Someone’s in the kitchen…
Surprisingly it’s me! I hate quarantine because I miss everything I loved about my life: going to class, being a journalist, seeing my friends, being around family, going out to eat, and spending time at my sorority house. Those last few things posed a bit of a problem when I ended up in my apartment alone. My mom is a great cook and so are all the chefs who worked the ZTA kitchen. When I did have to feed myself on weekends, I turned to leftover boxes from Zeta, eating out, and take out. There was nothing wrong with that because it was the weekend, so only two days…nothing to break the bank…but now it’s different.
Now I’m at my apartment for three meals a day and I was worried how I was going to survive and get the appropriate nutrition. I’ve actually discovered a love for cooking and a few new recipes. It turns out, I really enjoy being in the kitchen. Here are five of my recent creations: ranked!
Coming at number 5 we have a tie between Buckeyes and Edible Cookie Dough. That’s right dessert. Dessert is an essential part of my list as a chocolate lover with a sweet tooth. Go ahead and tell me those are the ugliest buckeyes you’ve ever seen. I know they are, I didn’t have toothpicks so I used a fork and it got messy with the melted chocolate. But they taste delicious so I’m not mad about it; sometimes it’s what’s on the inside that counts. These deserts are great to nibble on, but the recipes make a lot, so I halved all the measurements for my quarantine cooking adventures.
Next at number 4 we have a knew twist on a classic: Savory Italian Popcorn. Sounds random and it is. I have so many packs of popcorn in my pantry that I looked up 50 Food Network Recipes to enhance the popcorn experience. A ton of them sound fantastic. I mean these recipes range from Margarita to Blue Cheese Almond. I have few ingredients in my pantry but staying true to my Italian roots I have the staples: olive oil, butter and spices. I tossed the popped popcorn in olive oil, drizzled it with butter and sprinkled on a mixture of Italian spices (oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme). Then added a bit of parmesan cheese and tossed it all again. It tastes like a culinary masterpiece but in a basic snack.
At number 3 is homemade pasta served with a variety of sauces. I liked this recipe because it tells you how to make the pasta with fancy gadgets as well as completely by hand (like I did!). This was my first attempt at making pasta from scratch and it was by no means perfect, but I had a ton of fun and it was pretty good! It turns out if you don’t have a rolling pin, a cheap bottle of wine works pretty well. I had so much fun whipping the eggs into the flower and kneading the dough. Then I let it set overnight because I also still have homework to do. Creating the actual pasta with a pizza cutter was fun even though I’m evidently bad at at it. I ended up with some spaghetti and some fettuccine style; both were pretty good.
At number 2 we have imitation Chinese takeout in the form of Honey Siracha Chicken. I put this recipe, with it’s great sauce and savory chicken, over brown rice that I cooked then lightly fried. This was one of my best creations yet in general. I didn’t take any pictures of this because I ate it really fast (that’s how good it was and it was a late dinner).
And coming in at number 1 is my famous cheese board. Not to brag too much, but I’ve always been a master cheese board creator. As a lover of the finer things in life (you can tell from the $5 bottle of wine I used as a rolling pin), I hold a special place in my heart for the beauty of a good cheese board. My friends have made fun of me for claiming a charcuterie board is a meal and using the buffet on our Spring Break cruise to craft my own amazing cheese plate. I stand by my beliefs: well made cheese board is a meal or the best gathering appetizer. Not to mentions they’re simply so pretty, unlike some of my other creations (see buckeyes above). Here is some of my best work at the cheese board.
The next dish on my list to make is this Thai Peanut Cauliflower Wings. I started looking around at one of my favorite recipe blogs and came across a lot of great food blogs in my internet search for nourishment! These recipes are courtesy of:
Don’t be afraid to send some compliments to the chef (seriously quarantine is really lonely) and Bon appétit!