Saturday

I did not 'get' all of the protesting since the election. I mean you protest stuff to affect change - stop the war, respect for blacks, etc. The election is done. There is no change possible for 4, probably 8 years. By that time all of the protesters' passion will have long been spent. So what's the point?

I'm beginning to see the point. It was/is cathartic and at least something that people can do instead of just sitting around moaning. But, more importantly, it seems to be leading towards what we used to call community organizational activism. The protesters seem to be slowly forming plans and actions and maybe, just maybe the passion will last. Maybe economies of scale will keep it going and turn it into something that will, in fact, garner change. Really interesting.

And kind of amusing to muse on Trump's legacy possibly being that of creating a force to ensure his campaign promises never come true. A lot of fun plot twists there.

I had a nice swim this morning and then took myself to brunch. And then to the fancy Thriftway near the restaurant. I had toyed with the idea of also going to a bazaar/bake sale near there but decided to go to the grocery store instead and because I had frozen stuff, I didn't want to make another stop. My twitter feed is showing pictures of the bazaar and I'm glad I didn't go. It looks like I would have bought Stuff I Do Not Need. Just as well.

The mystery Fed Ex package was delivered... to Miami. Then I remembered that someone (likely another Susan Dennis) used my email address when buying something off a website last week. I guess he or she now has the purchase in hand. I hope they use their own email address next time.

Today there will be doll sewing. I thought of some new hair things to try while I was swimming this morning. Sometime this weekend I want to watch the movie Money Monster. That may happen today. I bought an eggplant to try in my fryer. I really wanted those cute little Japanese ones but all they had were the ginormous regular ones. Probably will work fine.

Maybe I'll do a load of laundry while I sew... the thrills just keep acomin'

Fryin' report with a back story

Once when my Dad was in New York on business he ate at a new (to us) place and came home to North Carolina raving about these eggplant french fries. Based on his description, my Mom was able to recreate them and they were a family favorite from then on. A major PIA to make and messy. They had to be cut up and coated in flour and deep fat fried but OMG so so so good.

Years later. I mean many years later, when my parents moved to Manhattan, they went to the same restaurant. Mom was finally going to get the original eggplant fries. But, they weren't on the menu! So Daddy asked the waiter if there was any chance and he said he'd never heard of them and he'd been working there for a decade. But the owner was there so he went to get him. The owner, very apologetically, said they had never had eggplant fries. "We have zucchini fries, could you be thinking of those?"

Yup, the family favorite we had enjoyed for so many years wasn't even what Daddy had eaten that night! (We all tried substituting zucchini and while OK, they were no match for the eggplant version.)

So tonight I made air fryer eggplant fries. They were not the same. BUT, in some ways they were better! They were not as crisp by a long shot. But, they were way more eggplant-y tasting. And quite delicious. And way easier. And way less messy. And no fry smell in the house.

I found this on the internet so it's what I used and I'm very happy with it.

1 Medium eggplant
¼ cup Cornstarch
¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ cup Water
1 pinch salt
Procedure:
1. Preheat the Airfryer to 390F (I just turned it on while I got the already cut fries coated.)
2. Cut eggplant to ½ in x 3in
3. In a mixing bowl combine cornstarch, olive oil, water, and eggplant. Mix and coat eggplant evenly.
4. Place the eggplant fries into the Airfryer. Cook for 12-13 minutes or until eggplant starts to brown.

I actually cooked them for 10 minutes at 400. I think I'm going to drop the them down a bit and shoot for longer. And since they don't hold their fry shape, cube cut would work as well. I tossed them around a couple of times during the cooking but I think next time I'm going to be a little more vigilant about making sure each gets turned.



I will absolutely be doing this again. A vegetable I like??? Very rare indeed.

I did watch Money Monster. I found a half price rental coupon in my Google Play Store account. Nice.

I also made two dolls and a bear. Not a bad haul for the day.