The year is 2020 and the world is under a “shelter in place” order. Of course, not every country has an order in place, but it is safe to say that it feels like the world is on lockdown. There’s no traveling, no sports games, no dinner, and movie dates. . . nothing. Life as we know it has completely changed due to the novel Coronavirus, also known as, COVID-19 or SARS-Cov 2. This virus has proven itself to be very contagious. Identified symptoms of the virus include dry cough, fever, headache, and shortness of breath. Some reports have even mentioned chills, body aches, and loss of smell and taste.
To combat the virus, experts have suggested social distancing or staying 6 ft away from people in public spaces, wearing masks when out in public, and constant handwashing (which we should be doing anyway). As of July 6, 2020, over 1.3 million people have recovered from Covid-19 in the United States with approximately 133,000 deaths. I have been blessed not to have any family members contract Covid-19 and I pray it stays that way as we move into the fall.
I live in Georgia and teach 4th-grade reading. My district closed schools back in March and so I’ve been quarantining at home since March 16th before Governor Kemp made the official decision on April 1. Non-essential businesses were closed up until around Memorial Day when things here just sort of went back to “normal”. Now the news is reporting numbers of confirmed cases are skyrocketing in about 40 states including Georgia. So while I wait for the official plan to return to school, I’ve been baking.
Baking cookies, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks, banana bread. . . ALL THE THINGS. I’ve become so invested in my baking that I snagged a Kitchenaid Artisan Stand-mixer that was on sale at Best Buy back in April. Best decision ever!
As someone who is afraid to do anything in the kitchen, I found that baking helped with my anxiety which had been heightened due to Covid-19. There were weeks where I had not stepped outside of my home for fear that I would catch the virus. I started using InstaCart and Kroger grocery delivery and I would disinfect every item that would come including packages from UPS or Amazon. My husband was considered an essential worker and had to report to work everyday and continues to work everyday. Thankfully. However, it does put him at risk which in turns puts me at risk as well. My anxiety has subsided (somewhat) and I’ve started doing my own grocery shopping now while wearing my mask of course.
I am happy to see that essential items for baking like flour, sugar, and yeast are back in stock and I can experiment more with different breads like sourdough or more complicated treats like puff pastries etc. With a second wave of Covid looming I should probably get my baking stockpile together before summer ends.
What have you all been doing during quarantine to subside your anxiety or to pass the time?
Check out some pictures of my baked goods below.
Buttermilk Biscuits 
Oat Flour Blueberry Muffins 
Cinnamon Rolls
