Take Comfort

Little did I know when I made dinner on Election Day that I'd be serving up comfort in a time when right now we're all scratching our heads and wondering what's next.

I just thought I was being savvy making a batch of stew in a Crock-Pot, saving some time for a night when I worked a late shift. Of all my kitchen appliances, this Crock-Pot gets the least amount of skin in the game. I use it maybe 3 or 4 times per year. But when I saw this Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Stew in Cooking Light, I figured since I had most of the ingredients on hand, I should give it a shot. 

Maybe my slow cooker is reaaaaaaally slow, but after six of the eight hour cooking time on the low setting, the carrots were still crisp. So I bumped the cooker up to "high" and two hours later, the carrots were mostly tender. 

The night before I made roasted chicken, and I popped in three beets while the oven was on. With those beets I made a salad with greens and crumbles of pungent and rich bleu cheese, dressed in a orange vinaigrette. Add some Parker House-style yeast rolls that took all day to rise, and a nice, warm dinner was served.

Taking lunch on the porch  

But today, the leftovers took on a different meaning during a quick lunch break. My hands gratefully cupped a hot bowl of the stew. The creamy cheese in the salad soothed. I took a few deep breaths. It was all good.

Food can't cure all or right wrongs. But it can give us a respite when we need it.