Comfort Food

I have lived the life of a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian and carnivore.

One of my fondest memories as a child was standing at my grandmother's hip in her kitchen.
While Granddaddy grew all of the the produce, she cooked, canned, preserved, prepared.... all of his labors. She fed me with the magic of her spatula and blade of her knife.

My mom still has the biscuit cutter my grandmother wielded, her wrinkled hands (exactly like mine smooth) placed over mine.

I can still feel the warmth of the light over the stove as she showed me how to slice the peaches and place them 'just so'.  I can taste the sweetness of the bubbly cobbler and it's still sticky on my tongue.

Toasted white bread with butter and bacon.  Leftover turkey turned into the salty, irresistible casserole.
Crispy fried chicken with her canned green beans.
Granddaddy's corn on the cob roasted and dripping with butter.
Her biscuits.  Dear god,.... those fluffy, buttery, flaky bites from heaven.
Cornbread in her cast iron pan.
Strawberries (from the garden) with homemade cream. 
She always had a tin of bacon fat on her stove top.  She seasoned everything with it.  Everything.

One time it snowed and she showed us how to make the snow into a creamy, sweet delight.

All of the fondest moments of my childhood are lit by the light of my Grandmother's stove.

And then we moved away from the closeness of everyday cooking with her.
My mom was no hack mind you.  Her cooking was more elevated, refined.... but still distinctly southern.
My dad, not so much.
Where holidays in Alabama called for glazed ham or roasted turkey, my Dad's family wanted Steak.

My dad taught me how to make London broil and bolognese.  And he loved spices.

It was a nice balance.  An adequate introduction.

By the time I was old enough to live on my own, I had a few (very few) tricks up my sleeve.  I went to my go-tos'.  But when I went home to my mom's I indulged in buttery delights or my dad and I would go out for a steak dinner.

Then I met my husband... a chef.  And he wasn't afraid of the simplicity of beans and rice or the decadence of foie gras.  (Ironically he was a vegetarian when we met... but trained in food he understood the value and beauty of cuisine).

My education continued. 

Now I am the one wielding the knife and creating comfort and sustenance for my family (with the occasional recommendation from Hubs).  But my approach is different.  I am focused on flavors and wellness, experimenting with ingredients none of my mentors have used before.

 I live to eat and love to cook and now I am learning what will create health and comfort for my family.
 Oh, what a journey this is!