Comfort food and winter thunder. #11

Good morning! You know that old saying, “Chili today, hot tamale”? It’s kind of a play on words and my mother-in-law used to say it all the time. Along with a few others that I can hear as clear today as before we lost her in 1998. (“Well good night nurse!” And “Good enough for the girl I go with”….what do those even mean?) Anyway, I live in south central Kansas and sometimes our weather is crazy, to put it mildly. Yesterday morning, we had ice and last night we had thunder and lightning. This morning, ice and no school again.

We have a Japanese Chen dog who is terrified of thunder and lightning. How quickly we, the peasant owners of said dog, forget the way he paces, wants on the bed (and he can’t jump up onto it), off the bed, paces, scratches the side of the bed, wants on the bed, etc. etc. etc. We really love the old man but geez, he needs anxiety meds.

So, back to the first sentence…I was really hoping since we had “chili/chilly” yesterday, today would be a “hot tamale/warmer weather” day. Apparently Mother Nature doesn’t follow old adages. Sigh.

Let’s talk comfort food for a moment. Do you have a favorite? I do not. I love them all. Every single one, well except Vegetable Soup. So not every single one. But almost! Yesterday, Mr. Colquhoun made a big pot of Chili and it hit the spot. Today, I’m fixing Beef Tips in Mushroom Gravy, baked til tender then we’ll put it over rice. Stick to your ribs (and butt and belly and thighs) kind of grub! Which brings me to this jewel:

This was the very first recipe given to me, 40 years ago, by a lady I admired very much. It’s type-written (like on a type writer, you know what I’m talking about-yes?) and worn. It has cooking slops on it and has ripped in two at the crease. I keep it in a plastic sheath, for prosperity. Or is it posterity? 🤷‍♀️ I don’t know, for the future, I guess. It’s the only Lasagne recipe I ever make and it is definitely comforting! We had it earlier this week. I feel like it is truly a gem and I hope Nancy Sherman sees me pull it out a couple times a year and make it. You have a recipe or two like this, I’m sure.

I hope y’all are staying warm and dry and filling your bellies with comforting food and your mind with wonderful winter memories. Until next time, I’ll be talking to you! ❤