Like many others, I’ve curbed my quarantine-inspired boredom and put off my eventual spiral into depression by baking nonstop. Most of my baking has been from a box, but I wanted to take this time off to learn a new skill. Read on to see what I’ve made!

Blondies

I made these blondies by one of my favorite baking bloggers, Elisabeth Epperson Farris from Elisabeth & Butter. She decorates her with pastel sprinkles for spring, but I used what I had on hand. I added chocolate chips in the batter and topped them with jimmies. So many of Elisabeth’s recipes are on my baking bucket list, like her summery-sweet Strawberry Cake.

She is such a talented baker and cookie decorator, and all her recipes come with her signature Southern charm and hospitality. Thanks to quarantine boredom, I recently joined TikTok, and she was one of the first people I followed. Watch out, Hype House, baking TikTok is coming for your crown!

Carrot Cake

I used the recipe from The Bible, a.k.a. The Joy of Cooking. I’m already planning on making it again. It was so much easier than I expected. I had to use canned frosting since we were out of powdered sugar, but my mom picked some up and I’m all set to make cream cheese frosting. My parents had a carrot cake at their wedding, but in making this cake I learned that my dad isn’t the biggest fan of it. My twin brother, on the other hand, specifically requested I make it again for our upcoming 20th birthday.

I hope to try making other types of cake, like a Chocolate Buttermilk Cake recipe from Bertha, the woman who was a housekeeper/cook/governess/you-name-it for my great-grandparents back in the day. My grandmother has held on to many of her recipes and says she was an incredible cook and a wonderful person. Her cake absolutely proves that true, and I bet I can do it justice.

Muffins

As the picture says, these muffins may not have been beautiful, but they did taste good! I got the recipe from Taste of Home. They’re a basic muffin base that is baked and then dipped in cinnamon sugar when cool. I’m not sure I’d make these again, but I did like them. This is a great recipe to try with children who are working on their baking skills as it is incredibly easy! Also, measuring ingredients is great for kids’ math enrichment while in quarantine with or without school.

Bread

Bread is the food I am most proud of learning to make. My aunt sent me the easiest recipe ever from The New York Times, and within a day I had a perfect loaf! Well, as perfect as it can be for my first try. It looked great but was a little bland and a bit too doughy. I tried again a few days later and came out with two great-tasting, but very ugly loaves. That day, there was an incident with a too-hot dutch oven and I almost burned down my kitchen… but that’s just another trial and error of baking.

Hopefully, I can get the balance between tasty and soon. My neighbors lent me yeast for this bread, and also gave me some sourdough starter! I haven’t used it yet, but I’m both anxious and eager to try it. If you’ve made sourdough, please let me know in the comments if you have any tips for a beginner!

Have you also indulged in #QuarantineBaking? Comment below!