I’d be lying if I didn’t say that part of me loves some of the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. As I am a glass half full type of gal, I am embracing the unexpected benefits of quarantine life.
Namely I get to spend more time in the kitchen (out of necessity and desire) as the mandatory social distancing measures have kept me close to home and out of the shops and restaurants.
The only issue has been the panic buying that has left shelves empty. Yeast or brown sugar anybody? It makes me wonder if anyone ever used their kitchens before the pandemic. I am encouraged that people are rekindling a passion or simply finding joy in making a meal.
Clearly people are finding comfort and solace or managing anxiety in their kitchens. I love seeing what everyone has been baking or cooking on their social media feeds. (Mostly it’s sour dough bread – which I am still trying to understand. What’s the big deal?)
Quarantine cooking is a thing that I quickly embraced after an initial week of just eating chips and drinking red wine to ease my pandemic-related anxiety.
Because I cook most of my meals 96 per cent of the time, I am often trying new recipes or dishes. I’ve said this before – I am not much of a baker. Baking pies, cookies and breads just doesn’t appeal to me. What am I going to do with an entire pie? Thankfully my coworker Elsie lives close by so I have been regularly dropping off dishes on her doorstep.
Since I have a lot of time on my hands, I decided to try my hand at baking a few fun dishes. It’s been going very well. I gained 5 pounds over the first five weeks, and it will take another 5 weeks to drop the weight.
Blueberry Grunt – An East Coast favourite
I started with one of my favourite treats from my youth. I called my aunt and mother for tips in making blueberry grunt. If you’re from the east, you will likely remember this childhood favourite. Essentially it’s a cobbler or biscuits with wild blueberries. The grunt in the name comes from the sound the blueberries make when cooking.
One bite of this dish and I was immediately taken back to my childhood where I would spend countless afternoons picking blueberries in the woods behind our house. Blueberries were a staple in the summer and we would use them in everything – pancakes, muffins, pies etc.
Cinnamon buns – Yes they are vegan
My first attempt (and only attempt) to make cinnamon buns was a success. I followed a basic vegan recipe that I found online. I didn’t realize I was out of brown sugar until I was ready to use it in my recipe. Off I went to three different grocery stores – all three out of brown sugar.
At the third store, I purchased brown sugar cubes. So I had to loosen up the sugar in order to use it in my recipe. After a few trials and errors, I figured it out and the buns came together nicely. I have to make these again. They were delicious. I have since purchased a big bag of brown sugar.
Pizza from scratch, why not?
Another childhood memory – making pizza from scratch. No pre-bought crusts in rural Nova Scotia. In recent years, I have bought the vegan pizza crusts (when I can find it) or I have ordered take out.
But I have to tell you nothing, absolutely nothing beats making your own pizza crust with your own loving hands. I’ve made pizza twice over the last two months. I made a thin crust pizza and a deep dish pizza using my cast iron skillet. I prefer the thin crust because I taste more the of veg toppings.
My favourite toppings: pineapple, green olives, arugula and tomatoes. I used some vegan cheese but honestly you don’t need it.
Easy Soft Pretzels for the bread lovers
Honestly I don’t know how I ended up down the pretzel rabbit hole. I can count on one hand how may times I have bought pretzels in my life. Since learning how to make them, I can’t seem to get enough.
A pretzel is simply water and flour. That’s it. But it’s so much more when you add cinnamon or vegan butter. Oh so good. I have made pretzels three times, and they keep getting better with every twist of the dough. My coworker Elsie even gave one of my cinnamon pretzels a thumbs up (and she is a tough critic).
Attempt: I made injera – the Ethiopian flatbread – after coming across a bag of teff flour that I purchased last year. It turned out OK but I didn’t take any pictures of it so I cannot share with you. I followed a recipe on YouTube but I don’t think it was a good one. I will keep you posted as I want to perfect this flatbread.
Pantry cleaning and mindful shopping
Since the pandemic has wrecking havoc on our lives, I have been cooking a lot with frozen vegetables from Canada. Some would argue they are just as good as the fresh stuff since they are frozen immediately after they are harvested. Frozen food may even be safer when you think about all the concerns over foodborne illnesses caused by germs etc.
Because health officials have encouraged us shop only once a week for essentials including groceries, I have been very mindful of what I purchase and what’s in my cupboards. Now is not the time (or anytime for that matter) to waste food. If I am out of something, I am out of something. I have to say the baking has been fun.
I have not had a desire to make sour dough bread but never say never.
Have you tried some new dishes or baking during the quarantine? What have you made? Did you do a lot of cooking or baking before the pandemic? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.