Cooking Comfort

It’s been a rough week. So I settled into Sunday morning with a long list of consumables to prepare for the week ahead. In my world, comfort sometimes comes from not only eating the fruits of my labour, but also in the stirring, chopping, and cleaning that results in a fridge well-stocked, and a tired couple well fed.

Sunday’s list included a silky vegetable and coconut Thai-style soup, a batch of nutty brown rice, a big pot of (freezable) curry sauce perfect for dousing the squeaky cauliflower I picked up on Saturday, a low-fat, if crumbly, banana bread and a summery quinoa salad with tomato, cucumber, raisins and large handfuls of Italian parsley. Mixed with other fresh vegetables, the soft pita breads, feta cheese, and the long Italian style rolls I also bought, we’ve got mid-day and after-work meals prepared.

Comfort also comes in sharing meals with comforting people. After the banana bread came out of the oven, we headed over to Paul’s mom and dads. Homemade wine (which only I and my parents-in-law seem to appreciate – the others having more sophisticated tastes), fresh baked ricotta and spinach cannelloni, Paul’s-Mom’s-Salad(TM), and a dessert of cupcakes and coffee...I know I felt better.