MY FAVORITE QUARANTINE RECIPES

Photo by: Half Baked Harvest

I love cooking SO much, on just a regular day, but during quarantine I have been experimenting more than ever! Plus, if I am in the kitchen I definitely have Food Network on, so I am always getting inspo.

My all-time favorite place to get recipes from is Half Baked Harvest. I am obsessed with Tieghan, and she does daily tutorials on her Instagram stories of whatever she is making! Most of the time, she will post a recipe and then I will make it, lol, or I will scour her sight for whatever I am in the mood for.

The top recipes I have made from her (that are a fan fav with my whole fam) are:

• Cheesy Lemon Zucchini Orzo
• This was SO good. I was basically licking the bowl, but I am also a huge lemon gal. We are big lovers of orzo in our house and this recipe is like orzo risotto, and I was able to use coconut milk which I love! 
• Salted Caramel Pretzel Snickerdoodles
• I made these at Christmas and my fam still talks about them. These are probably some of the best snickerdoodles I have ever had, and I am a huge proponent for pretzels in cookies!
• 5 Ingredient Beer Bread
• I have made this 3 times already during quarantine and each time, it lasts maybe a day. This bread is unreal. If you make anything - MAKE THIS! It is SO EASY, seriously one bowl, no fuss, 5 ingredients. 
• Crispy Persian Rice
• The crispy rice is delicious, but a little too oily for my taste. I am going to try to make this again with less oil/butter and probably add Sriracha, because everything is better spicy IMO. 

One of the best parts of Tieghan's recipes is that they are easy to modify to your needs/what's in your fridge. She is always offering substitutions on Instagram right after she bakes something, which I love since I am lactose intolerant! I have her cookbook at my house in Columbia, and am itching to get back to make something from it. 

If I am not cooking something from HBH, I either make up my own recipes, or find some from Instagram/Pinterest! I have made lemon blueberry muffins, easy shakshuka (so SO tasty), kale salads, Italian margaritas, ginger soy glazed salmon, and a lot of greek potatoes. 

Every day I swear all I do is look forward to dinner... anyone else!? Currently, it is Holy Week for Orthodox Christians so we are fasting, aka no meat, and I have been getting really creative with recipes! I cannot stop thinking about the lamb on Sunday though lol. 

Let me know if y'all like this little segment and if you would like me to share more food and recipe content! Comment below your favorite meal you've made during quarantine.

HOW I AM SPENDING MY TIME DURING QUARANTINE

Quarantine has been, not that bad... it really just feels like I am home for break from school, except I am never going back to school! Crazy, right? Days are going by slow, but weeks going by fast. I cannot believe April is already half way over! I will definitely be sharing some April favorites at the end of this month, but for now, here's what's been going on during quarantine for lil' ol' me...

HOW I'M FEELING AS A COLLEGE SENIOR DURING COVID

Ah... Who else still feels like they are trapped in an alternate universe desperately trying to find a way out? That's how I feel.

This is definitely one of the most insane times in my life, surprisingly I feel as if I've dealt with worse in terms of my personal issues and mental health, but this is affecting every single one of us. Every person on Earth is affected in some way, which blows my mind. And every single persons feelings toward this situation are valid. Some are losing loved ones, some are losing jobs, and others are losing experiences.

This time has caused so much anxiety and heartbreak in my life. The unexpected has occurred and I emotionally did not know how to handle how I was feeling. I think we are all aware now that most of us are grieving, and personally, I have never grieved before. I am grieving the opportunity I prayed for years for and earned after college being cancelled. Me and every other college senior got their senior year taken from them with no questions asked. It is a strange feeling, and for a while I did not let myself be sad, but it is heartbreaking. None of us could have never imagined any of this...

I didn't get to attend my senior year formal, the spring tailgate, receive my senior superlative, celebrate accomplishments with my closest friends, have one last night singing Sweet Caroline (that we definitely wouldn't remember), late night cookout run, my final times in a classroom, one last meal in the sorority house, or visit my freshman dorm.

It may seem like nothing, but we don't get those final memories. The final memories with friends we may not see anytime soon, which is difficult to accept and understand. We are left with no closure, and constant wonder.

But now, all we have is memories. Memories to reflect on, to cherish, to share. And all we have is hope. Hope this will all end soon, and hope we will fill those voids eventually.

So, if you are a college senior, let's blast Closer by The Chainsmokers and look back on Freshman year, then Sophomore, then Junior, then Senior year...

I promise it will bring you joy during this tough time.

PS: I am going to write a whole reflection on my Carolina experience soon. ♥

NETFLIX RECOMMENDATIONS

What better time than now to binge Netflix? I wanted to share my all-time favorite Netflix shows. Like everyone, we have a little extra time on our hands and the urge to watch new shows. So, whether you want a fun, witty short series or a day long binge, here are my recs!

Let me know if any of these are your favorites, and if not, what yours are! Thanks for stopping by. 

xo,

jojo