Many people have explored cooking as a new hobby during COVID-19 quarantine.
Cooking and baking make for great time fillers and stress relievers, things everyone
needs during these difficult times. Junior Aubry and Sophomore Miriam Spaulding are
sisters who have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. They say it has helped them
stay busy and they have enjoyed trying new recipes. They both provided recipes they
have mastered while at home, which are down below.
Cooking has helped in many ways to get people through quarantine. Miriam Spaulding
shared, “I feel like I would be so bored if I didn’t cook. Also, it’s nice to know how to
cook so we don’t have to go to restaurants. I feel like we take less of a risk by cooking.”
Aubry Spaulding says, “I think that Coronavirus has helped me be more creative with
my cooking.”
Junior Ella Triplett has been cooking during quarantine too. She said that she has
enjoyed having more time to cook. Triplett says, “I haven't been as rushed so I've had a lot more time to cook and experiment with recipes. My Saturdays aren't as busy as they would have been if we weren't in quarantine, so I've made it to the farmers market almost every week for vegetables to cook with. I have also had time to make a lot of sourdough bread, which I wouldn't have been able to do if we were in school because of how long it takes to ferment. I have definitely done more cooking and been more creative about it than I was before quarantine.” Cooking with fresh vegetables is a great way to make sure that we are still staying healthy during quarantine.
Baking is extremely helpful for our lives in general, but especially in times of stress.
According to sciencefocus.com, cooking and baking can improve mental health by
encouraging creativity, goal-oriented activity, and focused attention, while also engaging
little used senses, like taste and smell. The rewarding feeling of making something you can share is a great self-esteem and confidence booster. Try one or all of these recipes
provided by the Spauldings and Triplett and let us know how it turns out.
Simple White Cake
Ingredients
● 1 cup white sugar
● ½ cup butter
● 2 large eggs eggs
● 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
● 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
● 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
● ½ cup milk
Directions
● Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch
pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
● In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at
a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the
creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until the batter is smooth.
Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
● Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake for 20 to 25
minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.
Monster Cookies
Ingredients
● 1 cube margarine or butter
● 1 ⅛ cups brown sugar
● 1 cup white sugar
● 1 ½ cups peanut butter
● 1 tsp vanilla
● 2 tsp baking soda
● 1 cup M&Ms
● 1 cup chocolate chips
● 4 ½ cups oatmeal
● 3 eggs
● ½ tsp salt
Directions
Mix ingredients. Hint: Start with 4 cups of oatmeal and add peanut butter or oatmeal to desired consistency. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes.
Irish Brown Bread (makes one small loaf)
Ingredients
● 2 cups whole wheat flour
● 1/2 cup rolled oats
● 1/8 cup steel cut oats
● 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
● 2 teaspoons flax seeds
● 1/2 teaspoon salt
● 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
● 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
● 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
● 1 cup buttermilk
● 1 egg
● 1 tablespoon sorghum molasses (or regular molasses)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease an 8-inch cast iron skillet
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda,
fennel seeds, and flax seeds. Using a fork, cut the butter into the flour
and stir to combine. Make a well in the middle of the flour
3. In a small bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, and molasses, then pour into flour
mixture and stir until just combined
4. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead about 5 min or
until dough begins to get stretchy (it will be very sticky!)
5. Shape dough into a roughly round loaf and transfer to skillet. Make two
slashes in a cross shape across the top and sprinkle with flour, then
bake 28-32 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean
6. Cool for a few minutes in the skillet, then finish cooling on a cooling rack.
Let cool completely before slicing
Written by Kylie Broce
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