Hubby’s recipe still delights, years later

Life has changed a lot over the past six to eight weeks.

And as I mentioned two weeks ago, I’m struggling. I think many of us are. And that’s OK.

Social distancing is stressful. Even for introverts like me. I can’t even begin to imagine how all the extroverts are feeling.

The smallest of social interactions bring me joy — a wave through the window to the delivery person leaving groceries, books or other purchases on my front porch; chatting from a distance with neighbors. My only touch contact (other than with my husband) is with the nurse who gives me my allergy shots each week.

I’ve never looked forward to getting a shot so much in my life. Even work is different.

I start the day by checking messages and emails over a cup of coffee (that part is the same). And then I get to editing and writing. In the afternoon I cook, taking photos and video along the way.

My old (pre-coronavirus) weeks were broken up nicely with Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and most Fridays working in the bustle of the newsroom and Wednesdays and the occasional Friday working in the test kitchen/video studio. I always knew what day it was, and the workweek never felt unbearably long.

Now, my days are spent at my dining room table or in the kitchen. (Unless the weather is super nice, then I might set up my computer on my covered front porch and work alongside the birds and squirrels.)

In the beginning, it was kind of exciting, having the freedom and ability to pop into the kitchen and test a recipe at a moment’s notice.

Now, I feel like all I do is cook, take photos and write and then cook some more.

Day after day after day.

I love my job, but lately, with no clear definitions of place (home is work; work is home), there are no clear definitions of time.

I don’t even know what day it is most of the time.

If I need an alibi, I’m toast. To help alleviate some of the stress and confusion, my sweet husband has started doing most of the cooking in the evenings. And we’re ordering take out/delivery more than we normally do.

It’s nice to have someone else do the cooking for a change.

This recipe is one of the first things he ever prepared for me, and it’s still one of our favorites.

I first wrote about it back in 2009. He always uses regular potatoes, but this would be excellent with sweet potatoes. You could even turn it into breakfast or brunch by adding a scrambled or fried egg to each wrap.

Joe’s Beef and Potato Wraps

Vegetable or olive oil

2 to 3 red, white or gold potatoes,

peeled and diced

1 pound ground beef

1 yellow or white onion,

peeled and diced

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and membrane removed, if desired, minced Cumin, to taste (we like a lot of cumin, about 1 teaspoon freshly crushed seeds) Salt and ground black pepper

to taste

Flour tortillas, warmed Shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, or other desired toppings, optional In a medium skillet, add about 1 tablespoon oil or enough to coat, then heat over mediumhigh heat until shimmering. Add diced potatoes and cook until potatoes are golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink, crumbling beef as it cooks. Transfer cooked beef to a colander and drain. Return drained beef to skillet and add potatoes and minced jalapeno. Cook, over mediumlow heat, until heated through; season to taste with ground cumin, salt and pepper. Serve beef mixture in warmed tortillas with desired garnishes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.