Comfort food. This list is all about the comfort that we as Americans feel when these very homegrown, traditional, dishes fill our homes with aroma and then fill our bellies in satisfied bliss.
It’s been a tough year here in the U.S.: 10% unemployment, 2 wars being fought overseas, a big and ever-growing national deficit.
These issues consume our nightly news and continually send bad news. With pockets being a lot lighter, credit being constricted, and very little positive economic news being reported, it is no wonder that we feel the need to return to the food that our parents prepared – food (and a feeling) that we took for granted. Overall, our experiences this year have pushed us, whether we like it or not, to simplify.
I have to laugh a little at myself about this list because these are the foods that I grew up with but have made little in my time away from my parents. Instead, up until recently, these are the foods that I would go to high-end American Bistros to have served up on modern, white, asymmetrical plates that would be paired with just the right wine. 100 bucks down our gullets each time.
While, I have to admit, I still enjoy these now rarified gastronomic holidays, we like the rest of America, have looked at our excesses and are cutting back. With the advent of my father moving in with us earlier this year, it has been an enlightening experience to be reminded of how simple and affordable our lives could be. My Dad comes from the mindset of: ‘why go out if we can make it at home’ and ‘why go out if there are still leftovers in the fridge’.
So now, instead of $8 pancakes for 1, I make $2 pancakes that serve 6. Instead of $18 meatloaf made with morel mushrooms, caramelized onions and served with garlic mashed potatoes, I make $4 meatloaf with ground bison, finely shredded carrots and bell peppers served with mashed potatoes that feed four and tastes just as good. Whereas I used to throw away the old bananas, I make incredible home-made banana bread. And where I used to only have chili on very cold days or for Superbowl Sunday, I make ‘chili’ with what ingredients I have in my pantry and in my freezer. Sometimes it has beans, sometimes not. Regardless, it still tastes good.
Over this last year, we have saved hundreds on our grocery bills by eating at home. I now use Costco for things other than electronics and DVDs. I plan
menus. I create a weekly
foodGizmo grocery list. I clip coupons. I buy bulk. I freeze. I can. I spend extra money on good spices, but save money in the long run because they have better flavor and I use less.
I have items (that I can’t get at Costco) delivered based on my foodGizmo pre-planned
grocery lists so I don’t buy the things I don’t need. On average I have saved around $250 a month on just groceries (and that includes feeding 1 more mouth).
The benefits have been more than financial: I have lost 10lbs just from knowing what I am putting in my mouth. Most important to me: I really listen now to what my husband says to me while we sit at the dining room table over dinner.
2009 has taught me a lot about what I can do without and has shown me the benefits of it.
Happy New Year!
dGizmo
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