Everybody Eats: Appreciating the real joy of comfort foods

I was going through my cookbook collection the other day, weeding out those filled with recipes I know I'll never make.

Buying a cookbook is like purchasing any other inspirational item. You hand over your money with every intention of it being life changing, but then reality intrudes - at least that's what I told myself as I toted several bags of never-used cookbooks to a used bookstore.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to try and make something outside of your kitchen comfort zone - just like there's nothing wrong with realizing where your skills and taste buds lay. I'm all about comfort foods. I like recipes with ingredients I know I'll find at my local grocery store. Sure, occasionally I'll splurge at a specialty shop, but when your prime cooking audience is two teens, they don't particularly care that the oil used to saute the vegetables was imported.

I recently came across an article online talking about the 30 recipes a person should know how to make before their 30th birthday. I'm a decade past that, so I clicked on it, thinking I was in the clear.

It was not even close. It was worse than the Facebook quiz that told me I'd last one week in a zombie apocalypse.

So here I am, 40 years old, and I don't know how to make a French omelet. I can, however, get dinner on the table by 7 p.m. most nights of the week after dropping off one kid at work, picking up another from play practice, doing laundry, taking the cat to the vet, and all the other things fancy cookbooks don't consider when listing 18 ingredients for vinaigrette.

That's the joy of comfort foods. Not only do they fit into your busy life, most recipes are simple enough that you can try something new with almost-guaranteed success, like this recipe for Chicken and Dumplings. It was finished in less than 30 minutes and received the ultimate approval: a request for seconds.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups chicken broth

1 pound cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sliced carrots

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, minced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 bay leaf

1 handful of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)

1/2 teaspoon basil

1 14-ounce can evaporated milk

1 recipe of Bisquick dumplings (recipe is on the box)

In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and then add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf and basil. Bring to a boil.

Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender. When carrots and celery are almost done, add chopped parsley. Add evaporated milk. Increase heat to boiling and add noodles or add prepared Bisquick by small spoonfuls. Cook until noodles are tender or until dumplings are cooked, about 5 minutes.

Source: 'Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen” by Sara Wells and Kate Jones (Shadow Mountain; February, 2011)