A DESSERT FROM OUR TRAVELS...

BANOFFEE Pie!  Banoffee = bananas + toffee, and it's so delicious!

I decided I had to learn to make this after having it on two different trips to Ireland.  Thinking it was an Irish thing, I looked it up and guess what?  It's British!  But served in Ireland a lot, I guess!

Here's the recipe I used from the internet, and I will say there's only one kind of complicated step when making this:  getting the sweetened condensed milk in the can to turn to caramel, or toffee, as the Brits say.  I had looked at several recipes to get the condensed milk to turn to caramel.  I first tried the water bath method, then put it in the refrigerator to cool and use the next day.  When I opened the can, it was still yellow, and not tan, like it was supposed to be.  So I followed this recipe and baked it in the oven in a pie dish with a water bath.

After that, you basically assemble this no-cook pie.  Put the caramel into the pie crust, then sliced bananas, then the whipped cream and garnish.  Voila!  A fresh tasting, yummy, messy, wonderful dessert.

SURREAL...

Well, here we are in the midst of Covid-19.  The. Whole. Country.  For me, reality is just hitting.  My life hasn't changed much and I was (and maybe still am) enjoying the introvert life.  Yes, I'm disappointed we can't meet with our church family.  I hate it that people are sick and dying without a cure.  My niece's wedding is up in the air after all the planning.  My daughter-in-law and niece missing their graduation ceremonies.  And, an Alaskan cruise planned for the end of May is out, after being planned for more than a year.  I feel pretty helpless, but I know prayer is my defense. 

It's surreal.  Never would I have thought in our intelligent, advanced, technical world would we have come to a halt like we have.  It's a lesson in humility.  It's a lesson to learn who's in control of our world.  It's a lesson that drives us to our knees and to trust more in God. New vocabulary and concepts are everyday discussions now:  social distancing, stay safe, mask wearing, work from home.  Whatever the final outcome of all of this, I love it that people are coming together for a common cause.  We've been divided and all with our own special interests for so long.  

I love this sign that I saw on my walk through the neighborhood.  We CAN do hard things!  We are adaptable - a big lesson from the first college class I ever took! I consider what we'll be telling our grandchildren about this time 20, 30, and 40 years from now.  Will we sound like our grandparents talking about Dust Bowl or Depression days?  For myself, I'm divided between the want to do something amazing with this gift of time and just relaxing and enjoying the time of rest.  

How about you?