Art in a Pandemic -- "The Toilet Paper Story" Exhbiit at Galeria El Zapote by Manuel Taure

Recently, two friends and I visited the Galeria El Zapote to see Manuel Taure's exhibition "The Toilet Paper Story."

 

We were greeted by the Galeria owners. The Galeria is located in the front rooms of a large, beautifully renovated colonial home.

 

What I appreciated most about the exhibit was Taure's determination to produce art for viewing during a pandemic.

 

As more Mérida businesses begin to open gradually with COVID19 precautions in place, artists are struggling to find their audiences.

 

Taure uses a variety of methods to reach out to his audience. He sends out announcements to a diverse collection of businesses, galleries and people to generate interest in art.

The Galeria El Zapote was impressed with his efforts. So, they installed Taure's exhibit, "The Toilet Paper Story."

 

"The Toilet Paper Story" covers the timeframe from the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic to now. It captures with scenes and images the precautions people were advised to follow, how our language has changed to include words like: curfew, alerts, quarantine and online, and how we were affected and how we have adapted.

Personally, the theme of the exhibit brought up memories of toilet paper shortages, fights in grocery stores over toilet paper and more at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. So, his artwork caught my attention.

 

Within the exhibit, Taure tells nine stories printed on strips of toilet paper.

The stories captured in over 50 images, tell how life has changed for many during the pandemic in delicate woodcut designs.

 

How are we surviving? How are vendors adapting to prescribed precautions?

 

Get out and enjoy art, again.

 

Consider making an appointment to see Galeria El Zapote exhibits. It's like getting a private showing.

Support our community, support our artists.

Apoya a nuestra comunidad, apoya a nuestros artistas.

 

 

"The Toilet Paper Story" exhibit runs

until March 29, 2021 at:

Galeria

El Zapote

C. 57 #545-A x 68 y 66

Centro

Mérida, Yucatán, México

galeriaelzapote@gmail.com

 

Email El Zapote to make an appointment to view

"The Toilet Paper Story."

 

Manuel Taure is a designer, printmaker, and illustrator.

 

 

Resources:

 

Yucatan Today

Galeria El Zapote

https://yucatanmagazine.com/venue/galeria-el-zapote/

  

Microwave: Mug O'Creole Bread Pudding

First, I am shocked.

 

This recipe calls for over 11 ingredients. Me, make a recipe with more than 5 ingredients, never.

 

What happened?

 

I am getting more comfortable cooking recipes that call for more than 5 ingredients, especially, if the ingredients are fairly common. 

 

Ok, ok, I know that reducing a recipe for many to a recipe for one often does not produce the same flavor combinations.

Also, reducing a recipe for many to a recipe for one is often not exact.

Second, I was surprised this recipe uses baguette bread rather than a slice of bread, and it gave this bread pudding quite a different flavor and texture! The pudding is more dense.

 

 

Mug O’Creole Bread Pudding

(Adapted from: Best of the Best V8, p126)

 

Ingredients:

A Dab Vegetable oil

1-3 Drops Hot sauce

5-8 Dashes Onion flakes

3-5 Grinds Ground black pepper

1 Tspn Chorizo, torn into bits

1 TBspn Apple cider vinegar or 3 Tbspns pickle juice

1 Dollop Coconut cream & a dab of water, or milk

1 Dollop Cream

1 Egg

1 Piece of Baguette bread, very small or slice of bread, torn in pieces

2 TBspns Shredded cheese

Toppings:

DIY Sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro dressing

 

Variation: Add sprinkles of Parmesan Cheese

 

 

Process:

• Add oil, hot sauce, onion, pepper and chorizo to a mug.
• Stir.
• Microwave 15-30 seconds.
• Add coconut cream, cream and egg to mug.
• Whip and stir ingredients thoroughly.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Stir and mix to make sure bread is soaked in liquids.
• Place mug in microwave, cover mug with a saucer.
• Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
• Check to see if liquid had cooked off. Microwave 30-60 seconds more, if necessary.
• Eat from the mug or spread over a piece of toast with a bit of mayo.
• Add topping of choice.
  

Tip: coconut creme adds a delightful flavor.

 

 

Note: photos taken from two different times,

I made this recipe.

Freakin Frugal: Mrs F has severe burns and needs help (March 2021)

I learned of Amy's accident via Mr F's video on the Freakin Frugal YouTube channel.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qiUVhhQ2vA

 

Mr and Mrs. Freakin Frugal are in the same situation as millions of us. We can't afford quality health care, so if we have serious health issues, we often go into debt.

 

I enjoy Mr. and Mrs' Frugal videos and tips. I hope Mrs F gets well soon.

 

Microwave: Mug O'Scrambled Egg with Cilantro Aderezo (Dressing)

Life is all about solving problems. From birth to death, we face problems to solve. We fight for breath upon birth. We struggle to grasp the significance of the world around us from day one. We must learn to communicate, to move, to walk, to run, to play, to fight, to defend, to love, to wait, to plan, to laugh, to cry, to care, to repair, to decide.

As we age, many nagging problems are often insignificant. We are always learning, how to balance the checkbook, how to change a tire, how to fix the mechanical things we rely on, how to fold a fitted sheet, how to remove a stain, how to study for the latest test, how to parallel park, how to sew, how to catch the right bus, how to read the electric bill, how to find shoes that fit or the right coat or sweater to grab as we run out the door. Problems can nag at us like, forgetting to pickup eggs, milk and bread or aspirin when needed, hoping the ATM has cash and won't reject your card, forgetting to plug in the phone when the battery is low, damning the scammers & money seekers who call day and night, and struggling to find the right ingredients for a new recipe.

I have struggled to use fresh cilantro (can't find any bottles of dry cilantro or coriander where I live). Just pulling the tiny leaves off the stems is a struggle. Freezing does not work for me. So, when I saw this bottle of Cilantro Aderezo (dressing), I decided to give it a try.

Solving problems is also one of the joys of life. Buying that bottle of dressing was a good decision. It has a great taste and does make this recipe full of flavor.

This recipe reminds me of the joy of flavors and how we crave a variety of flavors, hot, sweet, salty, tangy, bitter, intense, smoky, sour, and more.

 

 

Microwave: Mug O’Scrambled Egg with Cilantro Aderezo (Dressing)
(Adapted from: Scrambled Eggs - Indian Style, BBC Food, https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/indianscrambledeggs_86454)

 

Ingredients:

1 Dollop Vegetable oil
1 Tspn Butter
3-4 Shakes Onion flakes
2-3 Drops Hot sauce
2 Grinds Black pepper
1 TBspn Salsa
1 Egg
1 Dollop Milk
Topping: Bottled Cilantro dressing

 

 

Variation, Toast Topping:
1 Tspn Mayo
1 Slice Multi-grain bread, toasted

 

Process:

Add oil, butter, onion, hot sauce, and black pepper to mug.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Add salsa, egg and milk.

Whip and stir ingredients quickly and thoroughly.
Microwave on high for 1-1:30 minutes.
Dump egg mixture onto plate or on top of toast spread with mayo.
Top with a 1/2 capful of Cilantro Aderezo.

 

 

(Product Del Molino de Cortez https://www.alcorsa.com/)

 

Microwave: Spicy, Cheesy Popcorn

Microwave: Spicy, Cheesy Popcorn

(Adapted from: https://www.thespruceeats.com/real-cheddar-cheese-popcorn-recipe-2098775)

Pre-preparation:

Make popcorn*. Store in a container with a lid.

 

*See post DIY Microwave Popcorn Maker for more information.

 

Ingredients:

4 TBspns Olive oil, spray if possible
1 Tspn Garlic powder

Ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tspn Onion flakes
1 Tspn Cumin
1 Tspn Paprika
2 Drops Hot sauce
Parmesan cheese
Cheese, shredded or grated

Note: if you want the mixture spicer, increase the amount of hot sauce, cumin, and paprika.

 

Process:

• With popcorn in a container with a lid, spray popcorn with vegetable oil. (See DIY Oil Sprayer, below.)
• Add garlic powder, ground black pepper, onion flakes, cumin, paprika, hot sauce, parmesan cheese, grated cheese and salt.
• Cover container.
• Shake container to spread the spices throughout the popcorn.

Note: I had to remove some of the popcorn to make it fit into the container.

DIY Oil Sprayer:

Use a bottle with a sprayer.

Add vegetable oil.

 

 

Alternative Process:

 

In a small, microwaveable, glass container, add oil, garlic and onion powders, cumin, paprika, hot sauce and salt.
Stir and mix ingredients together.
Microwave on high for about 10 seconds.
Remove container.
Stir and mix ingredients.
Spoon mixture over popcorn.
Sprinkle popcorn with parmesan and grated cheese.

Cover container.

Shake container to spread spices throughout popcorn.

 

DIY MIcrowave Popcorn Maker

My previous microwave popcorn "maker", a casserole dish broke. So, I had been using a cracker cardboard box to make microwave popcorn but after many uses, it bit the dust.

 

So, I checked my cardboard box stash and found another box that might work as a DIY Microwave Popcorn Maker.

 

 

I got another thin piece of cardboard and cut a piece to put inside the box on the bottom.

 

To make popcorn with your DIY Microwave Popcorn Maker*:

• In a cup, add about 1/4 cup of kernels.
• Add water to cover the kernels.
• Wait about 5 minutes to let the kernels soak up some water.
• Drain the water off the kernels.
• Add kernels to your DIY Microwave Popcorn Maker.
• Close box lid.
  
• Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.
• Wait until the popping begins to stop, where you hear only 1-3 pops. Be careful the box will be hot, the contents will be hot.
• Add popcorn to a container with a lid.

 

Basically, you add prepped popcorn to the box and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.

 

 

Most of the time, using the prepped kernels reduces the number of unpopped kernels.

 

See Microwave: Spicy, Cheesy Popcorn for a popcorn seasoning idea.

DIY: Hasty Pickle Relish

I needed to use the remaining pickles from an aging batch of DIY Quick Pickles. I thought using them in a pickle relish would work.

When I searched for a pickle relish recipe, I was surprised. Most recipes were for sweet pickle relishes and the quantities were huge because the idea was to can the relish.

But, the relish I had in mind was different, was it a dill pickle relish? Search results were similar.

So, I read a few recipes. Most of the recipes included bell peppers, celery seed, mustard seed, dill seed, turmeric, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Plus, most recipes wanted the cucumbers and bell peppers ground up in a blender.

Well, this wasn't going to happen, so I was left to improvise.

Using a recent Cucumber Relish recipe as a guide, I added and deleted a few ingredients.

I choose not to add the vinegar, lots sugar or salt because I was using pickles. Plus, I did not have celery seed, mustard seed, or dill seed. I had Turmeric, but hesitated using it. Maybe another time.

 

 

DIY: Hasty Pickle Relish

(Inspired by: Cucumber Relish, Dining with the Duchess: Making Everyday Meals A Special Occasion by Sarah, The Duchess of York and Weight Watchers, p42)

 

Ingredients:

8 DIY Quick Pickle Spears, sliced and diced

2 TBspns Bell pepper, sliced and diced

2-4 Grinds Black pepper

8 Shakes Onion flakes

1/2 Tspn Sugar

 

Process:

In a medium container with a lid, add the pickles and bell pepper.

Add black pepper, onion flakes, and sugar.

Stir thoroughly to mix ingredients.

I had to test this relish, so I added a few spoonfuls to half a ham and cheese tarta (sandwich). It turned out great!