Anjali Gupta
- 2 min read

Combine These 3 C's During Covid

Thank you to Monique and Michelle for the inspiration!

As we go into week 8 of quarantine, people continue to find creative ways to connect. These families have found a way for CONNECTION + COOKING + COMPETITION (friendly and casual :).

This story right here made me wish this Julie was a close friend of mine (although I do love and adore all the Julie's in my life right now:). CHOPPED, yes...inspired by the cooking show, happened for these 3 families in Virginia. Julie sent a box of non-perishable ingredients to the participating families. 6 p.m. on a Saturday (you know...when most of us are contemplating what we are going to do another weekend night in), they all opened this box together on zoom. It had salt & vinegar chips, dark chocolate, pre-cooked bacon that does not need refrigeration (What?! I learn something new every day), and BBQ sauce. They were told ahead of time to have some form of protein they could use....although bacon and chips and chocolate definitely counts as a splurge meal with a glass of pinot to add another pound to the COVID 19. For those of you who never gained the Freshman 15 (eye roll), you are still susceptible to this 19 pounds. Just saying. The families had 40 minutes to make a meal. Family 1: They melted chocolate on bacon and made bacon bits, shredded BBQ chicken on salad, and added chips for a crunch. Family 2 & 3: They made fried chicken with a potato chip batter and did the melted chocolate bacon as a side. Each family split their meals into 3 containers, and these containers were driven and dropped off with contactless delivery to the 3 houses. The teens were the judges! Who thinks the salad beat the fried chicken?:) Nope. One of the fried chicken dishes won. Surprise. How FUN is this for a quarantine connection!? So now you too wish Julie was your friend.

The Saturday before...they each dropped off a bottle of wine and did a collective wine tasting.

Thank you, Monique, for the inspiration!

The Andersons in Michigan happened to stumble upon their idea. They kept their connection and cooking and competition "All in the Family". Trying to imagine Archie in the kitchen for a moment:).

We can at least try. A few weeks ago on a Friday, one of the Anderson sisters decided to bake cinnamon rolls. She told the others when they caught up by phone, and that stimulated sisterly taste buds. They all wanted to bake cinnamon rolls! A virtual meeting the next day was scheduled. They shared photos, recipes, and camaraderie as they ate their cinnamon rolls together. This blossomed into a weekly tradition for these three sisters. Connecting with each other for a snack on zoom is something they look forward to each Saturday afternoon. Other bake-off Saturdays have produced breads, cakes, pies, cookies, polenta toasts, and more. YUM!! As for competition, all their recipes are usually individual adaptations from a common source, Mama Anderson.:)

Thank you, Michelle, for the inspiration!

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