what are your comfort Foods?

[pinkytoe]

The Bittman article in the NY TImes today has me thinking about what my comfort foods are. Strangely, it brings to mind that I would eat lots of things if dh weren't around as he doesn't like many of my comfort foods - Fresh-popped popcorn tossed in melted butter and lightly salted. Beans and rice with fresh salsa. Creamed salmon on spinach fettucine with grated parmesan. Root beer floats. Cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Roasted chicken and vegetables. Really good yeasty chewy bread with butter. Forget all the food rules - what foods bring you that warm, fuzzy feeling?

[TxZen]

Warm crusty bread with butter, mac and cheese and chocolate. :)

[ApatheticNoMore]

Ok in the article he's mostly talking about what food patterns we fall into that are convenient and easy when we're not making a big food production. Soups made earlier are really good for this, sometimes I'll have just rice crackers with a soft spready cheese for dinner (brie-like things), just making some rice or a can of beans and adding cheddar or jack cheese and some alums is really easy and yes it does the emotionally comforting thing. My work and commute schedule is demanding so yea the food made ahead thing is often necessary.

The word "comfort food" eh I don't really like it as it denotes and normalizes some degree of food addiction (whether people occasionally need things and there are things even more addictive than food (ha) for emotional comfort I don't know - maybe - but just too heavy (no pun intended) on the assumption that we should turn to food this way ...). Sweets of course are comforting in that way, does it need to be said? :) And yes anything but especially carbs (rice etc.) with CHEESE is emotionally comforting!

[Florence]

Chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven can comfort almost anything for me.:)

[awakenedsoul]

I don't read all the posts. I loved the positive responses. That said, your comfort foods sound delicious to me, pinkytoe. You are an excellent, intelligent writer and this is a great thread...

Here are some of mine: a chocolate sundae, broccoli with cheese sauce, lamb chops, mashed potatoes, and gravy. I also like fettucini alfredo, chocolate cake, cherry pie, Nacho cheese doritos, fried chicken, apple crisp, smoothies, leek and potato soup, cherry pie, and belgian chocolate. Yum!

[IshbelRobertson]

The tastes of my childhood
granny's tattie scones, Scotch Broth, Cullen skink and her shortbread
mum's scones, her Russian Fish pie, and her mince and tatties
Other granny's haggis, neeps and tatties... And her dundee cake

[Float On]

pot roast with potatoes and carrots and onions

[Dhiana]

Spicy hot dal(lentil) curry with big chunks of veggies, lot of onion & garlic. Garnished with a fresh juicy, salted tomato.
My recipes always start out as yummy thick lentil soup and by the time I'm done eating the batch I've been making curry burrito wraps w/melted cheese, fresh avocado, fresh tomatoes & spinach!
If I'm feeling really lazy and falling off the frugal bandwagon, I'll walk over to the Indian restaurant and order the dal curry w/naan, make it #8 out of 10 on the spicy scale :)

[Blackdog Lin]

Macaroni and cheese. Meat loaf - but mostly just the leftover meat loaf sandwiches the next day. Macaroni and cheese. Spaghetti w/classic meat-tomato sauce and garlic toast. Macaroni and cheese. A pot of chili. Macaroni and cheese. Ham-n-beans (navy, baby limas, pintos, they're all good) with cornbread hot from the oven. Macaroni and cheese. A loaf of freshly baked bread slathered in butter. Macaroni and cheese. Bacon and (the first of the garden season) tomato sandwiches. Homemade chocolate chip cookies, hot from the oven, with a large glass of cold milk.

And macaroni and cheese.

:)

[catherine]

My mother and I used to go to a little sandwich shop and sit in a booth and have a grilled cheese sandwich and a chocolate ice cream soda with vanilla ice cream, so I have lots of wonderful memories of those lunches, and to this day whenever I go to a diner, I always get a grilled cheese sandwich, and sometimes an ice cream soda.

I love soups that I make myself, and even though rarely eat meat, I must admit that I also count among my comfort foods corned beef and cabbage and mince and potatoes and peas.

Stuffed clams and raw clams.

Cream cheese and olive sandwiches.

[Packy]

Hi! Well, well--aren't we having FUN, now--having a FOOD Fantasy! I can contribute something to the thread, though, that I'm sure everyone will find helpful. See, there is a place about 2 miles from my place called "Golden Corral", that went in there about 10 years ago. If I am really, really, really hungry for "Comfort Food", and have around $10 I can spend on 1 meal, that is where to go. Especially during the mid-day hours. Comfort Food--they got it! Another thing they have is lots of patrons who evidently are Frequent Flyers at buffet places, judging by their um, bulk. But enough about that. Hope that helps you some.

[rosarugosa]

Baked haddock and mashed potatoes, or a big bowl of pasta with red sauce :)