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Educator Wellness: 6 Protective Factors

Educator Wellness: 6 Protective Factors

What about educator wellness?

As thousands of schools begin to physically reopen, much has been said about the hoped-for positive effects on the mental health and well-being of our youth. But what about the educators who are preparing to close the school year in a different, but still chaotic, environment from the one in 2020?

You may be familiar with the ACES study- which resulted in a tool to assess Adverse Childhood Experiences in our schools and community. Two books on the subject, The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris (affiliate link) and The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, both address the science behind the ACES, as well as some ideas to move forward.

Here are ways to consider implementing these protective measures for educator wellness in both your personal and professional life:

1: Sleep

A common theme is that no one seems to get enough of it – adults or teens.  And sleep is foundational to educator wellness. If you are having trouble falling asleep, create habits that support winding down for 30-45 minutes before you are trying to actually fall asleep.  If you are feeling you don’t have enough hours in the day, try writing down what you are doing for a full day and see if you can “find” some time. 

Are you doing things a family member could do instead?  Are you scrolling social media to avoid grading?  Are you spending a lot of time on something that has little positive impact?  Also be sure to discuss options with your doctor, like melatonin (which, as a bonus, helps decrease the severity of COVID symptoms, per my physician).  

2: Nutrition

For a month this semester, I taught 7 periods straight on Monday and Tuesdays.  It greatly increased my empathy for my full-time teacher colleagues, and it has taught me to be thoughtful about what I choose to eat at 10:02 and 11:37.  Think about high-protein, lower carb foods that won’t leave your hands sticky as you answer emails in between bites.  Spiced nuts and trail mixes are a solid choice, or air-popped popcorn with olive oil and some flavored salt.  Try a thermal mug to keep your tea or coffee warm for longer.  

3: Exercise

After an early quarantine period of sluggishness, I have committed to an early morning workout most days of the week.  If the weather permits, I walk.  Otherwise I do some sort of YouTube or other online fitness class.  But if you are not a morning person, then workout at night.  Or on your prep period.  Choose something you enjoy – or at least see the benefits from – walking, running, hiking, cycling, swimming, weight-lifting, yoga, dance.  And start small.  Commit to 30 minutes 3 times a week and build from there.  

Educator Wellness: 6 Protective Factors

4: Healthy Relationships

Depending on your quarantine living environment, you may be choosing to work in your empty classroom or office to preserve your sanity.  Or maybe you live alone and use your walk around the neighborhood to stay connected with others nearby.  Consider a phone call – not a Zoom – to catch up with friends to fill your heart, and give your eyes a break.  After a year of remote relationships, think critically about how your email, text, and chat messages reflect on you and aim for clear, concise communication on all platforms to avoid unwanted miscommunications and crossed wires.  Maintaining positive, healthy relationships can go a long way toward supporting educator wellness.

5: Mental Health

If you already live with a mental health diagnosis, then you are hopefully finding tools to support your coping skills.  Telehealth works well for some, and not for others.  If you don’t live with a diagnosis, but are instead struggling with pandemic-induced anxiety or quarantine-fueled depression, you also need coping skills.  And not all coping skills come in prescription bottles.  In fact, all of the four items above can help you manage your mental health during this year-long marathon of stressors. 

6: Mindfulness

I saved the best for last.  I know that there is a lot (did I say a LOT?) of skepticism around mindfulness.  And while I do believe that meditation has a place in supporting well-being, I also recognize that it is not for everyone.  So if you are one to accidentally snicker during a meditation – or you’ve been asked to leave a yoga class – then focus on the mindfulness, not the meditation.  

Anything and everything you do in your life can be done mindfully.  The mundane, like washing dishes, chopping onions, or mowing the lawn can often be done better if you simply focus on the task at hand.  Or the near-constant pandemic activity of hand-washing: pay full attention to the temperature of the water, the scent of the soap, the texture of the towel.  And if you practice this mindfulness in your daily life, you will be mindful of more special moments – like the peace you find at the top of a mountain, or the joy you find in hugging hello to good friends before celebrating a year’s worth of milestones with good food and drinks.

What methods are you using to support educator wellness? Tag me on Instagram with your ideas.

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Celebrate Small: Festive ideas for a new era

Celebrate Small: Festive recipes for a new era

Why Celebrate Small?

If 2020 was a year to celebrate small by force, consider making 2021 a year to celebrate small by choice. While large parties, packed stadiums, and concert throngs hold a certain appeal, you may find yourself a little spooked by the prospect of returning to such large events any time soon.

In 2020 we stumbled into the porch picnic, the driveway happy hour, the backyard brunch; now let’s embrace those. When you celebrate small, you can have real conversations with a few people. When you celebrate small, you are thoughtful about the mix of people you include – to ensure those conversations are lively. When you celebrate small, you can get creative with the food – and mix and match smaller quantities of recipes you might not normally try.

As we begin the “re-entry” from what we hope to be the worst of the pandemic, you may be asked what you have missed the most. For some, it’s concerts, the bustling crowds at a mall, or the crowds at a stadium. For me it’s hospitality. My kitchen is filled with platters and bowls, drink dispensers and table cloths. My heart is filled with the desire to welcome and sustain others. And my mind is filled with the understanding of just how long it will be before we can host another large Mardi Gras birthday party or a festive Galentine’s Day event.

Since hosting and hospitality changed entirely in 2020, it’s time to look ahead at ways to embrace and celebrate the small. (Bonus for our #AutismFamily: MUCH less risk of autism meltdowns in this world of small).

Celebrate Small: Celebration Ideas

  • Host small: instead of a huge cocktail party or barbecue, host smaller, intimate versions of these events
  • Host outdoors: when possible, continue to entertain in outdoor spaces – remember your guests may also be squeamish about enclosed spaces after a year of distance
  • Host on Zoom: while the novelty of a Zoom Happy Hour has worn thin, don’t discount the power of Zoom for connecting with far-flung family and friends. You can check out this Zoom scavenger hunt for a fun activity for groups of almost any size.
  • Host a food swap: cook or bake for others while keeping your distance. While I may have previously porch-dropped extra zucchini or other less-welcome gifts, I have enjoyed the quarantine culture of more pleasant porch drops – cakes, pies, cookies, tarts – all baked with love (and a healthy dose of quarantine stir-craziness!). We even did a distanced cookie exchange – which I hope we will repeat for years to come. Instead of leaving a typical in-person, cookie exchange laden with dozens of cookies, destined to go stale, we spread out our baking over several weeks. Each week meant a new treat to be enjoyed, without a sugar overload.
Celebrate Small: Festive recipes for a new era

Celebrate Small: Food Ideas

  • Single-serve savory: Try serving stuffing or other side dishes in ramekins, and consider single-serve entrees, like fish or chicken cooked en papillote or in a pouch. Serve soups in mugs, and consider stand-up salads in wide-mouth mason jars
  • Small sips: No celebration is complete without a toast – mini champagne splits certainly fit the bill, as do the growing number of options of canned wines on the market. There are plenty of festive non-alcoholic options as well, including slender cans of Izze sparkling juice, and the refreshing slim bottles of mixers from Fever Tree.
  • Small-scale baking: While at the beginning of the pandemic I was making as much bread as my flour supplies allowed, I have scaled back. The Tartine recipe works beautifully cut in half, resulting in enough dough for a substantial loaf, or even for two pizza crusts and a slender loaf. Try these mini-pavlovas, or my new favorite: muffin-tin pies. After much experimentation, I have settled on a jumbo muffin tin as the ideal size for mini-pies and tarts, including this lilikoi tart recipe.

The Kona area of the Big Island of Hawaii is our home away from home. And while we haven’t been able to host as much as we typically do, sharing our home away from home is a way to maintain a sense of hospitality – from afar. With strict testing protocols in place, travel to Hawaii has been more possible than to many other places. But this tart allows you a taste of the islands to tide you over until you book your next trip.

passionfruit

Lilikoi Tarts (Passionfruit Tarts)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • jumbo muffin tin or other small tins

Ingredients
  

Filling

  • 1 stick of butter unsalted
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup lilikoi juice from about 4-6 passionfruit

Crust

  • 1 sleeve graham crackers crushed finely
  • 2 T sugar
  • 4 T butter unsalted, melted

Instructions
 

  • In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar and butter, using a hand mixer.
  • Add eggs one at time, blending after each addition.
  • Add lilikoi juice and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until curd begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
  • Combine crust ingredients and press into tins. Divide curd equally into the crusts (you should get about 6 jumbo muffin-sized tarts).
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Notes

Enjoy this taste of Hawai’i year-round by freezing the juice in half-cup portions.  Store tarts in the refrigerator.  
Keyword celebrations, sweet treats

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Easy Lemon Curd

Easy Lemon Curd – at Home

Easy Lemon Curd

For years, I believed that lemon curd existed only in the tiny pots served at my favorite tea spots.  One place, in particular, served it alongside Biscoff, the lightly-spiced cookies that are sometimes served as a snack on airplanes (which will someday soon be part of our collective experience again).  I was mesmerized by it.  Obsessed, really.  Though they were served at the table in the way an Italian-American restaurant serves slices of warm bread or crispy bread sticks, I frequently would eat more of it than whatever I eventually ordered.  

Fast forward to around 2009.  I was pregnant with child #2 when a younger teacher, whose mom was a caterer, started bringing in “samples” of various recipes.  Bacon-bourbon ice cream.  Homemade mac and cheese.  And then a small jar of lemon curd.  As I helped myself to more than my (prego) fair share of it, Katie said she’d be happy to share the recipe.  

Though I was a decade into my adventure as a self-taught cook and baker at that time, it literally had not occurred to me that I could make lemon curd at home.  It was a eureka moment for me.  And this easy lemon curd recipe has become one of my most requested.  It is also easily adaptable.  You can halve it, double it, swap in the fruit.  I have made it with mandarin oranges and grapefruit, limes and passionfruit. 

You can serve it with scones, on mini pavlovas, or with Biscoff (or your own speculoos cookies).  You can also use it to fill cakes or cupcakes, top ice cream or swirl into yogurt.  The possibilities are nearly endless.  I transfer each batch into small jars and store them in the freezer, that way easy lemon curd becomes even easier most of the time.

What are you waiting for? It’s time to make some easy lemon curd.

Easy Lemon Curd

Katie’s Easy Lemon Curd

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • microplane grater
  • heavy saucepan
  • thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoons lemon zest from about 3 lemons
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 lb. unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt
  • ½ cup lemon juice from about 3 lemons

Instructions
 

  • Remove the lemon zest with a microplane, then juice the lemons to yield 3 tablespoons zest and ½ cup juice.
  • Combine the lemon zest and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan. Add the butter, and mix together over NO heat, using a hand mixer.
  • Slowly add the eggs to the pot, incorporating each one completely, before adding the next one. Then add the salt and the lemon juice. It will look like a hollandaise that broke.
  • Cook the mixture over low heat in the pan for about 10-20 minutes until it reaches 170 degrees and looks like lemon curd. It will become less opaque, creamy and smooth, and thicken slightly.
  • Store in the refrigerator or freezer (defrost before serving), or you may process sealed jars in a hot water bath, following manufacturer instructions.

Notes

Passionfruit variation: use 3 T orange zest along with ½ cup passionfruit juice
Keyword celebrations, sweet treats
Easy Lemon Curd

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Pandemic Anniversary: One Year Later

Pandemic Anniversary: One Year Later

A pandemic anniversary.

I have been at school on some memorable, challenging days. 

April 20, 1999.  The day of the Columbine High School shooting.  My first year of teaching. 

September 11, 2001.  My husband was less than a month into his teaching career, a couple of buildings away.  He called my classroom to ask if it was real. 

December 14, 2012.  Sandy Hook.  Fifteen years in, and this is supposed to be getting easier. 

November 9, 2016.  Protests as our school community reeled in the hours following an unprecedented election. 

March 13, 2020.  The last day school was anything close to what we now view as “normal.” 

Already some students had been pulled from class, working from home to protect older and at-risk family members.  We were washing our hands constantly, and frantically wiping down surfaces, all while sharing air in relatively tight spaces, unmasked.  We didn’t know what we didn’t know. 

There was a brief thought that we might be able to remain open for some students to continue working on campus, but the news of the first regional and then statewide lockdowns changed all that in an instant. 

I am a planner by nature, so the uncertainty, the unscheduled calendar, the looming unknown, was significantly harder for me than what became our mundane routine:  grocery deliveries (which I have mercifully stopped disinfecting!), walks around the block, and endless Zoom calls. 

We are grateful to have avoided the virus, to have maintained our jobs – and health care, and to have entered this (hopefully) final stretch of the pandemic not significantly worse off than we were a year ago. 

And while I’m relieved that we no longer have stalk supermarket shelves for flour and yeast, I am also grateful for the time and space we found in the past year. 

Less driving.  Less doing.  Fewer commitments.  Fewer distractions.  No traffic.  No crowds. 

More time at home.  More time with family.  More catching up with friends and family across the country – and the world.  More value on opportunities for in-person connection.  More appreciating the creativity of humanity – especially Some Good News, the Staying In Podcast, and other products of the pandemic. 

This year has also been one of reflection.  Of taking stock of where we are, and where we want to be. 

I have committed, both personally and professionally, to the work of social emotional learning, not only for our children and our students, but for ourselves as well.  Because we cannot teach, we cannot counsel, we cannot lead, we cannot parent, without putting on our proverbial oxygen masks first. 

Whether the trauma you carry is deeply-seated, measurable  by the ACES scale, or resulting from the ongoing, and wildly uneven social injustice that exists in our society, or the situational trauma from the past year of living through a.global pandemic, or a mixture of some or all of these, giving yourself grace is essential. 

Humans are social beings, so a year without regular, in-person, social interactions has drained our collective reserves.  Travel is also an integral part of the exposure that humans can use to learn and grow and stretch their boundaries.  A year without travel has shrunk our worlds.  So here’s to continuing to find ways to safely “fill your cup”, while taking a screen break – outdoor or solo exercise, cooking new recipes, writing, reading, hiking, cycling, yoga, baking, phone calls…

Pandemic Anniversary: One Year Later

2020 was the deadliest year in American history.  So for those of us who are still here, we need to be grateful for our health and survival, but also thoughtful about the mark we may choose to leave.  The one-year mark has brought us hope in the form of several vaccines, optimism is the downward trends of virus statistics, and, increasingly, glimpses at our post-quarantine world. 

For us, a year in lockdown helped us see just how much water our little guy needs to be his best self.  So we are creating Kokua Kona to allow him year-round access to swimmable water.  Just one of many pandemic silver linings for us. 

While the eerie sense of dread that closed in on us a year ago this week is hard to forget, “celebrating” the pandemic anniversary with vaccine #2 (and a takeout cocktail!) is a fairly fitting way to mark the occasion. 

When you start to look for reasons to be grateful, you see more and more reasons.   Never have I appreciated more the sound of rain on the rooftop, the sun on my shoulders, the taste of my food, the touch of my immediate family (who knows how long these guys will keep hugging their mom?), the sight of dear friends – even from 6-10 feet away. 

Time is fleeting, so seize the day.  Write the book.  Start the business.  Go back to school.  Leave the job.  Buy the house.  And when circumstances allow, hug, laugh, cry, scream, cheer, and love in person. 

And educator friends, as we prepare for the next phase of unknown, remember to value connection over content and everything will be okay.

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Simple Strawberry Scones

Are you ready for some simple strawberry scones?

Simple Strawberry Scones

This recipe will help you ditch the intimidation factor and enjoy this slightly old-fashioned treat at home.

One of my favorite celebratory meals is afternoon tea.  I love that by design, you get to sample bits and bites of different sweet and savory treats. I love that, in the US, at least, there is almost no incorrect time to eat this meal. I love that it’s a meal that can bring generations together. 

When I was pregnant the second time, I had no need for any traditional shower gifts – or games – so I took a small group of friends and family to tea. When we visited London a few years ago, my dear aunt traveled down from Manchester to have tea with us. 

I have celebrated Mother’s Day over tea. Birthdays. Out of town guests (remember when that was a thing?).  And I have hosted tea at home. 

Scones are tea staple, but are often intimidating to home cooks. This recipe, for Simple Strawberry Scones, inspired by Confessions of a Tart, was one I stumbled upon years ago.  

I have made it countless times, especially with a few awkward strawberries that weren’t quite the best for eating out of hand.  I have also used the handful of ollalieberries we sometimes glean from our single, backyard vine (for the uninitiated, ollalieberries are a version of blackberries specific to our little corner of northern California).  The end of a warehouse-sized tub of blueberries also works well.  As do the “dry,” almost crispy peaches that grow on my friend Alice’s tree.  

Because of the fruit, these scones are perfectly delicious on their own.  However, I rarely serve them without lemon curd, which completes the tea experience.  Certainly you can find – or make – a rich clotted or Devonshire cream (I have cheated by adding extra powdered sugar while whipping cream at home to create a thicker, more spreadable cream).  But I prefer the bright and tangy edge of lemon curd.

strawberry scone

Simple Strawberry Scones

Makes 12 small, or 16-24 minis, inspired by Confessions of a Tart
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American, British
Servings 12 scones

Equipment

  • Baking Sheet
  • silicone liner or parchment paper

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup strawberries or other fruit
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter in cubes, slightly softened
  • 2/3 cup cream or sub half and half or cold buttermilk, for a slightly different flavor/texture

Topping

  • 1 tablespoon coarse sugar such as raw, or decorating sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone liner.
  • Dice fruit and place in a small bowl – you want the pieces to be about a ½ inch or smaller. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside.
  • Combine remaining 2 ½ tablespoons sugar with flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Add butter, quickly pressing the cubes into the dry ingredients until you have a texture like corn meal, with few large pieces.
  • Stir in fruit; then add cream all at once. Use spatula to gently stir dough until it holds together.
  • Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Sprinkle dough with flour if it gets sticky, particularly if your fruit is extra juicy.
  • Form the dough into two equal disks (or four, if you want bite-sized scones). Cut the circle into 4-6 equal wedges, then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, spacing them equally. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake 5-10 more minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown and spring back when you push them. Cool slightly before enjoying warm; or serve at room temperature.

Notes

Best enjoyed the day that they are baked, they can be frozen, tightly wrapped for about a month, or stored overnight at room temperature (the sugar topping will become less prominent if stored).
Keyword bread, celebrations, sweet treats
Simple Strawberry Scones

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Color Street Spring 2021

The Color Street Spring 2021 collection is here. Just in time to spring forward in many parts of the country, these new nails strips are sure to brighten your day. There are several new additions to the Color Street Spring 2021 catalog, as well as some returning favorites.

So if you are looking for something to help you spring clean your beauty routine, look no further than the Color Street Spring 2021 collection. There are new solids, glitters, nail art designs and glitter designs, all designed to add a little spring to your step, er, Zoom waves, this season. Check them out here:

COLOR STREET SPRING 2021:  SOLIDS

The spring collection includes two new solid options. Key West is Best is a slightly fuschia-colored pink, perfect for summer. And Gratitude is Everything returns from Thanksgiving 2020, a neutral, shimmery shade.

Color Street Spring 2021

COLOR STREET SPRING 2021:  GLITTERS

The Color Street Spring 2021 glitters include the brand new Cape Coral, alongside four fan favorites from mini-collections. Night Terror stole the show at Halloween 2020 with its burgundy color and fine holographic glitter. And three favorites from the winter holidays are also back: Holidaze, a multi-colored glitter, Crantastic, a deep red color, and Glittersweet, a clear glitter overlay.

Color Street Spring 2021

COLOR STREET SPRING 2021:  NAIL ART DESIGNS

There are five new additions in this category, each one calling my name. As it Ferns Out is a tropical leaf design on a white background. Poppy That is a shimmery floral motif. Show and Shell is our first-ever tortoise-inspired design. And It Takes Tuscon is an ombre-meets-duochrome fiesta of fabulousness in periwinkle and purple. The newest clear overlay is Mermaid You Look – allowing you to turn ANY shade you like into the mermaid-inspired look of your dreams.

Color Street Spring 2021

COLOR STREET SPRING 2021:  GLITTER DESIGNS

Sparkly glitter AND gorgeous designs?  It’s no surprise that these combos are always favorites.  The Color Street spring 2021 collection includes two gorgeous new additions. Paint the Town is an abstract watercolor look on a neutral, silvery background. Til the Glitter End is a pink and purple ombre that will help power you through the end of the school year and into a well-deserved summer.

Color Street Spring 2021

Ready to shop?  Click here. 

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Best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread – or Muffins

Best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread - or Muffins

Do you need some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread – or Muffins?

When I was a kid, moms showed up at soccer games and the like with wedges of oranges, with the peel still attached.  We used to fit the peel under our lips and make goofy smiles with our bright “teeth.”  As a ballet dancer, we were careful to choose snack items that wouldn’t smudge our makeup or soil our costumes, which basically left us munching on trail mix like leotard-clad squirrels.  

When I became a mom, I had no interest in slicing oranges into a slippery, juicy mess, and the prohibitions against anything resembling a nut took all sorts of other options off the table.  I wanted something fun, easy, and relatively healthy – but also something interesting and fun enough to earn some mom points with my kids and their friends.  Enter this recipe for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread – or Muffins.  

Best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread - or Muffins

Fall Favorite

This recipe is a fall favorite- but my family went through a phase where I made them constantly year-round. (It can be hard to find pumpkin in July – stock up!). No matter what time of year you are making it, it comes together quickly, as most dairy free quick breads do. It relies on oil, not butter and that means the relatively loose batter doesn’t need to wait for butter to soften or melt.

The recipe was originally designed for a large bundt pan, but I’ve made it everything from loaf pans to mini-muffin tins.  If you choose smaller pans (especially a mini-muffin tin) then try to find and use mini-chocolate chips. I have had many fewer issues with the smaller chips sticking to the pan when you pop out the bite-sized muffins.

Of course, you can certainly skip the chocolate chips all together, but that wouldn’t go over well in our house. We typically choose Guittard chocolate chips, particularly when a nut-free chocolate is essential. And while local to us in San Francisco, Guittard is high-quality chocolate that is becoming easier to find across the country.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

This recipe is a fall favorite- but my family went through a phase where I made them constantly year-round. (It can be hard to find pumpkin in July – stock up!) . The recipe was originally designed for a large bundt pan, but I’ve made it everything from loaf pans to mini-muffin tins.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Course Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree not pie filling
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips if making mini-muffins or mini-loaves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Beat eggs with sugar until light and blended. Add oil and continue to beat.
  • Sift or stir together flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Beat flour mixture into egg mixture. 
  • Add pumpkin, mixing well again. Fold in chocolate chips (ideally tossed in a little flour to prevent sinking). 
  • Pour batter into a well-greased, floured pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan. A bundt pan takes about an hour. Standard muffins about 20 minutes. Mini-muffins about 15 minutes. (The batter is very dense and moist, so loaf pans should be checked to make sure the center is fully cooked, usually at least an hour.)

Notes

Store in a sealed container at room temperature for a couple of days.  Or freeze, tightly wrapped for about a month.  
Keyword brunch, dairy free, quick and easy

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Tropical Treat: Julia’s Bet Banana Bread

Tropical Treat: Julia’s Best Banana Bread

Tropical Treat: Julia's Best Banana Bread

Do You Need Julia’s Best Banana Bread?

Do you have slightly soft, somewhat bruised bananas sitting on your counter?  No matter how much I try to just buy the exact right amount, I always seem to have one or two.  When that happens, I peel and slice them and pop them in my freezer (link).  When I have a total of three, it’s time for this winning banana bread.  

There is no shortage of banana bread and cake recipes.  If I have a little sour cream or Greek yogurt to use up, I often choose this one from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  I recently tried this one from Dorothy Kern at Crazy for Crust -it was delicious, but definitely more of a cake.  But most of the time, I turn to Julia’s Best Banana Bread – because it is just simply the best.

Tropical Treat: Julia's Best Banana Bread

Make Every Day Special

Julia’s best banana bread is a no-nonsense, banana-forward loaf (though I tend to bake it in my favorite mini-bundt pan more often than a boring loaf pan!).  This is not your mom’s banana bread (and it’s not my mom’s either!). I have no idea who Julia is, but I like her style- and her taste! Dark, moist and, if you close your eyes, you can pretend you are in Hawaii for a moment! Also naturally dairy-free, which I appreciate more and more these days!  

The recipe calls for a neutral oil, but I have kicked up the tropical a bit further by using coconut oil and it has come out great.  I have substituted whole wheat flour for part of the flour – also good.  I have used fresh overripe bananas as well, when I happen to have three that all turn dark brown or black at the same time.  

banana bread

Julia’s Best Banana Bread

This is not your mom’s banana bread (and it’s not my mom’s either!). I have no idea who Julia is, but I like her style- and her taste! Dark, moist and, if you close your eyes, you can pretend you are in Hawaii for a moment! Also naturally dairy-free, which I appreciate more and more these days!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs large
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup mashed banana about 2 large
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°.  Coat a 9x5x3” loaf pan with nonstick spray.
  • Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 
  • Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. 
  • Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
  • Bake until a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, 60–70 minutes. 
  • Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Notes

DO AHEAD: Banana bread can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Keyword brunch, quick and easy, snack

Does this recipe have you dreaming of a tropical getaway? You’re not alone. This is one of our favorite ways to have a tiny island staycation while we dream about our next trip to our vacation rental home in beautiful Kailua Kona, Hawaii. The property has been autism-certified, but anyone can rent it.

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Your Favorite Pavlova Recipe: Serve a Little Magic

Your Favorite Pavlova Recipe: Serve a Little Magic

Do you have a favorite pavlova recipe?

Pavlovas are a magical food.  A few pedestrian ingredients are transformed into something ethereal – and much, much more than the sum of its parts.  

My mom was a somewhat typical midwestern cook and baker in the 70’s.  She made meringue pies and gelatin desserts and all sorts of other fluffy concoctions.  But I did not have a true pavlova until our (pre-kid) month-long trip to Australia and New Zealand.  I think my very first bite was actually on the airplane en route.  

My (tall) husband always requires the seat with the most leg room, so we were in the front row of a coach section, adjacent to a business class section on a behemoth plane.  The lovely flight attendant took to chatting with us as she strapped into her jump seat across from us.  Every time a dessert (or drink!) went untouched in her section, she subtly slid it onto our tray.  

Something Special

The flight to the other side of the world takes much of a day – so there were quite a few opportunities for meals to be served – and for treats to be shared.  One of those was a pavlova.  Since we weren’t actually sitting in Business Class (young, twenty-something teachers as we were), we didn’t have a menu, but weren’t picky and inhaled pretty much everything she gave us.  I do remember grabbing her attention, however, to ask what that goodness was.  A pavlova, she answered.

A ballet dancer from the age of three until twenty-three, I knew who Anna Pavlova was, but had no prior knowledge of her namesake dessert.  Apparently the accomplished prima ballerina inspired this “light-as-a-feather” (or a dancer!) dessert during her tour of Australia and New Zealand during the 1920s.  Today, both countries claim the dessert as their own, which means they were on many menus as we traveled the two countries.  

Potluck Pavlova Recipe

Fast-forward a few years, and we have kids who are in schools that host international potlucks.  Lucky us that several ex-pats from Down Under shared our kids’ schools over the years – allowing for plenty of opportunities to sample various versions – and to try different pavlova recipes at home.

I have made several different versions of pavlovas over the years, but I always come back to the core recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  I have baked it in circles, in squares and, once, in a wreath shape (which I not-so-gracefully slid onto the tablecloth at Christmas brunch!).  More often than not, though I prefer to make mini-pavlovas.  

Your Favorite Pavlova Recipe: Serve a Little Magic

Single Serve Pavlova Recipe

While the cooked, but not topped, meringues can hold reasonably well at room temperature, the topped meringue will start to turn to mush if left too long.  By making each pavlova single-serve, it allows each person to top their own just before they eat it.  And individual servings also fit well into our world of porch drop-offs and distanced backyard gatherings.  

A pavlova recipe is always gluten free – and if you skip the cream, it can be dairy free as well. This makes this delicious dessert all the more flexible when feeding a crew with varying dietary needs.

The most traditional version in New Zealand tops the meringue with sweetened, whipped cream and kiwi (try the yellow ones, if you can find them!).  In Australia, the meringue and cream is more often topped with tropical fruits, such as passionfruit.  I often serve with lemon (or lime or orange or cranberry) curd, or with whipped cream and whatever berry or stone fruit I can get my hands on.  

You really can’t go wrong with a little magic.  

mini pavlova

Mini Pavlova Recipe

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen: https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/04/mixed-berry-pavlova/
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Cooling Time 3 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine Australian, New Zealand
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large 120 grams egg whites
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup 200 grams superfine (castor) or regular sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch potato starch or arrowroot powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250°F (130°C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Pour the vanilla and vinegar into a small cup. Stir the cornstarch into the sugar in a small bowl.
  • In a large bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and salt, starting on low, increasing incrementally to medium speed until soft peaks/trails start to become visible, and the egg white bubbles are very small and uniform, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Increase speed to medium-high, slowly and gradually sprinkling in the sugar-cornstarch mixture. A few minutes after these dry ingredients are added, slowly pour in the vanilla and vinegar. Increase speed a bit and whip until meringue is glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Gently dollop the meringue onto the parchment paper in 6-8 round(ish) portions).
  • Bake for about 45 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Check on meringues at least once during the baking time. If they appear to be taking on color or cracking, reduce temperature 25 degrees, and rotate the pan.
  • Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar (you can stick the handle of a wooden spoon in it so no one walks into it), and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)
  • Typically served with sweetened whipped cream and kiwi (New Zealand) or tropical fruits (Australia). When not available, serve with sweetened whipped cream, lemon curd, and/or fresh berries.

Notes

Typically served with sweetened whipped cream and kiwi (New Zealand) or tropical fruits (Australia). When not available, serve with sweetened whipped cream, lemon curd, and/or fresh berries.
While best enjoyed the day they are made, untopped meringues may be stored, covered, at room temperature.  
Keyword celebrations, sweet treats

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Color Street Canada is Coming in 2021

Are you anxiously awaiting the arrival of Color Street Canada? 

Color Street Canada

Are you ready to buy nail polish strips from Color Street in Canada?  Are you ready to host a Color Street party?  Are you excited to join Color Street Canada?

Color Street nail polish strips are patented dry nail polish strips that you apply at home in minutes.  The nail polish strips are 95% dry when you open a specially-sealed package, and they dry the remaining 5% on your nails.  They are available in solid, glitter and design options – something to suit every taste.  Color Street nail polish strips can last as long as 10-14 days, and, when you’re ready for a change, you can simply remove with regular nail polish remover.  

There are many direct sales options out there, all of which have the potential to offer the ability to share great products, maintain flexible work hours, and earn additional income.

SO WHY CHOOSE COLOR STREET? WHAT ARE THE TOP REASONS TO JOIN COLOR STREET CANADA?  

Here are the top five reasons to join my Color Street Team:

1.  IT DOESN’T COST A LOT TO GET STARTED WITH COLOR STREET. 

While we don’t yet know the price in Canadian dollars, the price for the Basic Starter Kit ($250 value) in US dollars is just $129.  It has everything you need to get started, including samples, catalogs, and 13 full sets!  After that, the only ongoing cost is $10 US/month to maintain your Color Street website (the first 2 months are free!)

2.  COLOR STREET IS PORTABLE.  

If you choose, you may run your entire Color Street business from your website.  You may keep inventory on hand, but it’s not a requirement.  Even if you do, it doesn’t take up a lot of space.  My entire “store” takes up the space of a large shoe box (though I use a fun 31 bag typically!).  In normal times, I carry it with me often and sell Color Street to people in lots of unexpected locations!

3.  WITH COLOR STREET, ONE SIZE FITS ALL.  

Each package of Color Street Nail Polish Strips includes 16 strips of 95% dry nail polish in various widths and shapes.  This ensures that each person can match each nail as close as possible.  And each strip is easily customizable even further-  use your opposing thumbnail or a cuticle stick to remove any extra length or width of the strip, or use scissors or even craft punches to change them up even more!  (The packages are also slim and easy to mail – important when distances are as great as they are in some of my favourite places in Canada, like the Yukon!)

Color Street Canada

4.  COLOR STREET HAS A GREAT COMPENSATION PLAN.  

Again, the Canadian compensation plan has not been released yet, but the base compensation plan for the US includes a 25% rebate on all purchases- both your own and your customers.  Depending on how much you sell each month, and how you grow your team, the percentage increases.  Learn more here.

5.  MY COLOR STREET TEAM PROVIDES ONGOING TRAINING AND SUPPORT.

Our team provides a supportive, helpful network, with varying levels of direct sales experience.  We also use and promote the methods of attraction marketing – and not spamming people, especially not your friends and family.  And perhaps more importantly, we are building lasting friendships, from all corners of the country, and having a lot of fun doing it.  We can’t wait to share the fun with our friends and neighbours to the north!

So did these five reasons to join Color Street get you thinking? Want to learn more about Color Street?  Join our team’s no-pressure interest group on Facebook here.

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