This is a challenging, scary, stressful, and anxious time for the individual, the family, the community, the state, the country, and the world. We are desperately in need of so many things - medical equipment, good leadership, answers, loved ones, and more. At the same time, much of the current situation is out of your control and mine. Other than practicing social distancing, staying at home, washing our hands, and staying educated, we can’t do much else to regain our old sense of normalcy.
Next to a long list of can’t-control things stands one can-control with incredible comforting and healing powers: and that’s gratitude. Make it a daily practice, as often as washing your hands, to feel it transform your days. Here’s my gratitude list. Yeah, it’s a lot of quarantine things, probably similar to how yours looks. That’s life right now.
Home-cooked, comfort-food meals
Within a matter of days, Mom, Dad, and I acquired three more bodies in our house, now that my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew (!!!) rushed their move-in date from late May of this year to late March. So instead of cooking for three and boxing up leftovers after dinner, I’m multiplying ingredients and recipes and we’re all cleaning our plates at the end of the meal. I certainly do not mind two additional, appreciative, and very hungry taste-testers (my nephew sticks mostly to breast-milk) at the table!
The photo above is one of a big batch of homemade ham and spinach mac and cheese - a dish Dad and I normally reserve for the days following Christmas and Easter, when we have 3/4 of a giant ham consuming most of our fridge space. But, since the days are blending together and we’re cooking at home more than ever before, we decided not to wait for the post-holiday-days. This is a recipe based off a basic one from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta - I spiced it up a little bit and will be sharing the recipe here later this week!
Speaking of cheesy crowd-pleasing meals - enchiladas! I always underestimate this dish. In my opinion, restaurant, store-bought, and take-out versions always seem mushy with refried beans and overstuffed with rice, an unnecessary addition. Making a pan of enchiladas at home is my favorite way to make them, and no, I’m not biased. I just know what I like. When I’m feeling like it, I’ll roll them up and snuggle one stuffed tortilla next to another, but lately, I’ve been loving - and my taste-testers strongly agree with me - layers of tortilla, chicken, veggies, cheese, beans, and sauce.
Like the mac and cheese, my version of this classic crowd-pleasing comfort food will be on the blog in the coming week or two. The only question remaining is: rolls or layers??
Baking (mainly the Comfort Cookies)
In a baking mood (like 90% of my life) one Monday afternoon, I dug through the pantry to find my go-to cookie ingredients: turbinado sugar, whole-wheat pastry flour, and big dark chocolate chunks. For the first time in a long time, our pantry contained not a single one of those ingredients. Instead, we had all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and - my least favorite - miniature milk chocolate chips. I could’ve surrendered, walked away from the pantry and brushed the little baking fairy off my shoulder on that Monday afternoon. As you probably guess, I did not surrender - I walked right into that pantry with the baking fairy on my shoulder encouraging me to make do with what we had on hand.
And I’m darn glad I did that because look what I - no, we - have been rewarded with! Crispy-edged, gooey-centered chocolate chip (both milk and dark) cookies. I shall call them “comfort cookies”, a name that seems most fitting these days.
Get the recipe here!
My people
So many of my friends and peers are living alone right now because that was their situation before the pandemic, or because they just don’t want to go home to their older parents and put them at a high risk of infection. I feel so lucky in my situation, having been at home with my parents for almost six months now, in the suburbs (far from Minnesota’s main metropolitan area), and at a relatively low risk. Though I sometimes go a little stir-crazy and feel desperately in need of both alone time and interaction with young adults - an age group I haven’t seen or spoken to in almost two months now - I’m incredibly thankful that I can physically hold my loved ones close in this season of life.
Also, I’m an AUNT! Pictured above are Grandma and Grandpa Hansen holding sweet little baby Judah before we put him to bed. He gives light to our cloudiest days, and I love him more than I thought was possible.
Small gestures with big impacts
Period information is not - and should not be - TMI for anyone, so here goes. My symptoms have been borderline unbearable on the first day of my period, and last Saturday, they hit me like a freight train - cramps, nausea, fatigue, and lower back pain took up most of my energy that day. At least I was locked inside by rain and stay-at-home orders! To ease the pain and discomfort, I kept a bottle of Midol nearby (and followed the dosage instructions - don’t worry) and a muscle-relaxing heat pad on my lower abdomen most of the day.
Thennnnnn… wait for it…
I got a sweet text from my guy telling me to check my doorstep for a little package he’d dropped off: our first picture picture together-ish (our hands, at least), my favorite candy that I rarely buy for myself, and not just one, but TWO bottles of my favorite wine from San Luis Obispo! He’s officially a keeper. Thanks Brandon :)
Anyone else feel like they might head straight for the Olympic speed-walking team when all this is over? Just me? Cool.
Well, my daily walks bring me buckets of joy, and seeing the sidewalk-chalk artwork by the kiddos in my neighborhood multiplies those buckets by ten. Whether their parents prompt these uplifting notes, I don’t know and I don’t care, because they’re adorable and encouraging. Childlike joy and hope, I believe, can fill some of our heart’s deepest needs right now.
Reading
Things I read: the newspaper, online news articles, the NYT Food column, Bon Appetit’s Highly Recommend and anything by Carla Lalli Music, mine and my dad’s writing (proof-reading), and a few books I always keep on my nightstand. These days, I need a break from the news, and I rely on the few books on my nightstand to bring me out of a news-rut. I just finished Harry Potter, book #1, and I’m waiting for book #2 to arrive, which probably won’t be until the pandemic subsides. Until then, I’m seeking out a light-hearted read - any recommendations? Comment below!
Spending time in the sun
Spring is spring-ing! And it’s doing so right at the time we Minnesotans need it most. The sunshine does, however, make staying home and away from popular lakes and gathering a little difficult, BUT it’s necessary and the sooner we start distancing and staying home, the sooner we can get back out there. Thankfully, staying home doesn’t mean staying indoors at all times. We like to make use of the deck in our backyard and the porch in our front yard on sunny days like this one. With a big snack plate on the table and a drink in hand for each of us, we perch ourselves on the porch for as long as the sun shines. I used to take this for granted and preferred happy hours at on a restaurant or brewery patio, but now, without those options, this is like a little slice of heaven.
My go-to cocktail lately: a glass of kombucha with a shot of vodka, stirred not shaken (do not shake kombucha).
Your turn! Tell me - what are you grateful for right now?
Thanks for reading! I hope this post brought some light to what may be some dark days for you. More importantly, I hope you’re encouraged to cultivate gratitude in your everyday life. I promise you - a daily gratitude practice makes such a difference.