Your Favorite Comfort Foods--and Why
 

Recently, a bunch of my colleagues and I were talking about our favorite comfort foods and why they appeal to us. What are yours and why?

Mine:

cafe au lait (Louisiana roots and served by my grandmother)

Mexican and Chinese food (Mexican heritage, Chinese best friend in elementary school)

butterscotch pudding (our elementary served it a lot)

tuna noodle casserole - Mom made it - yum. And no one else in my family likes it, so when I need it I have to make it just for me. Frito pie falls in this category.

warm tapioca pudding - the stuff you make and have to stir forever - not that nasty stuff you buy ready-made. I'm not sure why it is my "comfort" food, other than it is warm, unusual, and tasty.

Tex-Mex- in Texas, nowhere else will work. It's home.

egg nog - always makes me think of Christmases past.

Oh - and Carnation, Cafe du Monde delivers - I have my cafe au lait every morning!

Macaroni and cheese- because they taste good.

The chips and queso from Tijuana Flats or Q'Doba. Although this is more in the "decongestant" category for when I have an allergy/cold/flu.

Four cheese tortellini with alfredo sauce ;)...warm, cheesy and gooy...

anything chocolate....

diet Mountain Dew.......

Yup...all those, my comforter snuggled up in bed and I am set for a good respite

mac and cheese- it's my favorite food! it reminds me of when i was little and having a babysitter
mashed potatoes- creamy and oh so good
stuffing- i'm not sure why, but its so good
cereal- rice chex and vanilla soymilk
tortellini with butter and Parmesan cheese
bacon, egg and cheese on a hard roll, salt, pepper, ketchup- reminds me of when i worked in a deli and its soooo good
creamed spinach
Brisket... I remember my grandma popping one in the oven for over 24hours, and waking up to that amazing smell
this casserole my mom makes, with ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, and tater tots on top in the oven... it reminds me of when it was just me and her...

:D

Mom's Dressing
Chocolate with Caramels
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter MMs
Snickers
Chocolate Ice Cream
Fried Chicken

Because I'm a Carb Freak

meatloaf (with extra bell peppers) and buttery mashed potatoes. It's just my basic homey fare.

Mom's mac and cheese. This ain't Kraft dinner, folks: Mom makes her mac 'n' cheese with ziti, lots and lots and LOTS of cheese, cayenne pepper, bread crumbs, tomatoes, milk, and Colman's mustard. We had this dish pretty often in winter (especially on Fridays in Lent).

Sushi - just because it's good :)

Cheese fondue - same reason

my grandma makes me spaghetti too whenever I visit. I don't like meatballs though.


the chicken wings from Wal-Mart- yummy

grilled cheese sandwich- the perfect pick-me-up on a rainy day

I tried the chips and queso from Panchero's today. My excuse is that my right ear was congested due to otitis externa. Very good- queso is very rich. But not as spicy as Q'Doba's queso- so it may not be as effective a decongestant.

Someone mentioned that they love the smell of ham & cabbage cooking - it's one of my major comfort foods, and I've never heard of anyone else liking it!

-Homemade bread & corn muffins
-most soups that don't include fish (soaking lentils even as I type!)
-sugarcured ham on a biscuit
-sweet tea
-hot cocoa - not hot chocolate, cocoa!
-and of course, cookies!

homemade soups (split pea & pumpkin especially)
pot pie
sushi (when I was surviving my first small-town Indiana winter, this is the only thing that kept me going!!)
lo mein and eggrolls
english breakfast tea

Homemade pinto beans and cornbread
Chicken and Dressing
Boiled chicken - don't knock it if you haven't tried it
Kraft Mac and cheese in the blue box
Home-snapped green beans and ham hocks.

These are the things my family cooks when 1) something special is happening, 2) something bad has happened, 3) the family is together.

As someone who has had lots of ear nose and throat problems, I was informed by more than one doctor to cut back on dairy because, to put it bluntly, it makes many people phlegm up. Added to that list is chocolate, coffee, and sodas. I found spicy food without dairy, particularly Asian foods, work wonderfully for that decongestant effect. My favorites are Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese. Spicy noddles in broth (Pho) is a wonder food.

Back on topic...
Mac and Cheese (Kraft!)
mashed potatoes
stuffing
swedish meatballs
various soups
ice cream
oatmeal raisin cookies
Vernor's gingerale

i'm all 'bout some mashed potatoes and gravy when i'm sick or just upset.

other than that i'm not sure.

i tend to resort to americone dream ice cream on occasion...

My best friend does phlegm up when she eats a lot of dairy. But so far that has not happened to me- and I am prone to E-N-T problems. I did feel some relief yesterday- though not as much as the Caramel Apple Spice brings.

Pizza - It's one of my favorite food and usually even bad pizza is still okay
Kraft Mac and Cheese - I always used to make it with my mom
Rice Krispies - It's been my favorite cereal since childhood
Coffee - I'm Cuban so I've practically been drinking coffee since birth ;)

Donato's Pizza
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Bagel Bites (they make me think of my childhood for some reason)
Chicken enchiladas with chips, salsa, and queso dip
Milk Chocolate Hershey's Kisses
Graeter's Banana Ice Cream
Diet Mt. Dew
Talon Winery's Sweet Jessamine Rose wine
Starbuck's nonfat, sugar free cinnamon dolce latte
Godiva Hot Chocolate

stress food: potato chips and onion dip. friends know if this is out something has gone really haywire.

my dad's eggs/salsa/bacon/potatoes he used to cook (he's deceased) at just after dawn in the national (state?) park near Yucca Valley (above Palm Springs). Everyone in the house had to get up and go when he was cooking, including visiting kids home from college at break with their friends who had only made it home from partying a few hours earlier. He'd stand at the edge of the hallway yelling "fever in the swamp" to kick off things, other than being a Wva country boy, why, I don't know. Breakfast was seved with champagne/strawberrires in paper cups.

Coffee: Starbucks, with almond syrup and whole milk, anytime.

Onion bagels/light veggie cream cheese. I drove across the country a few years back and was dismayed when found towns with doughnuts only.

Pizza and fries.

When I want comfort, I'm too lazy to make homemade things.

Preach!!!!

Also, Mac and cheese (not the mac and cheese sauce) with velveeta!!!!

Agreed! If it have to be cooked it requires granny's touch!

today is a great day for a carmal apple cider from Starbucks.

Ditto but without the cayenne. Nothing says comfort like homemade mac and cheese. But, my ultimate comfort food is a bowl Campbell's Tomato Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich with Ritz crackers.

In my family, if it isn't spicy, it isn't food. "Spicy" means black pepper at a minimum. My mom makes her mac 'n' cheese with just enough cayenne that you get a little "kick" without scorching your tongue. Her Indian curries, however...!!! Let's just say she has a heavy hand with the chili powder. :D

On the other hand, my mother-in-law hates any flavoring of any kind. She says, "If it has any flavor at all, spit it out, it's bad for you." :rolleyes:

- Homemade mac 'n' cheese, with crusted cheese on the top.
- Fried chicken.
- Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup w/saltine crackers.
- Grilled cheese sandwich w/tomato and crispy bacon.
- Traditional breakfast foods - eggs, pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon, hash browns, etc.

My mother's chicken and dumplings - always have them Christmas Eve with homemade cornbread. Definitely a comfort food.

BBQ: pork/beef ribs and brisket

2 1/2 inch ribeyes from a small butcher near our ranch in West Texas. Always cook and eat them the first night we get out there.

Mexican food from a few places in Texas: Mostly Austin, Tyler, and a couple in Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Mom's tamales and enchiladas... reminds me of family get-togethers.
Dad's shrimp and grits... because he makes them at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Mac-n-cheese... warm, cheesy, gooey
Hot chocolate
and beignets and coffee... I miss LA chiccory!

My Mom's homemade Chicken Soup with Grisnuckle (a type of German dumpling)
Chicken and Dumplings (My Mother in law's recipe)
mashed sweet potatoes

Basically anything really starchy!

My favorite!

Although these are moreso snacks or junk I love:
Chocolate (not dark), and Breyers Cream Savers Yougart:D:D:D

Because my grandmother made the best:Chicken and sausage gumbo
Red beans and rice
Cornbread dressing (no sage!)

Because my best friend in HS and I ate it when we were happy, or needed to feel happy:
Brach's bridge mix

Because it's what my Kappa sisters and I ate together whenever someone broke up with her boyfriend:
Cookie dough
Ben & Jerry's ice cream, preferably White Russian

Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream