HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!  Now we can tell our stories and hunker down inside, warm and cozy.  I hope you are hungry, too. 

I think a lot about comfort food now because it is slow food, lovingly prepared and filled with memories or memories to be.  Good time to make things that require some stirring and attention now and then like chili, pot pies, stews, soups. While these things are cooking, there will be time to bake breads, make popovers, and other things that will comfort you all. 

I recently looked through my mother’s old recipes and found a few gems.  She probably got them from her mother. Grandma was born in 1860 and there were no cars, indoor plumbing, or many grocery stores. She didn’t hunt herself but had mother’s two brothers quite often bring home dinner in the form of freshly killed rabbits. Later, Mother had her brother who lived with us, go down to the beach and bring home dinner, a bucket full of mussels, which he did. 

One of our favorite comfort foods is beef stew with a couple of oxtails added for more dimension. After the stew has simmered for two hours I make this popover batter and pour it over the top, then bake for another hour. 

POPOVER BATTER

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 cup all purpose flour

¼  teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients in a blender until it is like heavy cream.

Pour gently over the stew and return stew to oven at 350 degrees for one hour.