Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Comfort food

Food is all those substances which, submitted to the action of the stomach, can be assimilated or changed into life by digestion, and can thus repair the losses which the human body suffers through the act of living.
--The Physiology of Taste, Brillat-Savarin via The Sadness of Lemon Cake

The moment i read this, i immediately thought comfort food.  Repairing the losses of the day with food, through food, via food.  I have been having a bit of a tough time at work lately, and to come across this quote, and these thoughts of comfort food, well, comforted me.

 I see this as being different than favorite foods.  There are lots of foods that i love, but wouldn't necessarily consider them a comfort "go to."  Comfort food is basic, unpretentious, and simple.



First and foremost, mashed potatoes.  I don't think it gets more basic! I've always said i wanted a mashed potato station at my wedding, with various toppings.  Namely cheese and bacon.  The best part of Thanksgiving dinner, too.  Well, that and the biscuits.



Apparently all my comfort foods are carbs and starches.  Are they the same things?  Plus, i eat like a child.  Pay 25 bucks (or more) at a buffet, and the first things i scope out are the potatoes and mac and cheese.  It's just not right.



Broccoli cheese soup, only bested by soup in a bread bowl.  It may just be the words "bread bowl" that does it. 



S makes the best fried chicken cutlets. So thin, so crunchy.  They don't even require ketchup accompaniment.  See, one without cheese.  Although cheese would be fab.  As would bacon.  Let's just add cheese and bacon to everything.  I told my dear friend Maggie that her scarf looked like bacon.  She actually agreed once i pointed it out, and said she'd never look at the scarf the same way again.



I was gonna be all, "well, we don't add cheese or bacon here" but we actually can add bacon. In fact, we should.  Bacon and chocolate are a fantastic combination and i implore you to try it.  Not just recommend, friends, implore!

So yeah, i think that's pretty much all the food that's synonymous with comfort to me.  Unless we want to expand that to some of this, which i have been partaking in this week. 


A well deserved glass of vino.

Lest you think i only eat horribly, i love me a big ol' salad. But a salad ain't no comfort food to me. 
So what about you guys, what are your "go to" comfort foods that turn your frowns upside down?

 last image  weheartit, others allrecipes

20 comments:

Unknown said...

One of my favorite comfort foods...buttered toast :)

Great post!

Blessings!
Gail

Devonay said...

I'm with you on the Mashed Taters! Second only to fresh, hot out of the oven beer bread (with a big ol' hunk of real butter on top)!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Mashed potatoes for sure, and Chicken and dumplings. Something about it just says comfort to me!

Pear tree cottage! said...

one of our favourite comfort foods here in Australia is thick slices of toast with lashings of real butter and vegemite........washed down with a real hut cup of tea.

But I also like old fashioned chicken soup made from scratch.....first boil the chicken etc. etc. (smiles)

do very much love this post of yours. Lee-ann

Crazy Garden Lady said...

Being an Aussie, I really couldn't agree more with Pear Tree Cottage - nothing, and I mean nothing, beats Vegemite on toast.

Close second for me are what Crazy Car Man and I call 'lamb snacks' - shoulder chops of lamb, grilled til it's almost crispy - for some reason this is the dinner I crave when I'm sad, happy, in pain, celebrating....I get all uncouth and chew on the bones!

Sandy said...

Cinnamon,,, on anything is my favorite!
Nice post,, I just put a peach and cran pie in the oven, with cinnamon!
yumm
Sandy

Firefly said...

I would have to say french toast, pretty much any kind of meaty, hearty stew (Sorry I happen to be a carnivore most of the time.) and homemade soups espeacially my great grandmothers recipe. I hope the rest of your week goes better. Happy Wednesday!

Jennifer Leigh said...

Definitely Mac'n Cheese!!! Also, I seriously love Chicken Pot Pie. Now I'm hungry. :)

Carolynn said...

Ok, now I'm super hungary :)! Warm homemade chocolate chip cookies are the best! Hoping things get a little better at work for you!

Jill said...

MMmm comfort food....well I have to say it depends on the kind of comfort I need. But most often - stuff that I know is bad for me, because eating and drinking coke, chips, chocolate and wine symbolises not having to be good, careful or responsible but instead just being able to RELAX and do what I want!!!

Jill said...

MMmm comfort food....well I have to say it depends on the kind of comfort I need. But most often - stuff that I know is bad for me, because eating and drinking coke, chips, chocolate and wine symbolises not having to be good, careful or responsible but instead just being able to RELAX and do what I want!!!

Kristin (Book Sniffers Anonymous) said...

I don't know why but looking at the chocolate chip cookie and the talk of bacon, a bacon chocolate chip cookie actually sounds kind of good, in a strange way. I think I will have to make some soon.

Marlee said...

Hard to narrow down my comfort food favorites but I will try. My husband cooks the best garlic infused roast beef accompanied by potatoes and carrots and mushrooms. He surrounds the roast with a roux (roux is not just for gumbo which by the way is another of my comfort foods)and bakes that sucker for six hours. Yummy! For dessert I love apple pie ala mode or chocolate pie.

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

Chicken and rice casserole and mac and cheese are my go-tos.

And wine is a no-brainer.

The Chambs said...

It all looks soooo perfectly good and comforting!
Following you from www.lifewiththechambs.blogspot.com
Come visit me! I have several recipes to share :)

Jen @ EmbellishingLifeEveryday said...

mac an cheese! Now I'm hungry...

Lisa said...

Breakfast for dinner has always been comfort food for me... pancakes or eggs and toast. I would eat breakfast for my last meal if I could!

Thanks for the comments, by the way! Yes we do have a cape... we have a tiny entry way which we call the vestibule. The front door juts out a bit (about 4 ft) from the facade of the house and in that space there's a niche and a coat closet.

http://imgur.com/Y1UJd.jpg

There was at one point a french door that closed the vestibule off from the rest of the living area (there are still marks where the hinges once were) but it has been removed.

Natalie White said...

Hi! The food looks yummy!! I am following you now as I found you on Sassy Sites! Hoping you will follow me(I have two blogs).

tz said...

Love the quote at the beginning of this post! For me, if it has a high carb count, it most likely offers much comfort :D I really love Italian bread dipped in olive oil with spices.

Megan Gunyan said...

Would brownies be considered a comfort food? I hope so, because that's what I love! That and a good piece of cinnamon toast. With a cup of hot chocolate. Yum! ;)
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