These days, when it seems that everyone is striving to make ends meet, people are turning to the sure thing. The one forgotten diner down the road is being revisited, chosen over the local fast-food joint. Hanging out and having game night is popular again as are potluck dinners. Making dinner from scratch and leaving out the cans and boxes is chic again (that’s homemade butter in the photo). Everyone is looking for the comforts of a slower time, and my own family is doing it, too.
We broke out our 20 year-old video games and made popcorn on the stove recently, eschewing the microwave and computer games that only one person plays at a time. Instead we hooked up the old-school SEGA and had a blast from the past. The kids loved it and the fact that there were fewer choices (we only have a handful of SEGA games as compared to the pile of Play Station games) made the night flow smoother.
Food has become the same across the globe – folks are returning to their culinary roots and embracing the recipes of yesteryear. Simple dishes like Shepherd’s Pie, Apple Pie, Chocolate Cake and Chicken Soup are making the rounds again. It’s all about comfort, about feeling safe and sound and not on shaky ground.
Even here at Half Hour Meals, where we tout a quicker way of getting dinner done, the recipes for comfort food classics are flooding in. Everyone wants to sit at the table just a little longer and linger over good conversations and good food. Give the newest recipes a look and see if you don’t see the trend, as well.
I, for one, welcome the chance to slow down and savor and I think my family and I will be better off for it. What do you think?