Today my city goes red. In Ontario, regions are colour-coded according to Covid cases and restrictions that are in effect. Because of my underlying condition, we’re living as though we’re in lock-down anyway, but I find it depressing to know that my community is once again moving in the wrong direction.

I miss swimming at the rec centre, having people over for dinner and visiting family in their homes.

My daughter had a birthday, recently, and our approach was the only one that makes sense right now. At a time when there are so many things we can’t do, we redirected our focus to activities we can pursue. Since a lot of activities and connections that used to make life meaningful and fun are off the table, we planned a birthday celebration that drew us further into a new (also good) life that centres around our home and the three people in it. We accepted our lack of control and embraced something new. We made ravioli from scratch.

The shiny metal pasta maker intimidated me, but it was surprisingly easy to use. With a dough that called for only two ingredients – flour and egg – this part was simple. My daughter prepared a delicious squash and goat’s cheese filling (remember all those squashes our friends brought us?) and we settled into a quiet routine. The whole process took about three hours – a birthday adventure.

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We discovered a few things along the way:

• Four cups of flour and four eggs makes too much pasta for one meal. Next time we’ll make smaller batches, mixing one cup of flour with one egg, and gauging if we need more as we go.
• Ice cube trays don’t really work. It’s worth investing in a real ravioli maker (tray) or a stamp, or at least a cutter. The seams between our raviolis weren’t wide enough, so a lot of them emptied out when boiled.  Moistening edges with water before sealing, pushing air out of the pockets might have prevented this.
• Never try to freeze individual leftovers on a plate (thinking you can bag them once frozen). They stick. Place them on large zip-lock bags or wax paper instead, or coat plate generously with flour.