People are cooking their way through the coronavirus pandemic. Here are their mouthwatering creations

By Kyle Almond and Rebecca Wright, CNN

Updated 3:46 PM ET, Tue March 31, 2020

Jon Ander Elizalde recently made this focaccia bread in Houston. Many people are finding comfort in cooking during the coronavirus pandemic. They're also using it as a creative outlet, sharing their results on social media and connecting with others while they practice social distancing. "I very much enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and cooking all sorts of complicated and different food, in general," Elizalde said. "But I have had a chance and drive to do some more recently due to the circumstances."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Jon Ander Elizalde recently made this focaccia bread in Houston. Many people are finding comfort in cooking during the coronavirus pandemic. They're also using it as a creative outlet, sharing their results on social media and connecting with others while they practice social distancing. "I very much enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and cooking all sorts of complicated and different food, in general," Elizalde said. "But I have had a chance and drive to do some more recently due to the circumstances."
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Los Angeles resident Erik Dahlgren has always loved the freshly baked sourdough at Disneyland's California Adventure park. So he challenged himself to try baking some of his own. He recently posted this photo on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sonoffiyero/" target="_blank">his Instagram account.</a> "I know the world is calling it social distancing, but it's just physical distancing," he said. "With technology, I still feel like I get to be social."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Los Angeles resident Erik Dahlgren has always loved the freshly baked sourdough at Disneyland's California Adventure park. So he challenged himself to try baking some of his own. He recently posted this photo on his Instagram account. "I know the world is calling it social distancing, but it's just physical distancing," he said. "With technology, I still feel like I get to be social."
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Silvia Rubiales Bussell made this no-bake Meyer lemon cheesecake pie from West Palm Beach, Florida. "Baking and cooking for me is like meditation," she said. "It keeps me calm."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Silvia Rubiales Bussell made this no-bake Meyer lemon cheesecake pie from West Palm Beach, Florida. "Baking and cooking for me is like meditation," she said. "It keeps me calm."
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/likelydisaster/" target="_blank">Sara Phillips</a> and her boyfriend, Dan Krawczyk, teamed up on this duck in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They made roasted potatoes and salad as sides. "We usually cook most nights anyway, but now we have the time to make more involved recipes any day of the week, not just on weekends," she said.
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Sara Phillips and her boyfriend, Dan Krawczyk, teamed up on this duck in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They made roasted potatoes and salad as sides. "We usually cook most nights anyway, but now we have the time to make more involved recipes any day of the week, not just on weekends," she said.
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Brenda McNicol baked this chocolate cake for her 60th birthday and then held a virtual party via a video-conferencing app. "The pandemic has changed our lives dramatically, like everyone else," said McNicol, who is from Edmonton, Alberta. "We are staying home, cooking at home and staying away from our family and friends."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Brenda McNicol baked this chocolate cake for her 60th birthday and then held a virtual party via a video-conferencing app. "The pandemic has changed our lives dramatically, like everyone else," said McNicol, who is from Edmonton, Alberta. "We are staying home, cooking at home and staying away from our family and friends."
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Eric Cox shows off a ribeye steak that he recently grilled in Tucson, Arizona. He used an espresso dry rub and topped it with garlic, crispy sage, rosemary and garlic chive butter. "As a full-time artist, this pandemic has drastically impacted how I'm creating. When the economy is struggling and society is worried, there is a huge decline in art sales," he said. "I've been a fan of creating in the kitchen for a handful of years, but those creative juices have been flowing more during this struggle."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Eric Cox shows off a ribeye steak that he recently grilled in Tucson, Arizona. He used an espresso dry rub and topped it with garlic, crispy sage, rosemary and garlic chive butter. "As a full-time artist, this pandemic has drastically impacted how I'm creating. When the economy is struggling and society is worried, there is a huge decline in art sales," he said. "I've been a fan of creating in the kitchen for a handful of years, but those creative juices have been flowing more during this struggle."
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These ham, cheese and onion empanadas were made by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/quarantinecookingmama/" target="_blank">Emily D'Angelica</a> in New York. "I have always loved to cook, as it is a great anxiety reliever for me in my day-to-day life," she said. "But now, more than ever, it is making me feel much more productive and proud — and effectively less anxious."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
These ham, cheese and onion empanadas were made by Emily D'Angelica in New York. "I have always loved to cook, as it is a great anxiety reliever for me in my day-to-day life," she said. "But now, more than ever, it is making me feel much more productive and proud — and effectively less anxious."
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Hanna Achepohl roasted this top-round lamb with baby potatoes in Eugene, Oregon. She added sauteed mushrooms and mini sweet bell peppers. "This is helping me stay positive in the very stressful and difficult time," she said. "Food is art, and we have to have art in our lives."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
Hanna Achepohl roasted this top-round lamb with baby potatoes in Eugene, Oregon. She added sauteed mushrooms and mini sweet bell peppers. "This is helping me stay positive in the very stressful and difficult time," she said. "Food is art, and we have to have art in our lives."
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CNN's Luisa Calad says she's always used cooking as a coping mechanism. While staying at home in Washington state, she made this caramel dessert. "Making the perfect golden caramel looks easy, but it's not (at least for me)," she said. "This one turned out beautiful, and I used it to make an Argentinean type of flan that was baked in a water bath for four hours. The density and texture of the dessert turned out delicious."
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
CNN's Luisa Calad says she's always used cooking as a coping mechanism. While staying at home in Washington state, she made this caramel dessert. "Making the perfect golden caramel looks easy, but it's not (at least for me)," she said. "This one turned out beautiful, and I used it to make an Argentinean type of flan that was baked in a water bath for four hours. The density and texture of the dessert turned out delicious."
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James Winston created this lobster ravioli with a burst cherry tomato sauce and basil. With fewer trips to the grocery store, he said he finds himself experimenting more. "I'm trying to get creative and mix recipes and see how they turn out," he said.
Photos: What people are cooking during the coronavirus pandemic
James Winston created this lobster ravioli with a burst cherry tomato sauce and basil. With fewer trips to the grocery store, he said he finds himself experimenting more. "I'm trying to get creative and mix recipes and see how they turn out," he said.
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/pachyta/" target="_blank">Pachy Sarmiento-Bull</a> baked this orange, olive oil and rosemary cake from her home in New York. "We have to do what we have to do to keep us distracted for a bit from what is happening, to have a break, to maintain sanity, because this is serious and it looks like it's going to last a long time," she said.