Grant and I have been huge fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines for years, first with their home renovation show Fixer Upper being a mainstay of our Saturday morning TV marathons, then over the years with their magazine and various publications. When Joanna came out with the first volume of Magnolia Table in 2018, we picked up a copy right away. What I love about her recipes is that they’re comforting comfort food. What I mean is that they feel good to make and eat. The recipes are accessible and relatable, and the food is the kind that’s so good that leftovers don’t survive very long. My favorite recipe from her first book was the meatloaf. It’s a recipe that I keep coming back to time and time again because it’s hearty and just tastes like home.

That’s why I was so excited this week when Grant got me Magnolia Table, Volume 2. One thing that struck me was that Joanna begins the book with a reflection on the art of gathering. She talks about the human need for connection and our use of food as a reason to get together, a poignant point with new meaning in the time of social distancing.

From Magnolia Table:

I love to eat; but my absolute favorite purpose of food is that it gives us a reason to gather. Call it entertaining, call it hosting, call it dinner at seven and bring whoever you want. A gathering of any kind is time well spent, whether it’s a simple meal around the kitchen table, a casual get-together, or a boisterous house full of family and friends.

With the current state of the world, many of us are away from family and friends. I think especially of loved ones in distant places right now. When will we get to see them again? How long will it be before we can all gather around a table and pass around our favorite family recipes?

Whenever I get a little blue about missing loved ones, I like to think of the happier days that are surely ahead of us. I think of family gathered around a big table, laughing and teasing. I think of delicious bread (and gobs of butter, yes please), shared dishes of favorite food and nice cold drinks to toast being together again. To that end, my new cookbook will be a great companion.

This daily blog post series is our way of sharing our experience with you, our readers. We’ll talk about our daily routines, adjustments to working from home, recipes based on limited ingredients and any other topic that comes to mind. It’s our way of connecting with the “outside” world, while also giving us the opportunity to look within and reflect on what we’re experiencing and how we’re feeling. Thanks for your interest in sharing this journey with us. Stay tuned and be well.