Sunday, May 3 – 8:00pm

Well, with the COVID-19 shelter-at-home order looking like it’s going to be in place for awhile, we’ve had to come up with new ways to enjoy the company of others who love cooking and eating. How do you share a meal while social distancing?… with a virtual Cookbook Club! People chose from 3 recipe options selected from Bon Appetit recommendations for “when there’s nothing in the fridge”:

• Spiced Dal with Fluffy Rice and Salted Yogurt
• Crispy Sheet Pan Meatballs with Salsa Verde
• Soy Ginger Dinner Scramble

Each person cooked their selection (modifications based on available ingredients totally acceptable!), then we gathered on Zoom to eat and chat.

The Menu

Soy Ginger Dinner Scramble – Shayna, Alana

Shayna and I made the Soy Ginger Dinner Scramble. It was super easy to throw together right before the Zoom, especially since I pickled the cucumbers in advance. I didn’t have sesame seeds or scallions on hand, so my version was without garnish, but still tasty. I think the pickled cucumbers were what really brought this dish together.

Crispy Sheet Pan Meatballs with Salsa Verde – John, Sheana, Eva

John, Sheana, and Eva made the Crispy Sheet Pan Meatballs with Salsa Verde. The recipe allowed you to choose whatever herbs you wanted, which was key during this time of limited trips to the grocery store and empty shelves. By all reports they were quite yummy, and they looked good to me. People were pleasantly surprised to find they got nice and crispy even though they were baked.

The Verdict

While I miss gathering together and getting to try a multitude of dishes, this virtual cookbook club was a nice way to catch up with some fellow food-lovers, and it was great to see everyone’s faces. We even had a couple people jump in later just to say hi. And we had a good laugh at the appropriateness of Sheana’s beverage choice haha!

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