I realize that the clause is actually “Familiarity breeds contempt,” but in the case of certain foods, especially foods your family likes, familiarity gives comfort. Kris and I have been married for 23½ years. Nearly every week for the last 282 months, I have made one particular food for my husband: cinnamon bread. He eats it practically every morning—slightly warmed in the microwave and smeared with butter. Give him a slice of cinnamon bread and a glass of chocolate milk, and he’s a man ready to face the world. It’s a food that brings me comfort, too, because I know that Kris’s breakfast is “figured out” already, and I don’t have to spend a lot of time preparing or cleaning up his meal. (I probably sound like a very lazy wife and mother just by admitting that I don’t spend a lot of time making hot breakfasts, but we’ve found that cold cereals, sweet breads, and toasted leftover pancakes really make great day-starters for our children, and save me hours of time each week. Sometimes convenience overrides health concerns when it comes to our food choices, truth be told.)

The cinnamon bread recipe also breeds comfort because I associate it with the camp at which I worked for six glorious summers when I was still in college (and, yes, it took me about six years to get through college). Clydehurst Christian Ranch, on the Boulder River in Montana, has been in existence since 1945 as a Christian camp that encourages children and teens in their faith, and that provides families with memorable adventures and Christian training during its family camps. The cinnamon bread recipe was a favorite recipe for the staff on the weekends, and the recipe made its way into a CCR recipe book “published” in 1991. Okay, it was composed of handwritten recipes photocopied on half sheets of paper and attached with a brass fastener, but it still has some of my favorite comfort foods of all time.

So, now that you have the story behind this comfort food, here’s the secret recipe… or, better stated, here’s the recipe that has been our secret to successful breakfasts for over 1100 weeks of marriage:

Clydehurst Christian Ranch’s Cinnamon Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

1 C. butter or margarine, softened (Butter is better, of course.)
2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. buttermilk (which can be made with 2 C. milk and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar)
4 C. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 to 3/4 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs. Add and blend with buttermilk, flour, and baking soda. Put ½ of batter into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan). Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the batter. Add remaining batter to loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick tester comes out clean. Let bread cool in loaf pans at least 20 minutes before removing bread. Slice, add a little butter, and see if familiarity breeds comfort for your family.

[Clydehurst Christian Ranch has a great website, fantastic staff, spectacular scenery, and incredible speakers. Check it out at http://www.clydehurst.com.]

Familiarity Breeds Comfort

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