Comfort foods

Published on November 10, 2004 By dharmagrl In Blogging

I'm making a big pot of beef stew. Loaded with carrots and onions in a delicious gravy...the smell permeating my house is wonderful. Add to that the aroma of home-made bread-bowls baking in my oven and you have an idea of what my kitchen smells like!

I'd have to say that beef stew is my comfort food. I remember my mom making it on cold and snowy days...coming home from school, walking into a warm and fragrant kitchen...nothing could compare to that. If I'm stressed or upset about something (and today I'm a little upset - see my previous article for explanation), I cook beef stew and bake a cake. When my dad had his first heart attack and got whisked off in an ambulance in the middle of the night, I cooked. It was 2 am, there was nothing on TV (we lived in England, there were 4 channels and nothing was broadcast after midnight)...so I cooked. I made beef stew and whilst that was simmering I set about making a black forest gateau. By the time my big brother got there at 6am, I had an entire meal ready. So, we sat at the table, my brother Kevin and I, and we ate. We talked about my dad, we talked about what we would do now, and we ate. When my mom got back from the hospital to tell us my dad was still alive, we made her a plate and she sat and ate too.

I'm going to do that tonight. D's working, but the kids and I are going to sit at the table, eat, and I'm going to have to break the news to them that their dad is being deployed again.

Beef stew and black forest gateau. My comfort foods.

What are yours?

Comments (Page 1)

Zoomba

on Nov 10, 2004

Grilled Cheese Sandwich... but not made with good cheese mind you... made with VELVEETA! Strangest substance known to man... it's cheese-like, but requires no refridgeration and has no expiration date. Twinkies, Cockroaches and Velveeta are all that will be left after WW3.

The sandwich goes like this:
Two pieces of italian bread, one side slathered with dijon mustard, the other with sweet relish.
Place Velveeta in middle, close sandwich.
Butter outer sides liberally, cook until golden brown and cheese-substance is oozing out the side.

Mmmmm

shadesofgrey

on Nov 10, 2004

There is nothing better than the smell of beef stew...I actually made some a couple of weekends ago--it was my first attempt and it wasn't half bad for not having any idea what I was doing...

My comfort foods are meatloaf and mashed potatoes--it's just plain yummy.

Also, pickles, curry chicken, and mac and cheese with hotdogs.

I hope the beef stew and the cake cheer you up a bit

dharmagrl

on Nov 10, 2004

Grilled Cheese Sandwich... but not made with good cheese mind you... made with VELVEETA!

Ohhh yeah........*drools*....Velveeta is some yummy stuff. I personally loooove grilled velveeta sammiches.

My comfort foods are meatloaf and mashed potatoes--it's just plain yummy

Ooh, D made meatloaf last week and it was goo-ood! He made this killer glaze for the top of it...man, I could eat meatloaf until it comes out of my ears! I know what I'm making when you come to dinner, Shades!

My beef stew is good...and it did cheer me up a bit. The kids took the news well...jake got a bit teary eyed, but cheered up when I promised that we'd all go to Six Flags for the weekend when his dad came home from deployment.

Mmm......next, cake!!!

Ravenblack

on Nov 10, 2004

Fried chicken wings with chilli-and-lime sauce. That's what cheers me up when I'm down. Or curry - really hot spicy chicken curry with potatos.

dharmagrl

on Nov 10, 2004

Fried chicken wings with chilli-and-lime sauce.

That's an interesting combination.....I've never had that before.

Or curry - really hot spicy chicken curry

Y'know, I meant to say something about Shades' liking curry.....I love it. A nice madras with some jasmine rice and some nann bread....drool-a-licious!!!

historyishere

on Nov 10, 2004

Mashed Potatoes.... Instant will do... I've fried them into pancakes, spread them on buttered bread.... I've tried them so many ways.

shadesofgrey

on Nov 10, 2004

Y'know, I meant to say something about Shades' liking curry

I could go for a curry half-half (half rice, half chips) -- in my ideal world, I'd have a lovely chip shop outside my apartment building that specialized in curry chips (why can't we American's seem to get this cuisine right?)

My beef stew is good...

I'll have to get your recipe some time--I just kind of decided to wing it when I made it, I threw in some Guinness for a special touch, but I think I might be better following a recipe in the future--it was good, but not spectacular!

I know what I'm making when you come to dinner, Shades!

You name the night, I'll be there!

Texas Wahine

on Nov 10, 2004

Homemade macaroni and cheese is a great comfort food. French fries cut kinda thick and cooked in a whole lotta grease and heavily salted are yummy, too. Banana bread with butter soaked into the top . . . hot cheesy pizza (delivery, of course!) . . . big bag of m&ms . . . I could go on . . .

I'm glad the kids took it well, dharma. Bless their little hearts.

dharmagrl

on Nov 10, 2004

could go for a curry half-half (half rice, half chips) -- in my ideal world, I'd have a lovely chip shop outside my apartment building that specialized in curry chips (why can't we American's seem to get this cuisine right?)

I don't know, but I wish we could too! I miss curry and chips...I make chips with curry sauce at home sometimes, but it's not the same.

I'll have to get your recipe some time--I just kind of decided to wing it when I made it

I cheat and use the packet mix as a base and just 'tweak' it. I add tons of onions and carrots, leave out the celery, throw some Bisto in there....sometimes some red wine, occasionally a bay leaf and once I used Guinness and it was pretty good!

French fries cut kinda thick and cooked in a whole lotta grease and heavily salted are yummy, too

OOh yeah...with curry sauce!

I'm glad the kids took it well, dharma. Bless their little hearts.

Yeah, they were little troopers about it. They're somewhat used to it...I'm not sure of that's a good thing or not.

Spc Nobody Special

on Nov 10, 2004

Thai curries, especially Matsaman or the other yellow ones. I go through a lot of coconut milk.

I'd have to say that beef stew is my comfort food.

What do you simmer yours in? I like a mixture of stock and red wine, with some bay leaf and cloves, plus thyme, rosemary, and pepper.

dharmagrl

on Nov 10, 2004

What do you simmer yours in?

The packet mix and some water!!!

if I'm making it from the git go, I use stock, red wine, bay, thyme and s&p. Occasionally beer.

Texas Wahine

on Nov 10, 2004

dharma: I'm having kind of a sad day, and I think I will bake some banana bread right now. (Unless you want to share a bread bowl with me . . . I'll have to put some veggie soup in it

) Good idea with the comfort foods.

dharmagrl

on Nov 10, 2004

Reply By: Texas WahinePosted: Wednesday, November 10, 2004
dharma: I'm having kind of a sad day, and I think I will bake some banana bread right now

Why? what's wrong?

I'll split a bread bowl with you any day, Tex....and I'm giving up meat again, just so you know. I'll write a blog about it....

pseudosoldier

on Nov 10, 2004

Comfort foods - Everything is a comfort food. Somedays (today, for example) I'm a bottomless frickin' pit.

For real comfort, though, I find that Old Diet Dr. Crow Pepper works wonders, especially in quantity.

dharmagrl

on Nov 10, 2004

Somedays (today, for example) I'm a bottomless frickin' pit.

Me too. All i wanted to do today was eat.

Old crow and diet dr P...will Jack and Mr Pibb work instead?

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