Bare Bones Recipes

The COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 brought with it many lessons. One of these is how privileged I am in terms of food. Pre-pandemic, I could look up menus and make shopping lists without a second though. I could go to the store and find most supplies. Not so early-mid pandemic. I didn't want to risk going to the store. When I did go, shelves were empty. Although everyone advocates a well-stocked pantry, I didn't have one. So I had to make do with what I had, and what I could eventually find at the store, or via grocery pickup. After the initial shock, I found that having "less" what surprisingly enough. Less led me back to the basics, as well as some enjoyable new recipes.

Basics:

-Eggs (yes, we still had these)-scrambled, fried, hard boiled, poached; in casseroles, for French toast, etc.

Have you hear of oven-poaching eggs? I haven't perfected the art of properly oiling the muffin tins, but this might be my new favorite.

-Potatoes: hard to find at first, but then good for straight-up baked (with toppings), breakfast potatoes, potato fries, mashed potatoes, and a new favorite, potato pancakes

-Salad: lettuce (well-rinsed, but always the case as lettuce can have dirt, if not other germs) + whatever you have on hand (vegetables, leftovers, sandwich meat, stale bread, etc.) + oil and vinegar

-Sandwiches (put in the toaster oven or George Foreman grill, aka panini press for melty cheese)

New recipes:

-Breakfast:

Egg and banana pancake (Fannetastic Food) 
[My version of pandemic banana bread, and much easier]

Flourless pumpkin pancake (Kim's Cravings)

-Mains:

Big batch Instant Pot white beans (Epicurious)

Okay, not new, but used during this time. People didn't buy out the lima bean supply like they did the other beans.

Instant Pot black bean soup (Food Network)

-Dessert:

Chocolate depression cake (Budget Bytes)

Just a few staples, and voila, dessert!

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We've come up with a few more recipes since flour became more available, but overall, we're sticking to simple. It saves money, time, and hassle, and being creative is enjoyable in it's own way? My favorite recipe made during pandemic time? Probably the flourless pumpkin pancake (pictured here). But I'm a sucker for pumpkin.

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What about you? Any favorite recipes from the (ongoing) pandemic times? Please share in the comments section.