How to pleasantly (and productively) pass 48 hours
You’re not stuck at home. You’re safe at home. Say it until you believe it! We’re three weeks in, with an ever-changing end date. So, as we get accustomed to wide-open social calendars and long stretches of “me time”—or family time or roommate time— let’s try and make the most of it. Here are a few suggestions for how to pleasantly and productively pass 48 hours.
Friday 3 p.m.
Let’s get the productivity out of the way. Organize your pantry! It’s not too complicated.
- Take everything out of the pantry.
- Get rid of the old stuff, the random stuff, and the stuff you don’t use.
- Make a list of what’s missing. (Check out this New York Times article of essential, expanded, and expert pantry items.)
- Put everything back in, nice and neat.
Now, wasn’t that fun? If you have enough motivation, follow the same process with your fridge and freezer.
Go ahead—do the spice rack too.
Friday 5 p.m.
Leisurely flip through your favorite, neglected, or new cookbooks; your mental files; or the Internet and pick out a recipe or two to try over the weekend.
Baking bread seems to be a thing now, but you could make something else, like homemade pasta, ragu, tiramisu—anything that you wouldn’t normally take the time to make from scratch.
You should be very familiar with what you already have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer, so add the recipe items you need to your list.
(Take a picture of your final shopping list and tag @ediblememphis on Insta so we can send you a multitude of virtual high fives. Oh, make sure you add lemon to your list. We’ll explain later.)
6 p.m.
It’s happy hour! Have a drink! Here are a few suggestions:
Walk to the nearest brewery and get some curbside beers to go.
Have Thunder Road deliver a quart of their buzzworthy Passionate Purple Gin Drank.
Participate in one of Phillip Ashley’s virtual chocolate tastings. Held every Friday, they include six handcrafted chocolates per person and a bottle of wine.
Knifebird is doing charcuterie boards and a bottle of wine for $40.
7 p.m.
Order takeout. We have a list to help you decide.
Before you eat, take a photo of your dinner to share on social later. If you really enjoy it, leave a nice review for the restaurant online. (Or, if you are so inclined, sketch it!) Restaurants need our support now more than ever. By ordering and sharing your positive experiences, you are helping! Tag @ediblememphis too!)
8:30 p.m.
Watch Uncorked on Netflix if you haven’t yet.
10:30 p.m.
Can’t sleep? Work on the New York Times crossword. (Yes, there’s an app for that.)
Saturday
7 a.m.
Go for a walk in Overton Park. There was a time when we merely wished that cars would get off of the Greensward. Now the entire park is car-free. It’s amazing. The Overton Park Conservancy has compiled a list of wildflowers in bloom. See if you can find them. Take pictures for posting on social or for sketching later.
9 a.m.
Get your list from yesterday and see how many items you can find at the Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market. Make sure to buy yourself flowers and find a few things for breakfast. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Chequy Bull yogurt and Jones Orchard strawberries with Tubby Creek Farm honey drizzled on top. Bonus points if you can find mint.
La Belle bread, Las Delicias guacamole, and Flourish City Farms microgreens.
Renaissance Farms bacon with eggs, Whitton Farms sautéed kale or chard, and Lockard’s Produce roasted potatoes.
Don’t want to cook? Get some tamales from the Eny’s stand.
The market has social distancing rules in place, but saying hello and asking questions are still allowed. See how your favorite farmer is faring these days.
When you get home, lay out all of your purchases, take a #farmersmarkethaul photo, and tag @ediblememphis on Insta.
Properly store your goodies. (This is a good primer.)
10:30 a.m.
Make yourself a farmers market breakfast and eat it outside. (Take another pic—we don’t mind.)
12 p.m.
Is it nap time? Find something relaxing to do. Sit on the porch, work on a puzzle, sketch, find an online yoga class, ask Burke’s to select a few books for you to read (they deliver!)—whatever sounds best to you at the moment.
4 p.m.
Order curbside groceries or schedule grocery deliveries to execute the meals you planned for the rest of the week(end). Try locally owned grocery stores first! And check out all of the farmers offering delivery in our CSA Guide.
Review restaurants’ social media menus and plan your takeout and delivery orders for the rest of the week(end).
Ask a family member, friend, or neighbor if they need any supplies. Leave a surprise on someone’s doorstep.
6 p.m.
Happy hour again! You know what to do.
Zoom, FaceTime, etc., with someone you’ve been meaning to reach out to. Don’t even text to see if it’s a good time. Just do it!
7:30 p.m.
It’s date night! Whether it’s your lover, your child, your dog, or someone streaming through your computer, make it a social affair. (Follow these easy tips for looking good on camera.)
Cook a dinner that’s out of this world and then send a virtual tip (or a nice note) to your favorite server. Or sign up for a Virtual City Tasting Tour—dinner for two (from three South Main restaurants), stories of local restaurateurs, and a little Memphis history from the comfort of your own home.
9 p.m.
Watch a highly acclaimed independent film you probably never heard of through the Indie Memphis Movie Club.
You can also stream the decade-old local short film Fresh Skweezed for free. (Maggie, a street-smart 11-year-old girl, runs a lemonade stand with her best friend, Tina, in the trailer park where she lives. Maggie is a sweet kid who knows her way around a hustle and isn’t afraid of pulling a simple con or two when sales are slow and the opportunity arises. Her schoolgirl crush on Mr. Adams, a kind and handsome neighbor, seems to be one of the few bright spots in the little girl’s day.)
10:30 p.m.
Can’t sleep? Now is a good time to send in a clip for the Music+Arts Studio crowdsourced music video for “It” from John Kilzer’s last album, Scars. It’s a song about love. Here’s how to participate.
Sunday
7 a.m.
You should be sleeping in. If not, get out the good coffee beans. Grind them. Make a nice pour-over or French press.
Sit in your favorite spot and read the spring issue of Edible Memphis. (Take a pic and tag @ediblememphis on Insta and be entered into our weekly “Sunday Funday” contest.)
9 a.m.
Make a Dutch baby pancake. It’s simply delicious. Now is the time to use that lemon. Squeeze the juice on top and serve with some strawberries from the farmers market.
10:30 a.m.
Go on a walk. Wander aimlessly, scout out native flame azaleas, or look for bears, bunnies, eggs—whatever you like.
12 p.m.
Fashion a snack plate from the ingredients you already have on hand. Snack on it throughout the afternoon. Go ahead and make it pretty with these tips.
1 p.m.
Sign up to be a part of Jamie Harmon’s amazing Quarantine Portraits series. He’s going around town and keeping a safe distance to document all of us staying at home. There is no cost, but donations are welcome through Venmo and Cash App.
1:30 p.m.
Plant something. Whether you repot your houseplants or build a small container garden in the backyard, you’re sure to get a sense of accomplishment. Did you know that you can start a garden from vegetable scraps?
This is a good time to ask yourself if macrame might be for you. Yes? Sign up for this macrame plant hanger virtual class and have the supplies delivered.
3 p.m.
Spend the rest of the day doing the things you wanted to do on this list but didn’t get to. Or come up with something else and tell us all about it!
Stacey Greenberg is the editor in chief of Edible Memphis. You can follow her at @nancy_jew.