With a little creativity you can make a meal of whatever you have in your pantry

You might be searching for a corner of the paper that has no mention of coronavirus. It feels a bit irresponsible to not cover how this is affecting the way we eat and stock our kitchens with essentials.

My hope is that you’ve already stocked up on groceries. If you haven’t, apparently it’s best to go when the stores aren’t as busy, reducing risk of exposure to large sums of people. I imagine you already knew that though.

A well-stocked pantry isn’t usually a problem in our casa. I like to keep all kinds of dry goods ready for the making – pastas (both regular and gluten-free), dried lentils, half a dozen yellow onions, Annie’s Mac and Cheese for little visitors, canned pumpkin, canned beans, Wild Planet canned tuna, Cheerios – both regular and Honey Nut, Rice Krispies and marshmallows, oatmeal, six kinds of rice, quinoa, Simple Mills almond flour crackers, Trader Joe’s Crispbreads and all kinds of delicious jellies and jams. You might think, “Well, that’s great and all, but how does one make a meal from those items?” The answer is using your creativity.

Pull that canned tuna out and whip up a quick tuna salad with some mayo, seasoning from your spice cabinet, capers and chopped celery. You can eat tuna salad as a sandwich, a wrap or scoop it up with crackers. Crunchy foods are so satisfying.

There’s a delicious vegan Lebanese dish with lentils and rice called Mujaddara that you serve with browned onion slices on top and also with Lebanese salad. It’s warm, flavorful and comforting. Feels like we all could use some comfort foods in these uncertain times.

With all the extra time around the house, get yourself in the kitchen and bake. Whether it’s a quick batch of Rice Krispies Treats, or an elaborate multi-level cake, it’s a good way to pass a bit of time. If you have a little helper, even better yet.

The Mac and Cheese is usually for the littles in our life, but I did see a friend post a photo on social media about chili with a big scoop of Mac and Cheese in the middle. Looked so delicious, even though I haven’t tried it yet.

Luckily, our freezer is usually pretty stocked with favorite cuts of meat, frozen fruit and some frozen vegetables, too. Those of us that have the means to stock up shouldn’t take this extravagance for granted.

My heart’s been heavy since all of the school closings because so many children in our community rely on those two meals a day at school. Big thanks to local businesses Meddy’s and Birney’s Snack Shop for providing food for people in need during this pandemic. Both businesses have earned my respect and loyalty by being the helpers in our community.

Whatever you have in your pantry, be grateful. We might all be eating a bit differently since we shouldn’t be taking the luxury of grocery shopping frequently. Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble upon a new favorite dish during this time.

Adriene Rathbun is an enthusiastic Wichita cook who offers cooking classes through her business, Social. Reach her at socialcookingclasses.com or ar@adrienerathbun.com.