It has been a running joke for years in my family that if I'm in the kitchen baking and making a mess, I'm probably stressed about some school assignment or exam that I should probably be working on instead. We call it “procrasti-baking.” I even have a running list of old favorites and new recipes to try out when I've got the time to waste (or time I should be using to do something else).
I like to think that I was a good student in High School who had good time management, and cooking/baking was really just a mechanism for stress relief that still involved some brain power, focus, and creativity. I blast some classic 70s and 80s tunes either in the kitchen stereos or in my headphones, and dance my way through a dish. Even the stress that comes with a new, complex recipe that probably won't come out perfect still gives me a sense of accomplishment. Yes, my dorm building has a communal kitchen, but and I have a mandatory meal plan to use, and there truly is nothing like having full command and access to your own fully stocked pantry, fridge, and stove. The therapeutic nature of the kitchen (when it’s not a mess) truly feels at home to me, something I dearly missed while being in college.
My appreciation for cooking has hit an all time high during the COVID-19 quarantine, and for many reasons. First of all, the stress, anxiety, and fear I've been experiencing during such a rapidly growing pandemic, as well as many others issues that our world is facing, subsides when I'm in the kitchen. When I first had to leave school and come back home, everything was in the air in terms of going back or moving out for good. I didn't yet know that I would be losing my spring semester of freshman year, and I wouldn't see my roommate and best friends for months. My friends and family were separated, some of them more directly affected by COVID-19 than others. My dad had to work from home under stressful circumstances, and my siblings and I were forced to complete our courses online, fighting for house space to do school-work. We also all chose to complete our own extra summer courses while at home, which were intensive 5-week college courses for actual credit.
Secondly, as a member of the family who volunteers to do the grocery shopping for my home and my elderly grandparents, I was able to take the anxiety that came with going to a store, mask gloves and all, and take those ingredients to make something comforting and delicious. I also found that gifting food, like homemade bread or muffins, to neighbors and my grandparents, has temporarily filled the hole that social distancing has created in my interactions with those I care about. Food can truly be a hug, kiss, and "I'm thinking of you" message all in one. With my parents more busy than ever working from from home, I've been able to contribute in cooking dinner when needed, and am always up for cookie/dessert recommendations when they have them. My sister's birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and my dad's birthday all fell under quarantine, so I made sure that the breakfast, dinner, and dessert menus were just as special at home as they would've been going out.
Although I’ve been cooking up a storm during these past months in quarantine, I’ve honestly felt pretty healthy, much healthier than when I first came home. That could be due to the increased variety of nutrients that I've been eating compared to a college dining hall, stress I’ve had over my summer class and everything going on the world making me lose my appetite, or that fact that everything that I have consumed I have made myself or went to the store to buy all the ingredients that my mom or dad needed in order to make it. Everything I've been eating I have seen it been made, or made it myself, from start to finish. This helps me keep track of how much oil and sodium and sugar I'm eating. I'm not even a strict calorie or macros counter anymore, but it's still important for me to know that my diet is somewhat balanced (we won't talk about the brownie and cookie escapades, shhhhh).
Cooking from home has been really cost-effective as well, even for a family of 5 (6 if you count my dog, Ruby). One large bag of flour and a few packets of yeast have produced countless loafs of bread that I didn't have to go to the Italian bakery to buy every few days. Although we miss getting out of the house and having someone else do the cooking and cleanup for us, we've saved so much on not going to restaurants (I would however advise that you help out local businesses and get a takeout order once a week or so if you can!).
It's probably evident how much I've been cooking based on the fact that most of my first posts on this blog have just been about food, but formulating my own recipes, as well taking the glamour shots of my latest creations, are really fun, fast, and fulfilling activities while staying inside. I'm not saying I'm a perfect chef, as I've definitely made some burnt bread and salty brownies in my time, but like anything else, practice makes perfect. I feel like I have my own Bon Appetite, Martha Stewart, and SORTED Food test kitchen right at home. It doesn't even have to be minutely decorated cream puffs or an extravagant layer cake for me to feel proud. An instagram-worthy smoothie bowl or fried egg on avocado toast in the morning even puts me in a good mood.
During quarantine and long after, I'll still be yearning to cook and bake more often, and I hope you do the same. If you've got some cookbooks collecting dust on your shelf, been wanting to take up a new hobby, are striving to eat healthier home cooked meals, or are just in need of a new creative outlet, I encourage you to get in the kitchen and get started! It's so much easier than it seems, and in no time you'll be turning out show-stopping, impressive concoctions for yourself and others.
Eat Up,
Olivia Lorraine
