For six weeks, What We’re Watching is being taken over by the Paley Center’s teen internship cohort! Each week a different pair will bring you their thoughts on the 2020 media landscape along with personalized recommendations. We hope you enjoy this unique opportunity to hear directly from young voices about the impact this year has had. This week we hear from Elizabeth Carlin, Rising Senior, at Fort Hamilton High School and Puspita Esha, Rising Senior, at Maspeth High School.

As we all know, dealing with this pandemic hasn’t been so easy. Although going outside and wearing masks during quarantine can make you uncomfortable, there are many things you can do inside to change your comfort level during this time. Whether it is new shows to watch, or new ways to relax and stay fit, we’ve got the recommendations ready. There’s no telling how long this might go on for and so we’ve compiled a bunch of lists to help you take care of yourself. We’ve included lists of movies and shows to watch, books to read, and workouts to try. As bonuses, we’ve got tricks for focusing, cleaning, and even some recipes for you to try out.

If relaxing is a struggle, ambient music is highly recommended. You can either go to YouTube and subscribe to the Soothing Relaxation channel or download the Calm app from the App Store or Google Play store.

Need something to focus on? How does cleaning sound? Now we know it might not sound amazing at first but we’ve got the method that’ll not only help you declutter your rooms, but will also leave you pretty satisfied. Quarantine is the perfect time to clean out your house and the KonMari Method might be the perfect way to do so. Marie Kondo, a tidying expert from Tokyo and creator of the method, suggests cleaning out things by category instead of location. The method focuses on discarding things that do not bring you joy. You can learn more about it on her website or by watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix.

Pandemic time is also the ideal time to focus on your physical health. Don’t know where to look? Well, YouTube is your solution. There are hundreds of fitness and yoga channels focusing on ways to make you feel your best. Here are some of our favorites:

For Women: Chloe Ting & Blogilates

For Men: BullyJuice

For Kids: Little Sports

Yoga for All: Yoga with Adrienne

Movies, books, and just the whole world of media is a great way for you to “escape” and see how others work. Here are some of the things we recommend watching and reading.

Black Mirror, a sci-fi series on Netflix with standalone episodes dealing with the consequences of technology in the modern world

Cheer, a Netflix docuseries around the Navarro College Bulldogs cheer team

Hamilton, a great Broadway show to watch with family, now exclusively on Disney+

Hollywood, a Netflix miniseries about the what-ifs in Hollywood, set in the 1940s

Jeffrey Epstein Filthy Rich, a Netflix docuseries following Jeffrey Epstein’s misuse of wealth, as told by the survivors of his abuse

The King’s Speech, a retelling about Prince Albert’s stutter

Letters to Juliet, a romance movie set in Italy following a woman’s adventure to finding her long-lost lover with the help of a young aspiring writer

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, a Netflix series about Marie Kondo helping clients declutter their homes

Tiger King, a Netflix true crime docuseries about the zookeeper, Joe Exotic

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging, and Being Yourself by Matthew Gray Gubler

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Now onto the really fun stuff. Quarantine is an amazing time to pick up new hobbies and the hobby we will be focusing on is COOKING! It’s time to put that UberEats app down and head to the kitchen. Cooking is a great way to relax and it’s even more fun to do with family. Don’t know what to make? Don’t you worry one bit, we’ve got your back on that one too. Buffalo Chicken with Baked Potato & Crisp Green Salad might be that perfect meal for you and Chocolate Chip Cookies are the eternal go-to dessert! Plus, they are just quick and easy to make as well.

Step One: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Scrub potatoes; prick all over with a fork. Rub with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place potatoes on a baking sheet in the oven and let cook for 45 minutes.

Step Two: Meanwhile, finely chop fontina and romaine lettuce. Pat chicken dry. In a bowl, combine ¼ cup flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add chicken and dip in to coat. Tap off excess flour from chicken and transfer to a plate; discard flour.

Step Three: Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add chicken; cook until golden-brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Step Four: Add Buffalo sauce and 2 tablespoons butter to the same skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter is melted and sauce is warmed for about 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet, coating in sauce. Turn off heat.

Step Five: Sprinkle cheese over chicken; cover and set aside to let cheese melt. Transfer chicken to plates. Whisk Buffalo sauce and spoon over top. Cut open baked potato, and top each half with a pat of butter. Serve salad alongside with ranch dressing drizzled over top. Enjoy!

Step One: Combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and brown sugar) in a large bowl. After mixing thoroughly, add butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix until the dough becomes creamy. Finally, add all of the chocolate chips.

Step Two: While mixing ingredients, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a non-stick baking sheet.

Step Three: Scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheet in desired size. Bake for about 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at eduny@paleycenter.org!

Happy relaxing,

Elizabeth Carlin, Rising Senior, at Fort Hamilton High School

Puspita Esha, Rising Senior, at Maspeth High School

Photos—Cheer: Netflix; Marie Kondo: Netflix; Hamilton: Disney+; Food: Elizabeth Carlin

We hope this inspires you to watch and learn together in a new way at home! The Paley Center is here for you and, now more than ever before, we would deeply appreciate your support. Please consider making a donation: