I tried 3 quarantine trends including whipped coffee. Here’s what happened.
Reading time: 4 minutes
Quarantine turned me into a baker and self-proclaimed fashion designer. Who would’ve thought? Not me! But here we are and let’s just say banana bread has become a major food group in my diet. Here are three easy quarantine activities to spice up your new daily routine as well as where you can find them in Birmingham.
1. First Up—Banana Bread…DUH
You know you’ve really settled into the quarantine routine when you whip up banana bread. I swore to myself I wouldn’t cave into the baking trend. But after my Instagram feed became loaded with bread and cookies, the baking mits were on.
Ingredients
- 3 ripened bananas (peeled)
- 1 stick butter (softened)
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch salt
Directions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
- Soften 1 stick of butter in microwave.
- Add ripened bananas to the bowl with softened butter. Smash with fork.
- Add sugar, flour, baking soda, vanilla extract, egg and salt to bowl.
- Mix ingredients. I added walnuts and chocolate chips. Let’s just say it was the best decision I’ve made.
- Spray a bread loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour mix into the pan and place in over for 45-50 minutes.
Where to find banana bread/muffins in Birmingham
Church Street Coffee & Books
Filter-Coffee Parlor
2. Tie-dye EVERYTHING
The 60’s fashion trend is back. Tie-dye is everywhere—in major brands, local boutiques and, of course, on our Instagram feeds.
Believe it or not, most tie-dye kits have been selling out like hotcakes on Amazon. So I used a common household item—Clorox.
Photo by Chaise Sanders for BhamNow. 
Photo by Chaise Sanders for BhamNow.
Where to find tie-dye clothes in Birmingham
Poppy & Rose Clothing
Eleven Eleven
Club Duquette
3. Whipped Coffee
I have to give credit to Tik Tok for this one. I’ll take any excuse to spice up my daily coffee routine, and let’s just say, it’s a thorough workout as well.
In a perfect world, I would have used an electric whisk for a thicker consistency, but this is what came from 10 minutes of hard manual labor.
Here’s what you need to make your own:
- Put equal parts instant coffee, water and sugar into a bowl/cup.
- Whisk until the mixture is whipped (it took me about 10 minutes).
- Scoop over your choice of milk.
- Take a few artsy pictures and enjoy!
Where to find whipped coffee in Birmingham
Homewood Bagel Co.
Once you’ve tried these quarantine trends and you’re ready for some local eats, check out our growing database featuring over 490 local restaurants, bars and businesses offering deals, curbside delivery and more.
You can add your Birmingham business here for free.
What new hobbies or trends have you tried during quarantine? Tag us in your photos on social @BhamNow.
