There’s no doubt about it: It’s an uncertain and scary time, but you and your loved ones still need to eat, and the act of preparing and serving a meal — even a simple one — can bring great comfort to the cook as well as to the diner. If you have a decently stocked pantry, you can make a wonderful meal out of a few staples. And if you are able to safely get to the store or have groceries delivered to you, your choices are even greater.
View our collection of Self-Quarantine Recipes. For more on stocking your pantry, Melissa Clark has a guide to doing it smartly, and Julia Moskin has a guide to stocking your modern pantry. Melissa is also posting new pantry recipes regularly on The Times’s coronavirus live blog.
If there’s ever a time for a baked good, it is now. Most of these easy baking recipes can be whipped up using what you have in your pantry, like these Rice Krispies treats with dark chocolate and pretzels. Melissa Clark’s buttery shortbread recipe can be customized in all kinds of ways, and this astoundingly moist one-pan chocolate cake, which just so happens to be vegan, can be mixed and baked in a standard 8-by-8-inch pan. If you’re really looking for a distraction, we have recipes for procrastibaking. (Or should we call it anxiety baking?) One not-exactly-easy idea: Take this time to tackle sourdough bread. Or if it’s cheering up you need, spend the day making this rainbow cake, a nod to the signs hanging from balconies all over Italy that are painted with a rainbow and the hopeful slogan, “Andrà tutto bene.” Everything will be all right.
View all of our collections for Quick Baking Recipes, Easy Baking Recipes and Procrastibaking Recipes.
