Housewarming Spell in 3 Recipes
Just chilling with a retrospective of Mexico´s outgoing president AMLO and a delicious homey dinner.
I am keeping myself pretty busy with work which is why writing blog posts is on the back burner. If the U.S. Election Day was Christmas, I feel like I have both a job as a full-time Santa Claus assistant at the local mall and also have fifty close friends and family that I decided to make handmade gifts for this year. I am in WAY over my head, but we are just going to keep up the seasonal cheer until the day comes and then it’s over.
Meanwhile, I was reflecting on how much I have moved lately and how much I crave getting settled in and feeling at home. We can get tempted by all that capitalism to think buying things is the key to a comfy home. And granted, a nicely scented candle can warm a home nicely. And of course, you have to have the basics like a bed and some kitchen items that allow you to cook a meal. It’s those kitchen items that really do it for me. Because I have learned if I cook the three following things, then suddenly I feel completely nested and at home.
1) Roasting a whole chicken and then making broth with the leftover carcass. I don’t really have a recipe for this. I like to just use either butter or olive oil, a bit of some citrus zest and a healthy dose of salt and roast that whole chicken up. Bonus is that it is the cheapest way to purchase chicken. You can eat some of it and reuse the rest as leftovers for soup or salads. But then using the carcass and some onions and other veggies to make a broth is such a nice home-making move. I just portion out and freeze the broth. Having homemade broth in the freezer? Yes, this is my home.
2) A slow-made bolognese that can be used for sauces, but also for lasagnas! I like to use the famed Marcella Hasan´s bolognese sauce and let it slow simmer for like hours. It smells so good and it conducive to doing other house warming chores while you simmer down the many different liquids that you add to give it a complexity of flavors. I like to eat some with pasta the night I make it, reserve some to make a lasagna for later in the week and then freeze the rest for future easy meals.
3) A beef pot roast is the ultimate house warmer in my book. Do I have a particular recipe? No, I do not. This can be a basic chuck roast with some caramelized onions and carrots. Or when I am in Mexico, they have different cuts so I get the one for barbacoa and add a lot of onion and chiles. The point is to go low temperature and slow-roast that piece of meat. Beef + onion + low and slow + seasonings will fill your house with warmth (and possibly hungry people).
If you find yourself in a new place and want your kitchen to start feeling like a home, a heartily recommend this line up.
Obviously it would have been nice to have my sweetie across from me at dinner, but as many of you know, we have to live in different countries right now and it makes me so sad. Which is in part why I need my comfort meals to make my home feel homier. If you get to cook these three meals for family, the spell works even better! Happy home-making!
