As January comes to a close, I’m ready to get back to basics – exercising with regularity, cutting back on sweets and cocktails from the holidays, and getting into the rhythm of our hectic day to day. Ever since the Thanksgiving holidayI’ve been on the go. And, what I found during this time was that food played a big part – providing me with comfort in my time of need.
I travelled to Cleveland the day after Thanksgiving to meet up with my Mom, for our Mother/Daughter trip visiting Christmas markets in Germany. (You can read about some of our adventures here) With the airport near my Father’s house, I wanted to stop by and check up on him. As Mom and Rich have done so through the years, they made a Thanksgiving meal so we could all enjoy together with Dad. (I’m lucky that everyone has remained friends through the divorce).
It was great to see Dad so happy to have us all there – we enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner and conversation together in the dining room – and it was wonderful to see Dad enjoy a second helping. (Of course, we knew he loved turkey and all the fixings.)
When I returned home from my Germany adventure with my mom on December 9th, the season was in full swing. During the Christmas holiday, there are so many foods which evoke memories, and for us those holiday foods are mainly baked goods. They are the comfort food recipes that mom has shared with me, and I lovingly prepare for my family.
There are the host of favorite cookie recipes – from Stangle to Magic Carpet Cookies, and from Caramel Corn and Peanut Butter Fudge to the much-loved Hoska Bread. My family has embraced these traditions, and it makes me smile when they request certain foods during the holiday season.
It was the hoska bread, which was missing from our Christmas season. It is a bread (also enjoyed during Easter), that we have on hand, and toast up to nibble on Christmas morning as we are opening presents.
Because I was a bit behind on my baking, shopping, and merriment making, the baking of Hoska was reserved for the last few days before Christmas. But as those last few days arrived, I just couldn’t find the time in my busy schedule to make the bread.
There was a void on Christmas morning.
In the days following Christmas, we travelled to Oklahoma to visit family. There we celebrated the twins’ birthday, took a quick trip to Talequah, capital of Cherokee Nation (giving the kids a sense of their heritage), and then spent a few days at Grand Lake, enjoying the quiet as we rang in the new year.
As part of our New Year’s Eve tradition, is our annual delivery of Joe’s Stone Crab from Miami. Ever since I left Miami nearly 20 years ago, Greg and I have been enjoying Joe’s as our New Year’s Eve dinner. Even the arrival of our twins on Dec 30th, 12 years ago, didn’t deter us from this tradition. We pounded the claws and enjoyed our dinner right there in the hospital (yes, the nurses came in wondering what at the noise was about!).
But once again, it was the craziness of our holidays that changed our tradition, and we ordered too late for delivery. We’d have to do without, and there was a void on New Year’s Eve.
Post Holidays Comfort Food
As I moved past the holidays, comfort foods played a big part of my days. The comfort foods were, well, comforting. From Oklahoma, I found myself taking an unscheduled trip to Cleveland to be with my father, who passed away a few days after my arrival.
Soup played a big part, and was the ideal comforting meal for those trying days. While Dad was in the hospital, I opted for something more flavorful than the hospital options, and made a stop at my favorite neighborhood grocer, Chuppa’s Marketplace, for some homemade vegetable barley soup.
When we moved him to hospice care, soup continued to play an important part of my days.
Broccoli cheese, chicken and dumpling, beef and vegetable barley, and Chicken Paprikash soup were the offerings on the days I was there. It was the Chicken Paprikash soup on the second day that made me most nostalgic. It isn’t something that is readily available in my circles here in the Bay Area, but definitely one that is a mainstay in the Cleveland area.
For my Dad, the comfort foods were slightly different. He had a sweet tooth, so his ‘pleasure diet’ included Tootsie Pops and Dum Dums and Resees peanut butter cups.
But when it came to mealtime, he knew exactly what he wanted. He requested his usual McDonald’s breakfast of sausage muffin, large coffee and large orange juice. While not a fast food fan myself, I know that this ‘comfort food’ breakfast was something that would make him happy. I obliged.
Beyond his morning fast food request, he knew exactly what he wanted for dinner. On Saturday evening, his first night in hospice, he had two requests — a burger for dinner, and to holdout on dinner so he could enjoy it with my brother, once he arrived in town later in the evening. I stopped at Five Guys on the way to the airport, and we enjoyed a family meal together soon thereafter – one that he happily gobbled it down.
The following evening, Dad’s request was for steak and mashed potatoes – but I wasn’t sure steak would be a good choice for him. As an alternative, I mentioned to him that Mom had made Beef Stroganoff and asked if he wanted some. His eyes lit up and a smile came to his face as he quickly replied, “Yes!” I called Mom, and she brought it over.
With his passing, there was an emptiness. My Mom, attempted to fill that void with comforting memories and comforting food. For dinner on the day Dad passed, Mom and Rich made us a nourishing and comforting meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes – in honor of my Dad (one of his favorite meals).
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As February’s chill arrives, find respite in those cozy, easy-to-make recipes that bring back memories. Back here at home, we continue to make the effort to sit down together as a family, while preparing some of their favorite meals — building those comfort-food memories for my own children.
Last night it was pesto pasta. They didn’t even sit down to the table before they began calling dibs for lunch today. As they fought over who would get it for lunch, I quietly announced that there would not be any leftover. They all stopped, looked at me, and said, “Double the recipe next time!”
Here is the comforting Meatloaf recipe Mom and Rich prepared for us.
Cypress Nook’s Hackbraten
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 diced onion
- 1 diced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 4 large eggs, whisked
- 1 Tbsp beef base
- 1 Tbsp Garden Seasoning Blend
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- Caramelized onions, for serving, optional
- Beef gravy, for serving, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute onions and shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and sauce until fragrant. Remove from heat, cool, and transfer to large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste, mixing thoroughly until combined.
Form meat mixture into a loaf and place in a loaf pan. Bake until cooked through, about 90 minutes. Allow to set 10 minutes before slicing. Serve topped with caramelized onions and beef gravy, if desired.
Makes 8 servings.
