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What is comfort food for you?

For me it involves cooking, just because I love to cook so much... it's part of the 'comfort' process.

Yesterday I had a really nice, relaxing day. The later afternoon was spent indulging myself with a great escapism mystery novel, and cooking a small pork roast and rice and gravy for dinner. Sigh..... the gravy is the main dish in this one... roux... tons of fresh seasonings and herbs... slow cooked....

I just recently discovered a super recipe for Italian Salad Dressing, so I made the classic Italian salad with olives and artichoke hearts, some diced genoa salami and provolone. I reheated some left over fresh snapbeans seasoned with ham.

Now that the kids are grown and moved out, I don't often cook that, but boy I sure enjoyed the whole process yesterday!!

This brings back so many memories. My mom owned a beauty salon when I was a kid...well, she still does at 78! She was always home on Mondays...we would come home from school and the house would smell like fresh laundry and starch from her ironing. The hardwood floors would be freshly polished and everything in the house spotless. But the best part would be the smell coming from the kitchen. She would always fix something that she could let simmer slowly all day while she was busy around the house.

Even now...when I smell fresh laundry, I think of Mom and how wonderful Mondays were. She would always bake something with apples to go along with dinner.

Not long ago I asked her how she got so much accomplished on her one day alone in the house. She kind of chuckled and said..."well Patricia, that was the 60's and the doctors were prescribing valium like it was candy and telling us that it wasn't addictive. It was for busy mothers like me". I about died! All of those wonderful memories were drug induced! It cracks me up now when I think about it..my sweet little mama that would make my dad put a beer in the glass if he was outside...so the neighbors wouldn't talk;)

As for me..there is nothing more comforting than a cold day..when we're stuck inside..I love to make beef stew or vegetable soup...and a big pan of cornbread.

Sorry that I rambled on so long..it just brought back so many memories.

I also think it's the process that's comforting. Red beans & rice, spaghetti sauce, beef stew all do it for me.

How bout sharing that Italian Dressing recipe?

Red Beans, Gumbo, and a good Steak all bring me comfort. Turkey Gumbo is especially good when I am not feeling well.

There are several dishes that would fit the bill, but what you said JudiB, I think it's the cooking that really makes me feel good. After Katrina, I had to go to Houston "if I wanted to keep my job." My fiance, friends and pets were all back in NOLA. Anyway, my hotel was close to Central Market, so to comfort my lonesome self I shopped and cooked whatever my heart desired... I ate really well. They probably had to air out my room after my 3 1/2 month stay!
I ate CM's awesome guacamole w/ chips while I prepared pan seared filet mignon and a lemony Caesar salad most Friday nights. I'd usually eat some Toblerone for desert. Did I mention I gained 10 pounds while away in Houston?

Jesse, I'll be glad to share that recipe, I'll put it in the Recipe section.

Diva, I chuckled ruefully at your note... gosh, didn't we all gain weight during that time? One friend of mine blames it on trying to support the local restaurants in NO after the storm... and it's true, if you go out to eat in this city a lot, you're bound to gain weight!!

For lots of us though, I think we love cooking so much that it's what we do during a crisis, for comfort, for "normalcy" ... and we're all do darned GOOD at it..... that quite naturally, we're gonna gain weight.