Fast, Fine, and Comfortable at Home

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

You’re out of work, sales are slow, or maybe the economy has just got you down. You know what you need to cheer you up? A nice juicy Whopper. It may sound a bit strange, but that is apparently what many Americans are thinking, much to the joy of fast food restaurants around the country that are weathering this economic storm better than most businesses.

Whether we are reaching out to fast food because it’s cheaper than eating at a traditional restaurant or its menu appeals to our need for comfort food in these times, or a combination thereof, a greasy burger wrapped in paper handed to you through a window might not be the soul-satisfying meal you are really looking for.

The fact is most restaurants in the country are taking a beating right now, while our friends at Burger King have reported higher than expected sales for the last quarter of 2008 and are expected to have another strong finish to this year’s first quarter. Americans are apparently trading in the experience of a sit-down dining restaurant for a drive-through window or a hard backed plastic chair.

It would be easy to assume that it is those beloved “value meal” menus, where most items are priced around $1, that are driving customers into those havens of grease and harsh fluorescent lighting. That is a nice idea in theory except for the fact that restaurants like Arby’s are still reporting average checks of around $7.50. For $7.50 I could buy enough groceries to feed a family of four a hearty vegetarian meal or feed a couple a sumptuous meal of organic chicken and a couple of sides. For $7.50 total I could cook a lot of things, for $7.50 a person I could make a feast. And I am pretty sure that the chairs around my dining room table beat the seats at a fast food restaurant any day.

If pulling through a drive through for a burger is as much about the comfort food as it is about the price, consider the vast array of comfort food options that can be made quickly, and cheaply, in your own home.

Consider your typical meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken: fried chicken, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes. Fresh corn on the cob takes a grand total of seven minutes in boiling water, less time than you would spend sitting in the drive-through line. Mashed potatoes for four people using two large Idaho potatoes can be made start to finish in thirty minutes, less time than you would spend driving to the restaurant and back. Coleslaw can be made in minutes using a food processor and a blue cheese dressing can be whipped up in seconds in a blender, all assembled in less time than it takes to unpack your take-out dinner. As far as that chicken goes, pound out a few chicken breasts between some sheets of plastic then proceed with a classic breading of flour, egg wash, bread crumbs. With that chicken pounded out, those chicken breasts will cook in 2-3 minutes per side.

Comfort food is a pleasure that should not be denied no matter our economic times but it doesn’t have to be found at the end of a drive-through line. You might not be able to afford the $100 a person steakhouse dinner right now, but you can always watch for the good steak deals at the grocery store. Less expensive cuts like hanger and skirt steak can be had for less than $10 a pound.

The neighborhood Italian restaurant might even be out of your price range right now, but a chicken parmesan dinner can be had using the pounded chicken technique described above topped with store bought marinara sauce and a sprinkling of grated mozzarella cheese. Even seafood can be accessible. Homemade shrimp cocktail can be made with defrosted frozen shrimp and homemade cocktail sauce for $10, enough to feed four people for less than a restaurant appetizer for one.

Fast comfort food does not have to equal a drive-through window. You may have to lay off on the fine dining in restaurants right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fine dining in your own home for the price of a drive-through meal. Comfort food can be comfortable with a little time in your kitchen and enjoyed in the fine setting of your own dining room.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup loosely packed grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 slices (1/2 ounce each) mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 can (15 ounce size) diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 8 shredded fresh basil leaves