Being in lockdown, I hadn’t left the house other than to take out the garbage. But I hit a breaking point when my kitchen was suddenly party central for black ants. It was unnerving how many there were, and how many more kept showing up uninvited.

The only thing for it was to get ant traps. So I donned a face mask and off I went to the store. I’m happy to report that the traps are doing the trick, though I did still find an ant in the tea kettle. (My kitchen is also a favoured spot for spiders, but they tend to keep their distance.)

My nerves were frayed, so I made a comforting soup with sweet potatoes, orange zest, grated ginger, and a pinch of cayenne. The recipe is from Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson, and while it says to roast the sweet potatoes, I microwaved them because it’s faster. Eating the soup felt restorative and it chased away the chill of a spring evening.  

I’d been rationing sugar until the next delivery, when it occurred to me that I had lots of sugar in various forms: white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and honey (a pre-vegan purchase). Once the brown sugar was used up, I made more by mixing a tablespoon of molasses into a cup of white sugar. (This can also be done in a food processor.) The next time, I went one better and just added the molasses in with the rest of the ingredients.

I ended up with a large family-size jar of peanut butter (only size available), which is way more than I usually buy. I worried it would dry up before I could use it, but happily that hasn’t been the case. First, there’s my breakfast staple of peanut butter on toast. Then I made a stir-fry with peanut sauce; and a stew with peanut butter, chickpeas, and kale; and for a treat, I made a batch of peanut butter cookies.

I found the cookie recipe online (Betty Crocker, no less) and the ingredients were in the pantry. What is not to love about fresh-baked cookies? These were irresistible. I’ll make another batch, but I’m pacing myself because when this lockdown is over, I want to be able to fit in my clothes.