top 10 Recipes:

Meatless Bolognese Sauce This is a great option regardless if the crowd you are feeding is vegetarian or not.   The mushrooms finely chopped in a food processor not only give great flavor, but with the chickpeas, they give the sauce the texture and taste of a meat sauce.

Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting it is easy and a crowd-pleaser.  That said, I like the frosting, but it is not very sweet.  So, the last time I baked this cake for family, I swapped it for Hershey’s Chocolate Frosting Recipe.  It is not too sweet, but it made my family happier.

Barefoot Contessa's Panko Crusted Salmon. It is very good and easy. That said, for salmon, I buy the fresh salmon from Kroger, which is in sealed plastic next to the fish counter. The way I cook it most of the time is as follows: 1) I cut it into filets serving size, then I dry them off, sprinkle them with kosher salt, and leave them out for about an hour. I preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then I add some olive oil and butter in a cast iron skillet and turn on the burner to medium-high. Sprinkle the filets with Lawry’s Lemon Pepper, and after the butter has melted, I put the filets in the skillet top of the filet down in the skillet for 3 minutes. I flip them and then put them in the oven for 3 minutes. If your family does not like the skin on the filet, as mine, then I take them out of the oven turn them over, and it is easy to take off the skin.

Lentil Soup This was quite tasty and good for my mother-in-law, who is vegetarian.

Roasted Eggplant Very good and easy recipe for Eggplant.

NY Times Tomato Sauce This is my go-to when a recipe calls for tomato sauce.  I tend to use San Marzano canned tomatoes.  This quite easy, and control the ingredients and quality.

Chicken Meatballs These are quite tasty.  I used boneless thighs and ground them myself in my food processor.  That said, I was quite pleased and finished cooking them in the tomato sauce above.

All-American Yukon Gold Potato Salad This was quite tasty, and one reason I really liked it was the potatoes did not fall apart either. 

The Perfect Baked Potato Recipe Yes, they even joke in the episode we don’t need another baked potato recipe.  Honestly, this works amazingly well, and the potatoes came out perfect and predictable.

Crispy cod with malt vinegar is easy, works and is on the healthy side to cook fish.  It will also work for chicken, and if you are not up for the cornflakes, you can substitute panko or other breadcrumbs.

My Music Playlist for November:

A few surprises from me:

Immortality by Celine Dion and the Bee Gees. The lyrics speak to me. It's hard not to embrace Celine Dion after her performance at the Olympics in Paris.

Both Sides Now by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles.  For those who don’t know, this is a Joni Mitchell song that has been covered more times than the national anthem, I think.  I love her recordings, but this touched me and was a replay for most of the last month.

One Mary J Blige and U2.  First, I love Mary J Blige, and this is a great song with lyrics that speak to me as well.

Home Michael Buble.  This song spoke to me, especially because over the last three weeks, Frank and I were traveling but not together.   It's great to have everyone home.

Run Wild Barbra Streisand Guilty Album.  This one is probably not a “surprise,” but not a song of hers that I focused on until the last few months.

I still Love You, Jennifer Hudson.  I these troubling moments, this song is great, and the video that accompanies the song is truly great.

Proud by Heather Small from M-People.  I heard this song the first time in Las Vegas when I went to see Bette Midler.  This is always a song I reach back to when I need a pep talk.

I hope a recipe or song has helped others get through the next few days as they have me.

Here is a more peaceful picture from my walk this morning.