Say hello to my quarantine crew.

My friend Meridith started taking photos for the #frontporchproject during week 6 of Virginia’s stay at home order to document these wild and crazy times so of course we jumped at the chance to get some pics done but I thought I would share them along with some of the things I have been cooking because…

I didn’t cook the same thing for 6 weeks straight during our Covid-19 lockdown.

Why? Because it became my creative release. It was a chance for me to find something that inspired me (and my stomach) and hand the baby off to my husband while I crafted away.

I actually started wanting to cook more around the holidays and asked for Half Baked Harvest’s Cookbook (pic below) because one of my sorority sisters was forever posting amazing photos from it (follow her here for inspiration).

I also am SO SICK of looking at recipes on my phone (anyone else?) so the book has been great! Now I print the recipes I pull offline too and stuff them in the front of this book if I like them.

Anyhow, you can see a play by play of what I have been cooking on on my Instagram Highlight but here are some links/notes if you’d like to cook them for yourself!

Quarantine Cooking: Pasta

Spinach and 3 Cheese Stuffed Shells – from the Half Baked Harvest Recipe from Book – We used spicy Italian sausage but I’ll use mild next time that I make it.

Ziti – I used my best friend’s mom’s recipe but this one is similar. Add a bag of frozen spinach…greens boost immunity!

Baked Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage – Holy bajesus this stuff is GOOD! A friend made it for us when we had Parker. We’ve been making it ever since although I just use regular broccoli because what the heck is “rabe” anyway?!

Quarantine Cooking: Mexican

Wahoo Burritos – The hubs speared a wahoo on our Puerto Rico vacation in February so we had been eating on it for a while (praise). It’s pretty self-explanatory (burrito shell, fish, cheese, etc) but the mango salsa is VERY important.

Veggie Enchiladas – We’ve been making these for a long time and LOVE them every time.

Quarantine Cooking: Eastern Dishes

Moroccan Chickpea and Carrot Tagine – from the Half Baked Harvest Recipe from Book – I don’t think I’d make this again but it was a fun experiment. VERY spicy though.

Koren Beef – from the Half Baked Harvest Recipe from Book – I’ve never cooked with flank steak but oh my wow was it delicious!

Egg Roll in a Bowl – SO GOOD and EASY! I also add a tablespoon of brown sugar because I like my Asian dishes with a hint of sweetness.

Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice – I loved working with chicken thighs…I usually cook with breasts!

Quarantine Cooking: Healthier Options

Black Bean Salad – I had bought SO many beans at the beginning of quarantine because I felt like I was doomsday prepping. This salad was a healthy way to use them up. I couldn’t find adobo sauce but it was fine without it!

Falafel Bowl – from the Half Baked Harvest Recipe from Book – I made my own Falafel for it but I like Trader’s Joes frozen Falafel better and it is SO much easier.

I’d love to hear…what have you been cooking and loving?!

OH ALSO! The hubs signed me up for Laithwaites Wine Delivery and it’s been amazing! Especially during the quarantine. Message me if you want to give it a try and I’ll get you a discount code.