2020 has not turned out as we all have hoped. We are only into the third month of 2020, and I'm already labeling it, "annus horribilis," however, I like to stay optimistic in my views for my own mental health.
The year is not over, and in my opinion, there is still time for 2020 to become "annus mirabilis." At the very beginning of the year, my family had its own personal crisis which caused me to take pause with many things in life. My focus was somewhere else and not on this blog.
And then COVID-19 quarantine came into play. Normal life as we knew it has stopped.
I am cooking quite often, and am also taking my own mother meals and leaving it on her porch almost daily. My daughter and I traveled to Orlando via plane in mid-March as COVID-19 was approaching, so I've been self-isolating with limited contact except for my husband and children since March 15. We are fine, but each time we go to the grocery store, we put ourselves at risk.
When I made my first grocery run, store ingredients were limited. We all need simple, easy family meals with very limited-ingredients. The following five recipes are meals that I have made my family.
Broccoli-Tofu Pasta is very easy, and my children love it. The original recipe calls for chicken, but years ago, I switched it to tofu, and it was a hit. You could also make this with shrimp.
This Chicken Tetrazzini recipe has been in my family for close to 50-years. Another family introduced it to my parents before I was born, and I grew up eating this dish. It is my mom's favorite meal. This recipe can also be adapted to use with tuna fish or shrimp.
If you can find a fresh eggplant, then this Eggplant Parmesan recipe is super easy. My husband does not really care for eggplant, but he likes this recipe. It is one of his favorite meals. I typically serve it with pasta.
Will does not care for regular meatloaf, but he likes my Mini Balsamic Meat Loaves. My children prefer the ground beef without the balsamic glaze so you can do them plain as well. I typically call them indoor hamburgers without the bun and cheese. That wording seems to please them more than using the word meatloaf.
I bought a bag of frozen whiting (fish) before food supplies became limited with COVID-19. This easy oven-baked fish recipe could also be used with any white, mild fish such as cod, catfish, flounder or tilapia. It's a good recipe to help switch up entrees in the kitchen.
Please let me know if you try any of these recipes.
I also made some other recipes during this time. You can find these recipes online.
Easy Tortellini Bake: I used spinach and cheese tortellini. I really liked it.
Oven-Baked Chicken and Rice: If you use boneless chicken thighs like I did, I do think you need to cook them longer than 20 minutes. The chicken thighs I used needed more time so keep that in mind when cooking.
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