It goes without saying that last year was… Unique. One of the major trends was cooking and baking, which I fell into something of a rabbit hole as well. But I didn’t personally have the experience of resources for Blended Coffees or Cocoa Bombs, so I returned to my roots of baked goods.

 Early on, I found a recipe for Brownies that was easy enough to memorize. It was only 7 ingredients, but I experimented with substitutions and removals and got down to 5 ingredients, just flour, sugar, cocoa powder, melted butter, and a pair of eggs!  After I began making it, My mom and I loved it so much, I ended up making a batch a week. 

Before 2020, I had been baking by myself since 2016, with my Great-Grandmother’s cranberry bread. I only made it for the family on Thanksgiving, but they all loved it. I started making it around Christmas as well. Just before the Pandemic hit I made it for my friends at a Christmas party. Half of them came up to me and told me they loved it. 

But in 2020, It was the perfect escape from, well, everything. In cooking, I pretty much forgot the chaos happening just outside. Plus, the scent wafting in from the kitchen when I watch tv or play with my cat, Tiggy, is calming. I started working with more important meals, like breakfasts, while playing music. I gotta admit, flipping pancakes while listening to Ozzy Osbourne is not what I expected to spend last year, but it’s a bright light in dark times.

 Normally in my spare time, I probably would’ve gotten cabin fever week 3, but by cooking and baking, I actually acquired some valuable skills for my life ahead. I`ve even played with the idea of cooking and selling things in college, just for some cash on the side. 

Like 7.6 Billion people on this planet, I`m glad to see this year in the rearview mirror. But the lessons I’ve learned and the things I`ve taken for granted will stick with me forever. And cooking for my family in the future will make invaluable memories.