#swsbakes

Fighting The Status Quo

The last couple of weeks have felt like a non-stop roller coaster. From the ridiculous, to the delightful, to the inspirational my emotions have been whip-lashing back and forth. But one thing that has become clear is that it can no longer be business as usual. It’s time to put actions to our words.

One of my early jobs in the food world was with a small local food business. One of the two business owners threw regular temper tantrums. For well over two years I was gaslit into believing this was somehow normal. Complaints to his business partner fell on deaf ears. And yet, none of us quit. None of us left the abusive relationship. Everyone knew what was going on, but none of us did anything about it.

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”

– Angela Davis

Two weeks before my final day, the boss was bullying a new employee. His words were flying around the shop like an exploded pressure cooker full of poached chicken -- scalding everything it touched. At that moment I had a revelation. If I continued to sit idly by and take no action, I was complicit in his behavior. By saying nothing I was co-signing his abuse and harassment. It took me less than an hour to draft my resignation. I could no longer support the status quo.

At some point, we all get the opportunity to decide whether to stay with things as they are, or find a way to make change happen. And sometimes, that means leaving a bad situation behind so that we can move forward. I am choosing to believe that for communities across our country, the time is now. I would like to think that we are in the midst of a movement that is quitting the existing structures of injustice and racism. We have the opportunity to build new, more equitable systems that work for us all. This is our moment. Let’s take advantage and make it happen.

What I’m eating:

APPLE PIE

I have needed to find ways to distract myself from all stuff swirling around in my head lately. We also have an excess of apples that need using. Taking a page from Nancie McDermott (who regularly motivates me to just get in the kitchen and “do it”), I decided to make my first pie at the new place. A Rum Apple Pie to be exact. I used Organic Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples from our Farm Fresh To You CSA Box. I love to combine different apples in a pie. To the apples I tossed in some cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sugar, and flour. I Still have a few tweaks to make, but overall the result was not bad. 

What I’m reading:

#Andnowyouknow  The difference between a chocolatier and a chocolate maker. "And really, what’s more fun at a mixer than a group of chocolatiers?”

I cannot decide if I should rush out to get Rachel Vorona Cote's Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today, or Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby Books. Cote's article, How Ramona Quimby Taught a Generation of Girls to Embrace Brashness makes a good case for young girls to embrace their right to be "Too Much". Perhaps this is something we can all learn.

Javier Cabral's article Why Did It Take a White Chef to Pique My Interest in My Own Mexican Culture? is self revelatory and relatable for many of us. Interesting thoughts on why it took him so long to come around to the food of his heritage.

What I'm listening to:

This song by Andra Day is as beautiful as it is moving and soul stirring. I think it qualifies as an anthem for our times. Andra Day “Rise Up”

What I’m watching:

This TEDx talk by Scott Woods, Life in a Razor-Shaped City | TEDxColumbus is as relevant today as it was when it was created.

This twist on french toast was something I thought I might like. Now I know why I need to have this fall dish in my life. It is just that good.

Fall has definitely arrived. With it, the days are getting shorter and the mornings are cooler. My thoughts have been turning to warmer things to start my day. Hot tea and maybe some sort of warm “carby” thing to get me through the morning. In the world of perfect timing, I may have found a new Fall favorite.

I had no idea that Banana Bread French Toast was something I needed to have in my life?! I wanted to try out the recipe from the time I first read the title. Now, after having this meal, I know that I need this in my life. 

Flitting across one of my social media feeds came this recipe from Renee Schettler Rossi and Leite’s Culinaria. It looked intriguing and I thought we would give it a try over the weekend. And how could I not? I mean, c’mon. Banana Bread + French Toast? Insane, right? But it ticked all the boxes and looked simple enough. Plus we had all the ingredients and some very ripe bananas needing to be used. So what the heck. A plan was hatched.

That very same day, I came across a banana bread recipe from Aaron Hutcherson. His version of banana bread uses the added bonus of browned butter, which adds a certain depth to the flavor. It must be a sign, right? Plus, remember the ripe bananas? That night I whipped up a loaf.  In the process, I decided to go rogue and add a little vanilla -- because I’m like that. The result was a delicately spiced quick bread that was not too sweet. In the future, I’m tempted to tinker around with this recipe. I could add things like cardamom or Chinese five spice and ginger. Maybe some semi sweet chocolate chips? But I digress.

Morning came soon enough. Even though it was not the weekend, we thought now was as good a time as any to make this tempting french toast. Converting the quick bread into french toast was PURE GENIUS. The warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg in the bread already welcomes you into fall, like the embrace of a warm blanket on a cold morning. Adding warm vanilla-spiked  maple syrup had me thinking of cool mornings and leaves just beginning to turn gold, orange and red. A generous dollop of sour cream on top added balance and a tart bite to the whole dish. Kind of like that nip of coldness on a sunny Autumn day.