New cookbook urges families to
‘come home to supper’ I By Jennifer Kornegay
t’s something we all know: Sitting down and having dinner as a family is important. It’s the perfect opportunity for talking and listening, for connecting and strengthening bonds. Several studies have even suggested that eating the evening meal together, without TV and other distractions, can impact children’s development in various positive ways. So, it’s what we need to do. But how do we do it? Alabama’s Christy Jordan answers this question with her newest cookbook, the aptly titled Come Home to Supper. “Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or working, we are all always rushing around,” she said. “For so many, the idea of putting a good meal on the table and everyone sitting down to enjoy it seems Christy Jordan and her latest cookbook an impossible task. But with the right tools, it’s not. My heart has been in en- Come Home to Supper couraging people to do this and in giving them practical ways to do it.” The author of the popular blog highlighting “Southern Plate” published her first cook- the extraordibook by the same name in 2010. In South- nary that can ern Plate, most of the dishes fall into the be found (or “comfort food” category, and that’s by de- missed) in seemsign. “When I started the “Southern Plate” ingly ordinary blog, it was because I love writing and moments. writing about my family and the wonderIt differs from ful heritage I have in them,” Jordan said. “I Southern Plate a bit in its approach, but not realized that a lot of these ‘heritage’ recipes, in its goal: to get people cooking for their the ones grandmoms used to make, were families. The recipes are easy to make and in danger of being lost.” budget friendly. “This new cookbook feaPeople used to get their cooking edu- tures more modern-day things; it’s what I cation at their mother’s or grandmother’s feed my family,” she said. side. Today, that’s changing. “So many peoThe book also points out why we need ple are finding themselves as adults and not to re-think some of our Southern notions knowing how to cook,” Jordan said. “So I about food. “In this book, I talk about how started showing how to cook the recipes we don’t have to cook the amount of food we grew up with, step by step with photos our mamas made,” she said. “We don’t have and explained in easy terms.” The South- the budget for it, and we don’t need it beern Plate cookbook is full of these classic cause we are not as active in our daily lives dishes. as generations past had to be. I grew up Come Home to Supper hit bookstore eating a meat, three sides, a bread and desshelves last month. In its nearly 300 pages, sert for dinner, but that’s not practical now.” Jordan shares the recipes for some of her She’s also cut back on the sweet stuff. family’s favorite meals. She also shares fam- “The first cookbook had lots of desserts; ily stories, ones that underscore the value in my house, we now eat dessert maybe a in spending real quality time together by couple times a week, so this book doesn’t 16 DECEMBER 2013
have as many.” Jordan’s sunny disposition shines through her writing on her blog and in both books, but this past summer, an accident threatened to dim her light. “While on vacation in Arkansas, I was thrown from a horse and broke both my legs. I had a concussion and don’t remember anything about the day,” she said. “For over a month, I could not put weight on either leg, so I wasn’t able to cook at all.” When she was finally able, Jordan got back in her kitchen and whipped up some chicken and dumplings, one of her daughter’s favorite meals. “The whole family ran in the kitchen and descended on it!” Jordan said. “I know my family loves my cooking and that makes me happy. I want others to feel that, too.” But Jordan’s true mission goes beyond arming busy moms (and dads) with the information they need to put delicious meals on their tables. She’s teaching people not just how to preserve tradition, but why tradition matters. And not just how to get your spouse and kids to “come home to supper,” but why it is so important that you do. “When people ask me ‘What do you like to cook?’ I say, ‘Whatever my kids want; that’s why I do it. That’s how my mom did for us. It is how I pass down our heritage and values,” she said. “Every day, the four of us go our separate ways, and if we didn’t sit down together every day, we’d lose each other. I really believe that. So I tell people to sit down with your kids every night and talk, and let them talk. It’s how you learn who they are becoming, how you stay close. The best part of the dinner table is not the food on it, but the people around it with you.” A
Get More Goodness
Get to know Christy Jordan and find more of her delicious recipes on her website, www.southernplate.com. Come Home to Supper is available through amazon.com and bookstores. www.alabamaliving.coop