I’m battling the tail end of a monster cold (woe is me) and I’m finally feeling well enough to venture back into the kitchen. Please share with me your favourite make-you-feel-good-in-an-instant, gone-in-ten-seconds-after-the-first-bite foods.
Mac & cheese is one of my most favouritest dishes in the whole wide world for making me feel warm and fuzzy all over - I acknowledge this may simply be the feeling of my arteries slowly clogging. I really recommend the pioneer woman version. Although I use milk instead of cream, leave out the chilies (too ouchy on my tongue) and add in whatever veggies are hanging about the house. Oh, yeah… I also throw in some bacon. But you guys won’t judge me for that right? I can’t have it when I’m ill though, as all that dairy product stuffs up my sinuses something awful. It’s more of a mental health day comfort food I guess.
When I’m feeling properly poorly, I like to bake. There’s something comforting about all that whisking and sieving. Plus, I think it skirts the ethical issues of infusing your dishes with eau de cooties - all the germs get killed in the oven right? I’ve just stumbled across this wicked looking recipe for Chocolate & Raspberry Brownies and I am off to try it toot sweet
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 egg
2 teaspoons creme de cassis
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
Add sugar and mix well.
Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
Stir in creme de cassis, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).
Mix in Berries
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes in greased 8x8 baking pan.
I shall report back on its level of deliciousness and approx. number of seconds it took me to shove the pan down my gullet. Any other recipes I should try to keep my spirits up?
I’m also on the tail-end of a monster cold, started the second day into my first vacation in nearly two years. (It sucks, but the bright spot is that I would have inevitably had to take two or three days off which wouldn’t have been paid, so it’s good that I was on vacation. How’s that for finding a silver lining?) I ate a lot of tapioca pudding this last week, still warm with a healthy dose of Cool Whip on top. It probably added to my overabundance of phlegm but damn, warm tapioca pudding while wearing flannel PJs is my best cure for the common cold from Hell.
That chocolate and raspberry brownie recipe has me drooling.
My favorite comfort food is a baked potato loaded with butter and sour cream. I generally eschew potatoes and other starchy foods, but every so often I crave them intensely, and when I give in and have one, I find my toes curling as I eat.
My comfort foods are tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. They are easy and yummy and depending on what you add to the soup or what kind of cheese you use for the sandwich you can get a lot of variety out of these two things.
I have recently discovered smoked gouda cheese and it makes a really nice grilled cheese.
I’m pleased to report that the brownies are just about one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made. And super quick and easy too which is a bonus when you’re still feeling a bit groggy. Next time I think I’ll sub in marishino cherries and some of the juice instead of cassis and raspberries.
All these suggestions are making me hungry again, I’m worried I might start gnawing on my moniter.
The baked potato one is brilliant, I think I’ll make one for dinner. Mmmm warm starchiness, come to mama.
I’ve heard people raving about grilled cheeses and tomato soup before… probably while lurking here… While they’re both great individually the combo seems a bit weird. Is it a standard American thing to eat them together?
Oh, and Fiveroptic I hope you feel better soon and you get to enjoy your holidays anyway (you’re waaay more stoic than I would have been). I’m not a fan of tapioca myself but now I’m definitely craving some rice pudding. Alas that would also not be great on the phlegm front.
And did you then put it on the floor? That is the rule, you know…
I tried “real” Greek food for the first time on Sat. I really enjoyed the Pastitsio - it reminded me of creamy mashed potatoes w/pasta, and of course cinnamon. It was really good! Definately a comfort food.
Mashed taters with butter, salt, & pepper.
Extra hot liquids - coffee, tea, water, soups/broths = comfort. Yes, even in the 90+ degree summers you will find me drinking large cups of hot coffee or hot tea… it actually cools me off while providing comfort.
I had a migraine yesterday and was trying very hard to keep any food down. We stopped at McDonald’s for some fries as I thought the salt would help (it didn’t). When I am sick like that, very simple carbs like potatoes and rice are about all I can handle.
When I have a cold, it’s soup all the way.
Macaroni and cheese, Food Network recipe
Fried chicken drumsticks
Rice pudding
Mashed potatoes
Grilled cheese with Muenster and tomato soup made with half milk and half heavy whipping cream
Bread pudding, the aforementioned Pioneer Woman’s recipe
There’s lots of Tampa Cuban dishes that rate high on the comfort scale – loaded with various fats and oils (mainly olive oil), incredibly filling. Chicken and yellow rice, garbanzo bean soup, caldo gallego (a soup with white beans and collard greens), ropa vieja (shredded flank steak in tomato sauce), picadillo (ground beef in tomato sauce with green olives and capers). Or just a plain ol’ Cuban sandwich.
I made a simple and delicious roast chicken today. I had boxed augratin potatoes and a mustard green with rice concoction, very soul…
The chicken was just so perfect. It was juicy and moist and the skin was cracklin crisp.
Simple Roast Chicken with Spicy Mustard Greens and Rice
Remove the neck, liver, and giblets of a room temperature chicken and rinse in water. Rub the entire chicken with a knob of butter and season heavily with salt, just a bit of pepper, and about a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. Place in a large roasting pan breast side up, uncovered.
Start the chicken in a 400F oven. After 10 minutes turn the temperature down to 375F. 20 minutes later turn the oven down to 365F. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes at 365F, basting the chicken thourougly with the pan juices and fat periodically. Remove from the oven and let rest. Serve with the pan juices drizzled over.
Spicy Mustard Greens and Rice
1 can of cooked mustard greens (drained)
1 cup of cooked rice
1 tbs. butter
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
3 tablespoon’s of Frank’s Red Hot or other mild, vinegary, Red Pepper sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of Sriracha
1/2 a bottle or can of a lager or lighter beer
Sautee the onion in the butter in a saucepan until tranparent. Add the mustard greens and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and turn to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes minimum, longer if desired. Serve the mustard greens with spicy likker over plain rice
I do my own version of Hamburger Helper: I make a package of Kraft Mac & Cheese, and while the mac is boiling, I brown half a pound of ground beef. After preparing the M&C, I add in the beef and about a quarter package of chili powder.
Not as fancy or healthy as Pioneer Woman’s version (none of them damn vegetables!), but tastes great.
I just had an egg window for breakfast - perfect comfort, warm and filling but not heavy and the toast was just scratchy enough going down to make my throat feel tons better.
I’m thinking of making that roast chicken recipe tonight, thanks!
