THE COMFORT OF FOOD

Sunday, November 28, 2005

I grew up in a house where medicine was practically non-existent. My mother believed in the power of orange juice to cure a sore throat, a Sprite-and-crackers diet to get rid of a stomach bug. Looking back, it seems as if food cured many ailments--if I had a bad day at school, we baked cookies. If I broke up with a boyfriend, I ate mint-chocolate chip ice cream for dinner...or breakfast. Often, when I was in college, my mom would drop off homemade muffins just to say she missed me. 

Perhaps in light of my upbringing, then, food for me has not only the power to sustain, but also to heal, to comfort, and to cheer me up. People in the South often talk of "comfort food," and this time of year, when the outside world starts to appear lifeless and cold, I find myself standing over the stove to warm myself and my husband with the healing power of food.

This week, I offer recipes that I have turned to at one time or another for comfort, either for me or for a loved one, in hopes of spreading food's magical, healing power. Of course, in order for these recipes to be effective, you must also sprinkle in a healthy dose of care and love. Believe me, people can taste it.

This first recipe belongs to my mom. Anyone that has ever been to her house in the winter knows about Mom's Spiced Tea. For as long as I can remember, she kept this warm drink on hand during the cold months to offer to guests and to drink on dreary afternoons. When David and I were dating, it became a running joke: whenever he came to visit, she offered him spiced tea until he finally said yes (sometimes 4 or 5 times in the course of 1 visit!). He eventually learned just to accept on her first offer, for his drinking spiced tea was inevitable.

Since we've been married, I have followed her tradition of keeping this warm drink on hand. This very day, you'll find a big pot of it on my stove, and late in the afternoon, David and I will probably take a break from our studies, and let ourselves be rejuvenated by Mom's Spiced Tea.

Mom's Spiced Tea

4 quarts water

2 cinnamon sticks

2 dozen whole cloves

3 family-size or 7 regular tea bags

3/4 - 1 cup sugar

1 46-ounce can pineapple juice

1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice

1 12-ounce can frozen lemonade

Fill a large stock pot with the water, and add the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes. The aroma of this step alone is worth making the tea! Add the tea bags, turn off the heat, and steep, covered, for 15 minutes. Sweeten with the sugar (I usually end up adding closer to a whole cup, but I add 3/4 to begin with and then taste after I've added the other ingredients. You can always add more later), stirring to dissolve. Turn the heat to low, and add the juices, stirring to combine. At this point, you can taste it and adjust the sweetness. I leave it in the pot on my stove because our house is old and drafty, so it stays very cool. If you live in a well-insulated house, you may want to refrigerate it. To serve, just reheat and stir well (all the pulp settles to the bottom). It has been known to cure many a cold in my family, but that could be purely psychological. Which is fine by me.

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MAIL TRUCK

Saturday, November 26, 2005

One smart cookie came up with a brilliant idea: people who love food enough to write about it should send each other food. Real food. In the mail. Cathy of My Little Kitchen, host of this month's Blogging By Mail, asked participants to send holiday-themed food and recipes.

My package, lovingly tucked into the box you see above by Heather in Kansas, contained the following fun items:

• monster cookies. These have so many decadent ingredients, how could they not be divine? Peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&M's...you can find the recipe over at Heather's blog. I am having to fight my husband for the last of these.

• two very cute dishtowels. Someone must have told Heather about the stained, ragged-edged cloths barely passing for dish towels hanging in my kitchen. The sunflowers (the Kansas state flower) are a particularly bright and welcome replacement!

• two weeks worth of the food section from her local newspaper in Topeka, which sadly (for its readers), is only one page. However, one page contains a recipe for Dog Breath Chili, so I'm not complaining.

• a picture of her spacious kitchen

• two very cute note cards and envelopes that look homemade--Heather, did you make them?

• a little orange candle that smells a lot like the next item...

• my favorite: pumpkin bread! Tucked in beneath the dish towels, I discovered a loaf of dense, spicy bread that is the perfect breakfast with coffee. Or mid-morning snack with tea. Or mid-afternoon snack. Or before-bed snack. I love it with a little pat of butter. Here it is:

Like me, Heather is in graduate school. She writes in her letter that she started blogging to find an outlet for her creativity, also like me. She has only been at it for a couple of months now, so head on over and check out Eating 4 One. Also head over to Cathy's to check out the round up and see what other fun things people have been swapping in the mail.

Heather, thanks so much for sharing your holidays with me through this very fun package. As I sit here and sip my tea with pumpkin bread and my spicy candle burning, I am thinking very nice thoughts of you. Happy Holidays!

tagged:  Food and Drink    LEAVE A COMMENT      

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