With many Kamiak students adjusting to the new normal of returning to school in person for the first time in over a year, it’s fair to say that it feels far different from what most of us have felt during the last year inside the confines of our own homes. The Zoom squares of the classroom are getting larger along with what could be the appetites of young chefs having to balance in-person versus at-home life. However, time spent cooking or baking beautifully diverse creations during a worldwide lockdown could be lost with the time needed for in-person school.

Kamiak isn’t alone in this problem. Certain schools in Washington had returned to school even before the statewide mandate from the governor that required schools to accommodate students wanting to come back in person by April 19th. I have cousins in Spokane who elected to head back to school for a couple of days a week, at least a whole month before Kamiak ever prepared for in-person students. While many students could care less about the impact returning to in-person instruction has on cooking, I’d imagine that some would be slightly nostalgic for the time in which life was a simple and school-free state just enjoying food. But on the bright side, Kamiak’s hybrid learning schedule allows time to still balance a healthy school-cooking relationship for those who enjoy all things food.

Let’s be honest, cooking and baking are arts that could be tossed aside as soon as they were picked up as a lockdown hobby if one has increasingly less and less time on hand (which circles back to my original point about the implications of potentially surrendering home-cooked meals now that school is back in session). The main conflict here is that a regular and beaten routine of returning to school by stepping foot inside (albeit in a hybrid format) school and having less time at home could linger and shift into a half-hearted attempt at preserving the cooking hobby developed over the previous year. Whether this means ordering a pizza instead of perhaps collecting a few ingredients and creating one, this doesn’t nor shouldn’t mean that anyone instantly hates cooking for themself or their family. Not that supporting local businesses during this time is discouraged; by all means, go ahead. But when the act of crafting aromatic food using home-sourced ingredients is seen as a taxing chore as it was pre-COVID to some casual chefs, then one could argue that cooking has become a COVID fad of sorts.

With the many personal activities I discovered during lockdown, making food (out of boredom more than anything) has seemed to be one of the few hobbies that refused to die out over time. Hopefully, the pandemic will die out, but I’m no expert at all. I’m just someone with a passion for food! Specifically, if I had to make a wish, I would hope we can all get back to restaurants soon and safely. Unfortunately, however, this pandemic is far from over, and the possibility of every restaurant in the world reopening to full capacity is slim. So, although this column is leaning heavily away from the outside world of food, vaccines thankfully give us hope!

At the time of publication, I will be fully vaccinated. Once many others can protect themselves by getting their shots, the sooner we can all experience the familiarity of a busy restaurant again. But that’s on us, so for now, it’s still homemade meals here on the column. I couldn’t be happier to introduce yet another round of recipes below. Give it an honest go; I wish you the best of luck!

Since the dawn of western cuisine, pasta has been a staple food that makes anyone want to have it again when it’s part of a balanced and nutritious meal. Fettuccine is one of my personal favorites because its thick exterior is complementary to nearly any sauce. For the final product (pictured above), I used the standard run-of-the-mill tomato sauce that, like the pasta noodles, can be bought at virtually any grocery store for very cheap. As long as the proper materials (such as a large stovetop pot) are available, pasta is very straightforward to make. In general, pasta, as long as it’s not entirely homemade, is a dish that doesn’t require much technical measuring or cooking skill, so this is an excellent dish to start with.

I believe the only slight agitation in cooking any pasta is the time it takes for the water to boil. Depending on the type of stove used, the prep time for just some water to heat up could double. If available, I recommend using a glass lid to place over the top of the pot while heating, as this can trap heat effectively to shorten the waiting time. It won’t cut the waiting entirely, but it will certainly help. The water should be very generous in amount, at least 4 quarts for this serving size, but feel free to adjust as needed, as the amount of water in the cooking pot does not need to be precise. After the water reaches a steady and complete rolling boil, add salt. Not earlier, as saltwater tends to boil slower. This adds an extra element of flavor to what was previously a bland set of pasta that would have had to rely on the pasta sauce or whatever toppings added last to elevate the dish; and no need to stir, as there will be enough of that later on.

Next, gently slip the uncooked fettuccine into the pot, ensuring all contents are submerged. Avoid splashing as this is very, very hot water! Now, begin to stir the noodles around, but not too frequently or with excessive force. Just enough so that the already fragile noodles have space to swirl around the pot, so certainly don’t overdo it. Just a side note that if a spaghetti server is lying around, you might want to use that to stir compared to anything else. This specialized tool is a rarity that can make serving time quicker, which is key to slow down any carryover cooking (which occurs when cooked food items continue to cook even after the heat is off). But if the spaghetti server isn’t around, don’t worry; it’s not the end of the world. You’ll just have to be creative when taking the pasta out when fully cooked. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

Stir occasionally until the eight or so minutes are up, and check by removing one short strand for a taste test. If it’s still a bit raw in the middle but nearly there, consider cooking the rest for at least 30-seconds more until the pasta is warm all-around, in addition to being tender with hints of firmness in the middle. This is the traditional Italian pasta cooking method that can apply to many different types of pasta. The fettuccine, in this case, should be fairly chewy. If it still doesn’t meet these expectations, continue to let it sit for another 30 seconds. You can even feel the pasta when testing to see if it’s ready or not by looking for that tenderness of the outside before tasting. Assuming the fettuccine pasta is ready, begin the draining process after shutting the stove off completely. Next, grab a colander, and set it flat in the sink. Quickly but carefully, transfer the pot of boiling water by the handles to the sink and slowly pour out the contents away from you and into the colander. Let the steam settle once poured, and from here, the job is almost done. Serve with a utensil into bowls, and place your toppings of choice: tomato sauce, alfredo sauce, pepper, basil, parmesan cheese, you name it! Serve immediately and enjoy, or seal airtight in a container to be refrigerated for up to 5 days.