Katherine Whelan ’21
Tired of strenuous schoolwork, hours upon hours of Netflix, exhausting workouts, and endless facetimes and zooms? Me too. For nearly everyone, quarantine has inspired a surge of restlessness, as well as feelings of loneliness, discouragement, and boredom. However, there is no need to fear, as these are completely normal reactions to the catastrophic events occurring in our world today, and there are solutions to curbing the negativity and stress. Personally, I have turned to baking as a way to relax, unwind, and enjoy myself in the company of my family. There are hundreds of easy, delicious recipes online and on social media that do not require an extensive amount of ingredients or equipment. You can try light and healthy recipes or rich and decadent ones, but either way, the food tastes infinitely better when it is the work of your own hands! So, turn on some music, put on an apron, and get baking! Below are two different recipes that you can start with. Have fun!
Ina Garten’s Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
1 stick butter (melted)
1 egg (slightly beaten)
¾ cup milk
1 ½ cups blueberries
½ cup granulated brown sugar or white sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, combine butter, egg, and milk and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and with a spatula, stir until just combined. Do not beat or over mix; it’s okay if there are lumps in the batter.
- Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tray, filling each cup to about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the granulated brown or white sugar and return the muffins to the oven to bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before turning the muffins out.
Kirbie’s Cravings’ Funfetti Mug Cake
Ingredients:
4 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
2 tsp granulated white sugar
3 tbsp milk
½ tbsp vegetable oil
⅛ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp sprinkles
Directions:
- In a microwave-safe mug (that can hold at least 8 oz of liquid), add flour, baking powder, sugar, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix with a small whisk until batter is completely smooth.
- Stir in 1 tsp of sprinkles. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp of sprinkles on top.
- Cook in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until cake looks done.
- Let the cake cool a few minutes before eating. Cake is best consumed right after a few minutes of cooling time.