Middle Eastern Chicken Soup (click for link to recipe)
I don’t know where you are right now but we are in the middle of a National and State Emergency with Coronavirus. My high schooler is off from school until April 13th and my college student is home until at least April 5th. My wife got the notice to work from home, until at least April 13th, but after some discussion we decided it is best for her to go into work. She will be one of 2-5 people on her floor and she works best in a structured environment. It will also be best for my son. He is autistic and change in and of itself is difficult. So, we have been talking as a family about how we are viewing this like summer vacation. We are reverting back to that schedule for the foreseeable future to help keep things “normal.” If my wife were here with us it would create another layer that would be a disruption during our normal day to day routine. So lots of hand sanitizer, wiping down her desk morning and night, keyboards, and chair until this passes or they close the building.
How does this all relate to food? Well think about all your good memories. There are usually two or three things that bring them to the front of your mind. A song. That you hear on television or in the car. A scent. Perfume, cologne or food cooking. A particular food. Grandma’s Tuna Noodle Casserole or Mom’s Meatloaf. Food can transport us to kitchens of long ago, remind us of happy thoughts of people now long gone, or to places we have traveled. Now that many of us are in social isolation pull out those recipes and make the memories for your family.
Sloppy Joe Skillet Pasta (click for link to recipe)
I went to the grocery store last night to pick up a few essentials. I went late at night thinking it would be less crowded. It was like a holiday! Long lines and empty shelves. Fortunately I only do a big shop once a month so we are well stocked. I was just looking to pick up some milk, dairy, eggs, and produce plus a couple other things it would be fun to have with everyone home. Nothing urgent. Almost everything was out of stock. No milk, no potatoes, no carrots, and I bought the last two bunches of bananas. Could I do without? Yes, but they are nice to have on hand.
So, obviously everyone is stocking up for 2 -4 weeks. The best thing you can do? Inventory what you have so that it will not spoil and you are not throwing away money. Meal plan. Use up the produce and leftovers in new ways so your family will eat pork, chicken, or beef for a few meals and not get bored with it. Try new dishes, new flavors, and those old favorites too.
Balsamic Roasted Red Potato Salad (click for link to recipe)
Get your family to help and pitch in. Now is a great time to teach them your families secret sauce recipe and have them help make it. One of my goals before my children graduated high school was that they could each cook several meals from scratch that they could take with them as they left home. Both kids are decent cooks and I use this space as kind of a cookbook for them. This is where I hope they will come someday when they think remember that dish Mom used to make with….
What did you stock up on for these next few weeks? What do you want ideas for using up? Can you share something you will be making with us?
What's for Dinner Moms? 
Since morning I have been thinking the same to write about. though India is not in that stage yet but with schools shut and restriction of public gatherings people are slowly getting restricted. and I totally agree this is a great time to connect our families with food and cooking. Lovely post
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Thank you so much! I wish for health for your family and all of us!
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That balsamic salad looks absolutely delicious. As difficult a time as we’re all going through, it’s also a good time to get back to basics in many respects. Teach kids to cook and appreciate the little things. Even older kids that previously had no interest …
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Yes! I am looking at this as a reset for my family in many ways.
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You’re such a good mom. Take care of your family. 💜
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Thank you, Gail! You too! How is Chicago?
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We had to fly through Chicago. O’Hare was empty, for noon. No customers at McDonalds or Starbucks. Never see that! 👀🍃 We’re back in Indiana and it’s snowing! ❄️
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My husband went to the store and came back with the craziest things. Everything was sold out so he was just buying what was there. He also got shredded cheese, which we didn’t need but he said it was the last one. It’s crazy. He does better in the office too – his work has asked people to work from home, but he will probably go in as well.
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The guy with 2 large cases of Ramen, 48 cans of Spaghetti Os, 48 boxes of blue box mac & cheese, and 24 jars of spaghetti sauce with one small bottle of detergent was the strangest I saw. We are hoping it was for a food bank or a school. People were crazy!
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Hi Marci, you are more advanced in your situation with this virus than we are. Our schools are open but are pushing hygiene and sending daily updates, at work all social events are cancelled and client meetings can’t be more than 25 people. Both places are supplying hand santizer and have upped their cleaning of door knobs, computer keyboards and the like. We have a ton of rice and pasta to use as my dad went a bit crazy on his last shopping spree. We also have stacks of tuna fish so we won’t get vitamin deficient.
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Tuna is great! I also bought a few things of canned salmon just to have on hand, just in case. I hope it stays low key for you and that it all passes quickly for all of us.
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E’ un periodo difficile e molto preoccupante per tutti!!. Forza, a tutte voi un grande saluto.
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It is a scary time for all of us! Thank you for stopping by and hope you will be back again!
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Lovely post!
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Thank you!
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Yum! We all need a little extra comforting food these days. Thanks for sharing – Danielle
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Thank you so much!
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I love your site. My thanks for sharing such a good post. I was looking for thoughts on this topic last Thursday. I will come back to read more and inform my coworkers about your site. Do you know “Mexican Food Crevel Europe” is most selling food in COVID-19. If you don’t, then search for it.
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Thank you so very much! I will look it up.
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“Now is a great time to teach them your families secret sauce recipe and have them help make it.” I did this with my mom’s famous lasagna recipe and Spanish turkey stuffing. Recipes like these need to be passed on to the next generation. Great idea for your kids! They probably enjoyed the process too. I know I did!
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Yes! Awesome idea!
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