Recently, I purchased a pack of recipe cards to help corral the random scraps of paper I’ve scribbled on while Googling recipes in my kitchen or copying down the ingredients from a text. I was motivated primarily by a desire to organize the spaces I use the most, but a curious thing happened, particularly as I got to some of my favorite comfort foods.
When I began paging through the most commonly prepared meals, I noticed that a good percentage of the recipes included were shared by friends who had nourished me with their cooking at one time or another.
In the same way that we are at our core “story people,” who have come to understand God through stories in Scripture, we are also bodied people, who respond when our bodily needs are met (or not). Even the Word Incarnate experienced hunger (see Matthew 4:1-11).
Below are some of my favorite recipes from friends and the deep meaning they have for me.
Baking Bread
“We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know Him in the breaking of bread, and we know each other in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone anymore. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship.” // Servant of God Dorothy Day, “Postscript” from The Long Loneliness
Bread is very often what we think of when we think of the way God nourishes us—after all, Jesus is the Bread of Life (see John 6:35), and God provided manna from Heaven to the Israelites while they wandered through their desert exodus (see Exodus 16). Bread, in some form (tortillas, matzo, pita, naan, etc.) is a staple worldwide, even considered the bare minimum of nutrition. And there is something about smelling the aroma of bread outside of a bakery, that makes our stomachs rumble—better yet, when it comes from our oven!
When my baker friend came to visit after years of living abroad, she offered to help me learn to bake bread at high altitude during her stay. I have gone back to her recipe year after year for its simplicity, its taste, and its nourishment, and in gratitude for the memory and gift of her friendship.
Recipe: Bread (2 loaves)
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp yeast
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Put 4 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into a bowl. Pour in hot water and oil until combined. Add remaining flour in increments. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Place dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp towel, let it rise for 30 minutes. Punch it down and divide it into 2 pieces. Roll pieces long enough to fill two well-oiled loaf pans and leave to rise until the dough has reached the rim.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. Rub hot bread with water & wrap it in a tea towel to soften the crust.
Enjoying a Feast
Another story that includes elements of feasting is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Upon the wayward son’s return, the father exclaims: “And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:23-24). Food is celebratory, it is nourishing, and sometimes it is decadent—more than we might have even expected, which provides its own experience of gratitude.
Dear friends from our small group brought this family favorite. Made with love and hearty enough to sustain their athletic sons, it quickly became a favorite at our house too. We’ve since added cheese tortellini to give it a little something creamy.
Recipe: Italian Sausage Soup
- 1 lb Italian Sausage
- 3 thickly sliced carrots
- 2 cans beef broth
- 2 small zucchini
- 1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
- 2 cups spinach
- Tortellini (if desired)
Sharing a Meal
Days were snowy and cold, our home was under construction, surgery was looming for me, and my husband had just tested positive for Covid. I had acquired this recipe from a mentor and friend. Every time I make it, I am reminded of my time with her, sharing a simple community meal after Mass: “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46). This recipe was a go-to for her: flavorful, nourishing, and vegetarian, reflective of her desire to “live simply so others may simply live.” Her warm hospitality has nourished me during good and challenging times.
Recipe: Vegetarian Chili
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups finely chopped onion
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped green pepper
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- ¾ tsp oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 2 cans drained kidney beans
- ½ tsp tabasco sauce
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 TbspWorcestershire sauce
Sauté veggies in oil until soft. Combine and simmer for 30 minutes.
Giving Gratitude
The season of giving thanks is upon us, which takes on many forms, almost certainly accompanied by food—whether sitting at a Thanksgiving table, lifting a prayer of gratitude for the flowery script that adorns your recipe book, or noticing the love you put into the meals you craft for others. Jesus is the perfect reminder that we best nourish those in our midst when we give of ourselves.
Katie Cassady is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a wife and mom to three little girls in Denver, CO. Steeped in theological reflection, beekeeping and motherhood, she is appreciative of any and all wisdom she can glean from those living intentional lives of faith. Find out more about her here. Read all of Katie's posts here.
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