Cooking in the Time of Covid-19: Left Overs, Having Time to Bake and Have Breakfast Every Day.

With all the cooking we have been doing at home, we are trying to use up ingredients before grocery shopping. When Logan made his Chinese food, we had quite a few beansprouts left over, we had some pot stickers in the freezer, and left over peas and carrots. Well, this is I suppose pot sticker soup instead of won ton soup but in a pandemic lock-down, a dumpling is a dumpling and we had a nice simple meal for lunch on a chilly day that satisfied.

Soup is pretty easy. Basically you are boiling ingredients together and getting the juices in the liquid and the yum taste in the solids. Obviously you have to have a little zing — a little added flavor so obviously you have to add your pepper, your salt (in this case soy, as we are making an Asian styled soup) your chives, garlic and onion. I added a bit of sesame oil for added flavor. Bring to a boil and stir before lowering heat to simmer the soup for about another 5 to 8 minutes. If you have soup noodles you can add that in as well but it’s not necessary. Stir-frys and soups are great ways to use up left overs and create new yummy dishes. Don’t throw out. Figure it out and enjoy your new creation.

While locked-down, there has been a lot more treat making — I don’t really bake but there has been time to use out those frozen pie shells I’ve been accused of hoarding. So there has been apple pie, pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies — No wonder the 20-year-old treats us like Skip the Dishes.

One thing I do like about being off the usual clock, is the time to make what you want to eat for breakfast. I like breakfast but I rarely eat it. Now, while we still get up around 7, we have a much more relaxed routine in the morning. Coffee and Latte comes first as always but we sit and watch the news longer. Then we decide what we feel like eating. For me it is usually just the latte or a smoothie to go. The only time I eat breakfast is when we are away on holiday or on business. It’s has been nice having pancakes around here a few times a week, or bacon and eggs and orange juice, or a non-rushed grilled cheese, or actual yogurt and fruit instead of protein powder, water and maybe a l bit of fruit. I love having time.

I love not rushing. This is a very busy family and we remember everything and get it all done and I work very hard at keeping a relaxed vibe in spite of the pace but with no busy schedule, it has been really nice just moving at a slower pace and not always working backwards from the time we are supposed to be somewhere. It sucks to be stuck at home this long but for what it is worth, this virus has given us time back — for ourselves, our loved ones and for the things we never seem to have time for.

Stay Home. Stay Safe. Enjoy the time. We will get there. #Teachyour teenagertocook ~ Daniella and family.