Because 2 days is never enough.

This weekend, I found myself laboring to assemble the items on my to do list in an elaborate puzzle. When would I fit in the farmer’s market, make it to the pottery studio, whip up a fresh batch of yogurt, make a dent in my scarf, try out that bread recipe, look for a cookbook at the Strand, stop off at the fabric store to pick out something for some throw pillows, finish my book and so on? The tyranny of the two-day weekend took over and I actually felt a bit stressed. I did things in the wrong order, found myself at the farmer’s market while all the vendors were packing up and I left with just two measly apples, the book I wanted wasn’t at the Strand, I never found my way to the fabric store, and I felt a bit like a chicken with my head cut off. Wait, isn’t all this stuff what I do for fun?

So, Sunday, I decided to ditch the list and just do what I wanted. And you know what? I woke up early, watched the marathon, had brunch with some neighbors, and took… A NAP. And for about the first time in my life, I didn’t feel guilty about it.

My weekend was still productive (see Peanut Bread below). But I just need to remember, even though I only get two precious days, I can’t treat my leisure like a job. That’s no fun.

Peanut Bread:
Sunday afternoon, I tried out this recipe from 101cookbooks.com, taken from the new cookbook of African recipes, Soul of a New Cuisine. I am not generally a baker, but the sweet and spicy flavor combos in this recipe caught my eye. I added a whole can of coconut milk, as suggested and I substituted a little bit of cayenne pepper for the chili powder because I was too lazy to go to the store. Ultimately, there was something really interesting and unusual about the flavors, but the bread was REALLY dense and the middle remained a bit doughy, even after extra time in the oven. If I made it again, I might experiment with the oven temperature and play a bit with the spices.