Home Alone and Hungry

....This Easter?

Times are weird right now. Things have gone for a total toss. The joy to spend with family and friends has proven to be a challenge for most of us, especially during this festive time. Some of us out there are even facing the misfortune of celebrating this day alone.

Now, just cause you're stranded, does not mean you don't have to enjoy your time in and prepare a nice cooked meal for yourself.

All you need is some candles, a good movie, and patience.

Given below are just a few ideas of simple meals that you can try out for yourself. These are my personal choices and I vamp them up to suite different taste . You too can use these ideas as a base. Fill and flavor them the way you would like to and after all the hard work, cozy up on the couch, with a charged-up laptop, and ready yourself for an Easter meal, you'll remember for the rest of your life.

1) Pasta- A simple dish that does not take more than an hour (unless you plan on making everything from scratch🤔). Swirl your pasta in a sauce of your choice. (Check out this website to mix up some quick and easy sauces that you can make at home- https://www.thekitchn.com/5-easy-pasta-sauces-every-home-cook-should-know-257600.) Stir some shredded chicken/ beef or even vegetables. You can also add a side of garlic bread to go with your pasta. Don't have the traditional baguette, don't worry, use regular slices of bread, grease it with garlic-infused olive oil and bake for a few minutes until the bread turns crispy.

2) Salads- The sound of a 'salad' may cause queasiness. After all, who wants to gorge on a salad during Easter?

However, with the right ingredients, you can actually transform your greens into a filling and delicious meal.

Your base would require green leaves. Play around with different kinds of them; (Lettuce, Kale, Cabbage, Red leaf lettuce, Spinach). Now, don't just stick to green, throw in some more colors as well! Some chopped cucumbers, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes... the list's endless.

A salad needs some cheese. My advice would be to stick to either feta- for a rich tangy flavor or go simple with some parmesan.

Balance it out with some protein. This can include chicken, eggs, or chickpeas, and while you're at it, garnish with some croutons, pine nuts (your choice of nuts), or some pomegranates- yes, pomegranates to are included in salads! Adding these will crunch up your delicious meal.

Now for the best part, drizzle some salad dressing. You can make your own, simple dressing by just adding a few crushed garlic cloves, 1-2 spoons of lemon juice, some chili powder (my personal preference), into olive oil. Just remember, don't overpower your dressing.

3) Fajitas- Want to fancy up your dinner, try out fajitas. With sliced white onions and a variety of peppers, sauté them in olive oil and flavor with some smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper (a substitute for the mix😜). For the non-vegetarians, add-in your choice of either chicken or beef.

Serve your quick made fajitas in a warm tortilla and top off with some sour cream or guac, and don't forget your cheese!

4) Stir-fried noodles- One of my favorite dishes is a simple stir-fry. All you need are some noodles of your choice (I find any Indo-Chinese style noodles perfect for this). With your choice of any Asia sauce (chili, soy, sauce, etc.) along with finely chopped garlic, salt, and pepper, and chili flakes, depending on your spice tolerance, quickly toss these together along with pan-fried veggies and/or shredded chicken.

Once your ingredients have been perfectly coated with the sauces, serve and enjoy.

5) Side of fries- As a last resort, you can never go wrong with any dish as long you have a side of fries. Either a well-done steak or a veggie burger. Or even a simple grilled chicken. Just marinate a fillet of chicken in some oil and spices (chili/ garlic powder, mixed herbs, salt, and pepper). You could venture out and sprinkle some cheese for extra flavor. Set this on a baking tray alongside some fries and veggies (mix of chopped carrots, broccoli) and bake until chickens cooked well.

Some of these can also be store-bought (if you have the time to sneak out for a quick run to your local grocer.)

You can even season your fries with a range of spices for some flavor and top them up with an assortment of sauces, gravy, and cheese.

Follow recipes by https://www.delish.com/ and https://www.yummly.com/. They have amazing recipes that are easy to try out that don’t cause you to damage your kitchen.

I hope this helps you out and that you’ve had fun trying to cook up your own dinner. Don’t miss out on enjoying these festive moments…Stay safe and take care.

Happy Easter!😀

Until next time♥️…

Picture credits: https://www.epicurious.com/