West Texas Mama

Baby, it's cold outside.  And Number One Son has been sick with a brutal cold.  It was definitely time for me to whip up some comfort food.  My mama always had a favorite meal when she was sick.  One her mama made her often as she recovered from surgeries to help her overcome the lasting effects of polio.  Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich were her go to meal, and I remember making it for her a time or two when she was sick.  But I cannot stand tomato soup, and I will barely tolerate a grilled cheese sandwich.  My mama knew a favorite home-cooked comfort food is necessary for proper healing, so through much trial and error she found what would satisfy me:  chicken and dumplings with a side of fried okra.  I remember vividly, on a similar cold night after I had Number One Son, she fixed me my favorite comfort food as my first meal at home.  Nothing in the world could have tasted better.  So, tonight I whipped up a batch of chicken and dumplings, and I fried some okra