Lately there have been days that I don’t even make it into the kitchen…which for me is extremely difficult. Many days I’ll grab a coffee while on my way to work after dropping Leith at school, to drink along with a yogurt for breakfast. Lunch these days is almost non-existent and is, more often than not, eaten while submitting payroll or editing reports at my desk. By dinner I’m famished and craving something hearty and delicious – that also takes little or no effort on my part.
But when do I have time to cook? In between work and taking care of the “wee beastie” there is very little time left for me to hang out in my kitchen and cook for pleasure. In fact, I think my spice rack has forgotten who I am and my baking cupboard is definitely feeling abandoned. And of course our local Chinese take-away and Pizzeria are both getting way too much personal attention lately.
This is why the other night after I had fed Leith (a thrown together dinner of baked cod, rice and roasted vegetables), given him a bath, read him his favourite book and tucked him into bed with a dinosaur in one arm and a dog in the other, I wandered out and said hello to my kitchen. We reacquainted ourselves while dancing a sultry tango involving chopping, sauteing and mixing. I smiled as I stood there in front of my stove. And even though I was tired and my back hurt, it was like coming home after a long absence to enjoy all the little idiosyncrasies that go along with spending time with an old friend.
And what better to make than comfort food when what I sorely needed was consolation and affection? A slightly grown-up and healthy adaptation of the frozen chicken pot pie I always crave when I’m tired and sick and don’t want to cook, this is comfort food at it’s best. Simple, delicious and not too heavy this pie hits the spot in a way that neither pizza nor Chinese food ever can.
Making it at night and refrigerating it until the next day gives you a meal that only needs to be baked in the oven for 30 minutes – how much easier does dinner get?