Hey Larry, I know a lot of people have spent time during the pandemic working on their cooking skills. What’s your favorite easy recipe that you’ve mastered since the pandemic began? Jeff Rush, CJPIA

That’s a great question. I know that a lot of people really got into baking when the pandemic first hit last year, sourdough bread and banana nut bread in particular. I was one of those people and although I wasn’t too successful with either one, my pants definitely started to feel tighter the more I experimented with the two. Because of my increasing girth, and also because I am the wellness coordinator at my job (you gotta look the part!), I embarked on healthier cooking last fall, stir frying in particular in a great new wok I got (for a steal online from Macy’s). I look for what vegetables are in season and go from there. I usually use chicken as my protein but have ventured into using tofu several times and have to admit it’s pretty tasty (as well as much better for the environment). For the veggies, I’ve been using bok choy quite a bit (separate the leafy uppers from the crunchy bottoms, fry the bottoms with the chicken/tofu and other hard vegetables like thinly sliced carrots and throw the leafy uppers in at the last minute or two). I use a small amount of teriyaki sauce (watch the sugar content of the brand you buy) along with low-salt soy sauce (and a tablespoon of corn starch to thicken the sauce) and serve it over brown rice, so yummy!