Two more friends-of-friends passed away of COVID-19 this week. One in their 30’s, one in their 40’s. That brings the number of people within a couple degrees of me in my friends-circle who have passed to six that I know of.

My heart grieves for my community, and it’s still so early-on here in the US.

I wanna say this: be gentle with yourselves, okay? I am hearing a lot of friends who are feeling helpless and sad and emotional, and somehow feeling guilty or down on themselves for not being more resilient in the face of all this.

FORGIVE YOURSELF. IMMEDIATELY.

Stop expecting so much of yourself. Today.

This situation we’re in isn’t just not normal. This is completely off the charts, you guys. Like...there are very few people alive on this planet who have lived through anything like this, let alone something that is on a nearly *planet-wide scale*.

So yeah. I think it’s okay that you want to cry or crawl in a hole.
I feel you when you say that you don’t feel productive, that you want to binge watch shows and eat a lot of shitty food.
You are completely human that you want to take naps, and aren’t doing your best work or can’t focus very well.
I think it’s completely normal that you feel a little sick all the time and keep taking your temperature and wonder if you’re becoming a germaphobe/hypochondriac right now.
I relate to feeling angry or depressed or both when you keep deleting plans off your calendar, or had to cancel your vacation, or wanted to punch a wall when your work extended your return to work date from April 7th to “indefinitely”, because it meant “getting back to normal” was no longer a date on a calendar but a “who knows when?!”

You’re not okay and I’m not okay, and that’s okay.

We’re gonna have to make space for feeling shitty now. Now and for a while. We need to stop trying to slap a smile on our Instagrams, y’all. Not that I don’t want to see beautiful photos of your smiles, and spring flowers, and your puppies (please keep posting that!), but I want some realness, too, y’all.

Maybe that’s one good thing that’s gonna come out of all this immediately. The fake-ass social media world can finally come crashing down and you and me and everyone can stop working so damn hard to pretend everything is hunky dory all the time when it is abso-freaking-lutely NOT. Maybe we can have the good and the bad. Maybe we can have The Real.

I love you for your honesty right now, my friends. Those of you who are taking a moment to say “I’m not doing so hot.” You need to say it. We need to hear it. We ALL need to hold each other up. And not in a “Here, let me fix that for you,” kind of way. But a “Let’s hold space for each other” kind of way.

I’m holding all your hands right now while we all cry a little (or a lot, go ahead, here’s a tissue). Because that’s normal, and that’s healthy, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of, and that’s what we’re on this planet for. Each other.

We can do this the easy way...or we can do it the hard way. I like both, so let's look at the two ways I create chicken corn chowder, with bacon and creamy deliciousness! One just takes a little longer and a few more fresh ingredients to make a "corn stock", rather than cooking from a standard chicken stock.

If doing corn stock, start from here. If you want the easier version, skip down to the CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER RECIPE section.

CORN STOCK

INGREDIENTS
4-6 ears of fresh corn, unhusked and cleaned
1-2 parmesan rinds (if you have them, no worries if not)
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, trim stems for use in this stock and save the caps for another recipe
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2-1 Tbsp salt (only use 1/2 if you are using parmesan rinds)

DIRECTIONS

1. Using a good sharp knife, trim kernels from the cobs and place in a small bowl. Set aside 
2. Put cobs in a medium pot and add Parmesan rinds (if using), mushroom stems, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and 8 cups water. 
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, maybe 40-45 minutes or so. 
4. Strain resulting stock through a fine sieve into another bowl. Set aside stock, toss solids into your compost.

1 large carrot, small dice (about 1/2 cup)
1 stalk celery, small dice (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 onion, small dice onion (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup white wine (sauv blanc)
3/4-1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups-2 cups cubed cooked turkey meat
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
2 packages store bought pie crust (3 of the 4 rounds of Pillsbury pie crust)


DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a pan; cook carrot, celery, and onion until softened a bit. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Sprinkle in flour, toss to coat veg, then stream in white wine and reduce down until absorbed and alcohol smell has cooked off. 
3. Add cream and reduce until bubbly and thick. Start with 3/4 then add more if you feel it can absorb more without being too soupy. You want it to be thick and saucy.
4. Fold in herbs, peas and turkey, turning off heat and letting flavors blend. Salt and pepper to taste, then let cool and hold until ready to fill shells.
5. Roll out rounds a bit thinner. Note you will only need 3 crusts out of the four that come in two packages, so save the 4th for another time. Cut six each of round 4” tops and 6” bottom shells.
6. Spray a jumbo muffin tin with oil. Press larger circles into the bottom, fill with filling (should be to the top, or at least 3/4 up), then top with the smaller round and press edges together. Cut a slit in the top. Brush with some cream or butter if you wish.
7. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet to protect from potential overflow. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until tops are lightly brown.
8. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes to allow crust to set. Remove pies to a wide bowl, serve with a side of leftover stuffing, mashed potatoes, or salad.