Craving Comfort (Food)
If you can learn anything standing in front of a magazine stand right now, it’s that we collectively appear to need some comforting. Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Rachael Ray, Gourmet and others are serving up comfort food, comfort favorites, healthier comforts. Is it just February? After a month of resolution-keeping are we ready to forget about our cholesterol and dive head first into a crock of mac and cheese? Or is it that now, perhaps more than anytime in recent memory, all of us need someone to hold our hand, tell us everything is going to be all right and then hand us a bowl of buttermilk mashed potatoes?
Speaking only for myself, I know I have never been more interested in casseroles, Mennonite recipes, and meatloaf. And in some ways, I haven’t really wanted to step into the kitchen and cook these things myself, but instead have a magical mother figure who appears at whim with an apron and a soft voice, who is always available to cut up an apple or put some water on for tea, who doesn’t mind dashing out into the cold for more toilet paper. She also does the dishes, cleans the bathroom, and then vanishes when I want to be alone.
But I am an adult. We’re all adults. And even though I do have a mother who is always ready to put on water to boil, she doesn’t—thank goodness for both of us—live in my closet. As we grow up, we are supposed to learn to do these things for ourselves—to comfort ourselves—whether through a hot drawn bath or a grilled cheese sandwich and cup of tomato soup (wow, that sounds really good). But that’s the thing about comfort itself: while it’s a badge of adulthood to have the know-how of self-comfort, it seems to feel best and taste best and mean the most when it comes from someone else. Haven’t you ever wanted someone to bend down and slip off your shoes for you in the evening or fluff your pillows and then pull back a corner of the sheets in a warm welcome to just slip in? Have you ever noticed that a sandwich made by someone else seems to taste so much better?
I started to write today meaning to ask you what your favorite comfort foods are, and now look where we are. We’ve gone way beyond food, haven’t we? So on this Monday, with the week fresh ahead of us, even if we feel defeated before its really begun, can we think about comfort for a second? What do you do to get yourself feeling right again when the world feels wrong? Any rituals or traditions that make you feel cared for? And oh—why would we avoid it?—what’s your recipe for comfort in the kitchen? Tell all.
Andi: Being creative daily is something I make time for as a means of staying grounded so that the world doesn’t swallow me up! Working in public service, I have to have a coping mechanism is place. Caring for myself so I can help others
As for comfort food, I recently posted a cream of chicken and wild rice soup and I’m ready to make another batch!1 year ago
Stephanie: I love your blog - and while I’m sorry you lost your job (did you?) - it’s lovely to read all of these posts now that you have time.
This post hit’s on where we are as a country - don’t you think? Part of comfort food is about us taking care of each other - something I think we need to do in uncertain economic times.
Hot chocolate is my favorite comfort food - and lighting lots and lots of candles. Although I will pull out my Amish, Cooking from Quilt Country, mid-western and “farm” cookbooks when needed and make chicken and dumplings, rhubarb cake, and cinnamon bread as needed!!1 year ago
Sarah: Andi, Being creative daily is amazing. Any specific rituals or ongoing projects you want to share. Chicken and wild rice soup sounds awesome.
Stephanie, Totally–I was definitely thinking about where we are as a country and what the economy seems to make us want. Oh, and I love Cooking from Quilt Country! Great cookbook.1 year ago
Kristina: I’m right there with ya, sister. It’s the mid-winter blues, or something. I really liked your observation about learning how to self-comfort, and especially about how a sandwich made by someone else tastes better (so true!)
As far as advice goes, I find I feel best with a cutting board and a sharp knife, chopping vegetables. Even if it’s just a pile of potatoes, transforming them into neat little cubes always settles my mind.1 year ago
Sara Rose: I could probably write a list of twenty different comfort foods that i love best, but for now the idea of a nice grilled cheese and some creamy tomato bisque just about hits the nail on the head. I crave baking right now as means to comfort me and my family. It makes me happy and full of contentment to see them sink their teeth into something sweet and full of love. I also crave less noise when I need comfort, I just make myself a cup of Earl Grey and either sit with classical music quietly humming in the background or just listen to the sounds of my house and be still. I never used to be able to do that. I relish it now.1 year ago
Juila: Sarah, you must have read my mind. Or I yours, or something. I am in fact right this minute boiling some potatoes ready to make (vegetarian) sausage and mash, and thought I’d have a quick scoot around the internet while I wait for the spuds to boil. Well, what have I arrived at other than your post (I seem to have become addicted to your blog, by the way!), which seems to pinpoint exactly how I am feeling on this damp, dank Monday evening. It’s definitely a winter thing, I think.
As far as comforts outside the kitchen go: a hug from a loved one, a nice glass of wine, sitting down on a nice comfy chair or sofa (in that order)1 year ago
Sarah: Kristina, That is true for me too about a sharp knife and a cutting board. Clearly I have some chopping to do for dinner tonight…
Sara Rose, I don’t sit down just to be quiet enough. I know things are really bad when I do. But it always makes me feel better, so I really would like to make this a daily tradition.
Julia, Your list made me laugh, and smile…and plot to do what you said, in that order, first thing tonight.
1 year ago
Brenda Colleen Leyland: Sarah, An interesting thought about what we seem to be ‘needing’ as you browse the magazine stand. Comfort!
Your photos make me grin and go ahhhhh!
Comfort foods for me? Some of my favorite meals I remember from my childhood probably — Mom’s special fried chicken, meatloaf, homemade stew, homemade doughnuts and fresh buns….
And that latte you pictured, that would be up there too, along with something sweet like a cookie or chocolate. Not to mention a perky steaming cup of tea.
Just a few… thanks for the cheery post!1 year ago
Stephanie: For quick-and-dirty comfort food, some simple tomato soup (brown an onion and some garlic + can of tomatoes + some chicken broth, then puree and stir in either cream or cheese — takes longer to type than make) is fantastic, especially when drunk out of a mug instead of using one of those pesky bowl-and-spoon combos.
Or any kind of soup really. My grandmother’s chicken soup, slow-cooked beef stew, broccoli cheese…
I find clean sheets on the bed incredibly comforting. A hot shower with delicious-smelling products. Pajamas. Mystery novels. Pudding!1 year ago
Andrea: My favorite comfort food is a kitchy dessert from my childhood - Chocolate Eclair: cover the bottom of a 9×13 dish with graham crackers, then layer on filling (1 batch vanilla pudding from box mix and 1 container cool whip mixed together), add another layer of graham crackers, then ice the top with a thick layer of chocolate frosting. Refrigerate overnight until the crackers are soggy and cut-able. Yum! It was always a hit at church pot-lucks.1 year ago
Sara Rose: I had to make sitting and being still a habit. Maybe it’s my form of meditation, I’m not sure, but I always feel content if I can do it for even a minute or two. I think it also comes over time. I was never that person who could ever just “relax”- the idea used to stress me out. Now, it’s essential. I’m more productive when I allow myself to let go and just be still.1 year ago
Kristen: Oh no, I was trying to work myself up to go for a run in this cold, cold weather and now after reading this I want to make up a batch of cinnamon rolls instead.1 year ago
Phoo-D: I’m right there with you! Instead of having a healthy January, we’ve been on a comfort food binge. One of my favorite comfort foods is a hearty lasagna (recipe on my site) along with a nice red wine. Nothing says love quite like homemade tomato sauce.1 year ago
Faith: It’s such a cliche but mac n cheese (the real kind - not from the box) is such a great comfort food for me. I do occasionally indulge in the boxed kind as well but that’s not so much comfort as it is convenience (and laziness). I also love to make scones and slather them with clotted cream and jam and make myself a pot of tea (not just a cup - there’s something comforting about just using my friendly green ceramic tea pot) and sit in my cozy bedroom with a blanket and either a good book or some sinfully delicious television. I’ve spent many a happy winter morning this way and it sets a nice tone for the weekend.1 year ago
Roxy: I know all about needing the comfort. Between trying to find a job when no one is hiring, and spending far too much time alone while the boyfriend is at work, I just feel to down to do a whole lot. I probably perk up the most when I’m actually up and doing something. Cleaning seems to be my overall remedy. Even just a 5 minute tidy of every room makes a big difference in my mood. It also perks my energy levels and distracts me from the every day stresses.1 year ago
Joy: Definitely bringing my duvet on to the sofa and reading a good book with a lot of toast and marmalade. Yum. I also re-read my favourite children’s books like LHOTP. Perfect.1 year ago
MrsB: pj’s, woolly socks, face cream, chocolate, red wine, black and white films, big mugs of tea, cuddles, blankets, sofas and reading chairs, familiar well thumbed books, silence, plans, dreams, fairy lights and candles, splitpea and frankfurter soup, sponge pudding and custard, sunday. X1 year ago
Jamie: I love your blog, too. I am domestically challenged, but you give me such inspiration. Last night I felt the need to be comforted so I pulled out the movie “Chocolat.” I got in bed with my heating pad (also comforting) and lot’s of pillows and watched it. There’s just something about them sitting in the Chocolatery drinking hot chocolate that calms me.1 year ago
Gina: These are all such lovely, comfy things! My list contains such popular items as: Tea and toast, any of my grandmother’s pies (sweet or savoury), freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, snuggling up (alone or with the boy) under the blankets, sleeping. Also, the guiltiest of comfort foods is the 3P Pizza — Pepperoni, Pineapple and Peppers (preferably green). As much as I love to cook, when I am really stressed and needing some comfort I order this because it tastes sooooo good, and it saves me time in cooking and clean-up to focus on me.1 year ago
Bridget: Like you and Roxy I’m unemployed at the moment, so a lot of my old comforting fall backs, like going out for coffee aren’t available due to the cost. It means I’m spending my time appreciating what I can do with less money, taking a flask of coffee out for a walk along the beach, baking and cooking, knitting on the sofa,reading lovely cheering blogs like this, and sitting down for a pot of tea with my boyfriend.
P.S. I tried the cookies, but I think I miscalculated when converting them to U.K measurements, I ended up with two cookies the same size as my baking trays. tasted good though.1 year ago
Gourmet Chick: For me comfort is (although not all at once):
- Chicken soup;
- Curled up with my pink angora blanket on the sofa;
- Chocolate brownies;
- A cup of tea;
- A good book or a DVD box set.1 year ago
Betsy: Mennoninite Casserol? Do tell?1 year ago
MOM: Sarah, how sweet!
Here is a mom tip for you -the comfort that you provide to another will actually feel like comfort to you.
Maybe you could volunteer at the homeless shelter or the senior nutrition center or the youth center. Kids, especially, feel the rising stress levels among the adults in their lives - they need the relief of a calm and playful person - like you! And the seniors have probably weathered tougher times than these, and know the value of a warm and genuine conversation…You are a good girl! I am very proud of you! XOX MOM1 year ago
Sarah: @all, You ladies have a million great ideas, and the unexpected outcome of this post was being reminding that YOU are actually a great source of comfort to me. Your comments made me laugh and think, Oh yeah, THAT is a good idea! Thank you!
Betsy, It’s the cookbook Stephanie and I were talking about called Cooking from Quilt Country.
Oh, Mom.
:) See, I’m so glad I can count on you for the best advice. Volunteering, here I come.1 year ago
Hope: Funny, but I’m making one of the most comforting meals (for me) tonight for dinner - it’s a classic from my childhood (my mama and I call it her ’standard’). It’s simply hamburger patties, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable (corn, green beans, or peas most likely.)
As far as finding the most comfort - a hug from my husband. Being enveloped by his arms and burying my head in his chest: pure, delightful, home-sweet-home kind of comfort.1 year ago
Sarah: I’m planning on making my favorite comfort food this weekend for family dinner. Chicken stew with dill biscuits followed up by coconut macaroons!1 year ago
Anne: I grew up in the frozen north and comfort meant coming in the back door, walking into the kitchen to the smell of beef stew made with lots of rough red wine. The steam from the stew fogged the windows and my mother loved to cook by low light (she said it helped her ignore the mess she was making)so it was like walking into a warm, winey cocoon.1 year ago
Suzanne: Don’t laugh, but I recently found a chunky candle at this little flower shop with an aroma I couldn’t resist. I asked the youngish saleswoman what the scent was called, and she kind of blushed & said she didn’t know the actual name for it, but she just calls it “man.” I thought, “That’s it!” Kinda like a combo of tobacco & English Leather, which sounds tacky, but oh hon, it’s so instantaneously satisfying. Other comforts include: Pajamas(!), ice cream (even when it’s cold out),tomato soup w/ Ritz crackers — no substitutes, calling my big sister, and being propped up in my bed w/ lots of pillows & lots of reading material spread out around me to the point where I can barely move. Heaven. But I gotta say THE most comforting thing of all for me is unstructured, free time…when I’m not at work & don’t have to be anywhere, and can go as slow as I want. I live alone and have no S.O. at the moment,so of course, a long, lingering hug from a special guy would work wonders, as well. But in the meantime? Light up that candle up, baby.1 year ago
sarah: Suzanne, you are HILARIOUS. This made my day!1 year ago
Andi: Hi Sarah,
I try to complete at least one project a week and it normally takes more than a day to complete.
When I’m not working on a project, I find myself doing something with handwriting and photos - scrapbooks, journal or my altered recipe book (ongoing works). Sometimes it is pulling out magazines and creating color pages - just making something!1 year ago
Nathalie: When was growing my mom would make scones on Saturday mornings and my dad would make dumplings on Sunday mornings. We would eat the scones with fresh-sliced tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese and the dumplngs with butter and honey.
I find myself making both scones and dumplings a lot recently.
Tea and toast with an over-easy egg are another big comfort item.1 year ago
Jen: Great thoughts on comfort - I can empathize with all of it. I’ve been looking at that picture of mac & cheese on the cover of Real Simple and a recipe for Meatloaf in everyday food with a little trail of drool starting at the corner of my mouth! Things made and done for you by others do have that extra layer of comfort, and no one does it like your Mom or your Dad…though we really wouldn’t want them to live in our closets. thanks for the wonderfully written post - this is one reason why I look to your blog for comfort and cheer! Yours and a few others that share a similar spirit get me out of my own skin, conscious of the world around us and all the wonder it can supply.
And in the kitchen for comfort I turn to:
chocolate chip cookies of course!
rosemary & hot pepper polenta from the Barefoot Contessa
roasted chicken
strong coffee
big breakfasts with homemade homefries1 year ago
Alicia Kachmar: I was noticing the same thing re: magazines and comfort food. I have always loved comfort food and am a huge fan of thick porridge-like soups (potato leek) and my recipe for homemade mac and cheese, which I am totally convinced is the best!1 year ago