Warm Comfort Foods

tiffysma · **Joined:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:29 am **Posts:** 1187

With all this nasty winter weather, thought I'd see what everyone makes for comfort food when it's cold and icy out. We don't have ice - but have had lots of rain and now the cold is moving in. Drop of 30 degrees since we went to bed last night - and still dropping. I saw this on Food Network several years ago and have been making it as a winter time soup since. I do cut the fat, by using lean sausage and low fat milk and not much butter and it is still really good. The secret (and surprise ingredients are balsamic vinegar and vanilla - you'd never guess either are in it, but create a really nice taste). Here's the link:

Politically Incorrect Soup

breynoso · **Posted:** Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:09 pm

When I think of comfort foods, I lean towards soups, mashed potatoes, pasta and meatloaf. Alot of carbs!!

It's been very mild here in N.J. but is quickly shifting towards the 30s later this week.

rosehoyt · **Posted:** Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:23 pm

tiffysma wrote:

The secret (and surprise ingredients are balsamic vinegar and vanilla - you'd never guess either are in it, but create a really nice taste).

I am surprised about the vanilla... but not the vinegar... actually that reminded me ... I meant to post this a few weeks ago.

My Chef here at work just let me in on that secret. He said that often times when you are cooking a big pot of "whatever" and it needs a little something, but you are not sure what, vinegar is often the answer. I had never heard that before and boy is he right. Balsamic, white, red wine, cider... doesn't matter. Since he told me that I've added it to homemade bbq sauce, the taco soup, homemade meat sauce, and the meat for the tamale pie last week. I can easily see why it would be a good addition to this soup.

Really adds depth of flavor without adding salt.

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

I love using balsamic and the other vinegars to give things a lift. However, with beef things, we don't care for balsamic, but rather some red wine vinegar or another kind. Catherine he is so right, that really gives things a lift and makes them special. I really hadn't thought about adding it to soup or stew though, so thanks to you both I'll probably even give that pot of beans a little jostle of it.

I love either a good pot of vegetable beef soup or a pot of pinto beans during these kinds of days, and then a good batch of yellow cornbread or muffins which I like crusty. Then a good bermuda onion on the side. Adding a tossed salad somethings, but not always. Those are my comfort foods, and I've never really followed a recipe for either the beans or vegetable soup. I have however stumbled across one just lately, and you can make it in a slow cooker/crock pot, but wouldn't have to if you don't have one. Don't be afraid to use the veggies you like and just use the recipe as strictly a guide. I'll be using more onion, for one thing. I always add some barley when making veggie soup, and I use several different vegetables.

Here, see what you all think about this recipe for Slow Cooker Fresh Vegetable-Beef-Barley Soup I often use extra lean, boneless rump roast cut up into pieces instead of buying stew meat. If you catch it on sale it's much cheaper and every bit as good or better. Another idea is buy the roast, use part of it as roast and the rest for stew/soup. YUM!! You can almost have your cake and eat it too that way.

Another comfort food for us, is mac and cheese for which I have no recipe, but per our taste buds I don't use any flour in what I make and have learned not everyone likes Dijon in theirs either, so I just cook elbow macaroni adding a little veggie oil to the water, drain, and stir in a little milk along with some diced cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted. You can do that step separately, but for me this way works. You add cheese and milk based on the amount of macaroni you cook, and how thick you want yours to be, so it's very flexible, and really pretty hard to goof with all kinds of variances. There is plenty salt in the cheese for taste buds here, and way much for me. Sometimes I add a little pepper to it. Last night I used Velveeta, and had good compliments on it tasting extra special, but I sometimes use just American.

My bunch is funny and if it's something they especially like, they don't want me changing the way I've been making it for all these years, and ask me, "what was wrong with the way you've been making it? I liked it that way.....It was really good that way! Please don't change something that's fine like it was." My second and third sons are especially that way. The oldest and youngest aren't quite that blunt. :wink:

BTW, thanks to PattiLou, I've been jostling a bit of bitters into my beans and that's a very good addition. Thanks PattiLou for that one! :wink:

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

I put a big slow cooker on to cook a pot of pintos with a little piece of very lean boneless ham at around 4:00 this morning. They've been cooking on high, so should be ready before noon for sure. I'm fixing some of that good ole cornbread to go with them. I already made a tossed garden salad, so it's marinating it's flavors in the fridge.

What are y'all going to cook today? Tease our appetites with your ideas!

tiffysma · **Joined:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:29 am **Posts:** 1187

I have a good size chunk of sirloin. I think I'm going to make Italian Beef and noodles for supper (pepperoncini peppers, worchestershire, onions) and some Vegatable Beef Soup for DH's lunch tomorrow. I have some Navy Beans and ham left from last night and I'll probably fix a salad or cook some cabbage to go with the beef and noodles.

KathyBrimhall · **Joined:** Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:16 am **Posts:** 748

So many things going on in this little thread!
Comfort food for us is soup, beef stew, mac and cheese (I make a white sauce and add dry mustard, worcestershire and whatever kind of cheese I have then add it to cooked noodle and top with parmesan and bread crumb and bake a little), meatloaf and mashed potatoes, fondue and my mom's seven layer casserole (layers of sliced potatoes, browned hamburger, sliced onions, cannedor frozen mixed veggies, cooked rice, canned crushed tomatoes and bread crumbs - each layer dotted bith butter, S&P - bake at 350 for about an hour).
I've been doing the vinegar trick for a long time; it was explained to me by a chef that it adds "brightness", which is a good way to describe it. I will often put a shot of vinegar into a gravy too, and that is an amazing lift! Oh yeah, a little bit in scrambled eggs is really good too.
KathyB

gimli417 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:47 am

I'm really craving my mom's "Goop 'n' Gravy" right now! My sis and I named her stew that when we were little. It's a silly name, since the gravy is the goop, but the name stuck. I need to dig out some stew meat to thaw. I have yet to chisel my car out of the ice cocoon, but then I can get to the store for the rest of the ingredients. I also think meatloaf and smashed taters is sounding yummy now too. Then finish off the meal with a warm spoonful or four of Peach Dump Cake, mmmmm, I'm getting drool on my keyboard.... :wink:

Jen

ibake · **Joined:** Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:15 pm **Posts:** 26

I have leftover chicken and gravy from the crockpot the other night. You know, the cream of mushroom soup mixed with sour cream and a healthy dollop of white wine (the best way to do it to pour a juice glass of wine, add some to the mix and "taste" the rest).. Am going to par boil a couple of potatoes, or maybe I will just use frozen hash browns. Add some frozen green beans and peas, maybe carrots, throw it in a casserole and put a pie crust over the top. My boys have loved this since they were little. Now that they are gone it makes me a little homesick for the family dinners...they grew up so fast..and they still ask for this when home and it's LEFTOVERS for heavens sake...

(I always called leftovers "wonderful things". The boys would ask what's for dinner and I would say "wonderful things". Finally our youngest said.."I don't see anything wonderful, only leftovers!" . Yes, isn't that wonderful? :lol:

)

Maybe I'll boil up a pound of wild rice..no sense doind just a cup when it freezes so well, and make my wild rice soup with chicken stock, cream,carrots, potatoes, wild rice and chicken. Dash of sherry and some fresh grated nutmeg...

mmm I'm getting hungry and I just ate lunch

dday944 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:15 pm

Mmmmmm just thinking about meatloaf got me hungry! When I dashed to the store today, I picked up some hamburger meat and a box of Stovetop and made a meatloaf. I popped it in the oven, peeled some potatoes, washed carrots and had them ready to steam...then I had to go to cheerleading practice with dd. I left instructions for my guys to finish cooking dinner, and then called my Mom to ask her to supervise! :lol:

Anyway, when I got home, my dinner was done, and the table nicely set, thanks to my other dd, who is taking Jr. Cotillion classes! This was way better than eating out!
Diane

niamh · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:02 pm

I have a treasure of a butcher who makes excellent smoked ham hocks - so we do a lot of bean soup in the winter

I use whatever beans I have on hand. Usually pintos or rose beans. Chicken and biscuits is another big cold weather food in our house - I'm not sure what the actual way to make chicken and biscuits is, but for me, I just make chicken stew and top it with herb biscuits (cut out in flowers or hearts of course

) and bake it until the biscuits are done. Th other big cold weather dish we have is Harira - you can find the recipe here: Harira: Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chicken and Lentils .

Really, just about anything stewed is good with us. I'm an avid bread baker and so stew and bread is a frequent theme in the winter

Warm Comfort Foods

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