Beyond the Kitchen: Not so Far Beyond, Actually, Edition

Hello, friends. How are you doing? I mean, truly. How are you? Hanging in there?

March was a month, I’ll say that much. First a devastating tornado ripped through Nashville, mere blocks from our house, leaving us with a broken window and no power for 5 days (though we feel extremely fortunate that the contents of our fridge and freezer were our only major losses).

We were actually in New Orleans the night of the tornado, and were planning to spend a few days there for my birthday. But as soon as we woke up to dozens of messages and texts from friends and family, we quickly realized that home was where we needed to be. So we cut our trip short and headed home.

And now? For different reasons entirely, home is where we still need to be… for as long as necessary.

With the exception of fewer trips to the grocery store, our day to day schedule honestly hasn’t changed much at all, and yet, everything just feels different. We’re still working, carrying a mostly full workload, or trying to at least (please tell me I’m not the only one having trouble focusing).

We feel extremely fortunate to be able to work from home, to have a safe and comfortable place in which to isolate ourselves, a stocked pantry to nourish ourselves, and some friendly felines who are relishing the extra attention.

In times like these community is more important than ever, and I consider you all part of mine. As scary as things are, I can’t help but smile seeing you cooking and baking for your families. I’ve been tagged in countless instagram stories from folks making my recipes, and it makes me smile every time.

I know a lot of you out there may be in unfamiliar territory suddenly having to cook for your family every meal. If you find yourself in a pickle (or in search of a recipe for pickles lol), please reach out to me in the comments, send me an email, post in our Facebook group, or DM me on Instagram or Facebook. I will do my best to answer each and every one to the best of my ability, or direct you to appropriate resources when my knowledge falls short.

We’re all in this together and I’m here to help from afar in whatever way I can.

If anything I’m optimistic this experience will make us better. At least I hope it does. I hope these new habits we’re developing now out of necessity will become a permanent part of our futures, from reducing food waste to simply being more kind and caring for one another.

Tell me… what do you want to see in these coming weeks (or, gulp, months?) I’m here for you, so please tell me what kind of content I can put out that would be the most helpful to you during these times!

Anyway.

If you’re looking for something to cook…

I put all my favorite pantry recipes in one place for your convenience. These are recipes that rely mostly on shelf-stable ingredients, with little to no fresh perishables. Out of over 1000 recipes on this site… it’s surprisingly… sparse… and has truly made me realize just how much we rely on fresh, seasonal produce for our weekly meals. But don’t worry, we’re cooking from our pantry right now just like you are, so you can definitely expect to see some new, pantry-friendly recipes real soon.

If you’re looking for a recipe with a specific ingredient (more…)

from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/2Vaiy4u