On a recent cold windy day, I checked my Facebook page and found a large number of people had posted photos of hearty meals; soups, stews casseroles, thick crusty breads. Autumn has definitely arrived. Everybody’s thinking about comfort food.
Comfort food, there’s nothing like it especially when the gray chill of November arrives. It’s that time of the year when everyone and everything quiets down. The bright cheerfulness of summer is gone. The autumnal reds of maples, yellows of birch leaves and golds of tamaracks have all disappeared. Things may look gloomy but I don’t despair. I turn to the warmth of a cozy kitchen.
What’s better on a cold blustery day than the fragrance of freshly baked bread?
What’s better on a frosty November afternoon than the rich meaty scent of a bubbling stew, something in which to dip a crusty slice of bread?
And who doesn’t love the cinnamon sugar smell of apple crisp wafting through the air, fresh from the oven?
I’m a big fan of comfort foods and here are two of my favorites.
The first is a meatloaf meal. Mix up some meatloaf mix, slap it in a loaf pan and plop it in the oven. Scrub some nice size baking potatoes and bake for several hours alongside the meat loaf. Halve an acorn squash, scoop out its seeds and fill the hollows with butter and a generous helping of salt. Roast alongside the potatoes. When all is done, serve with generous helpings of butter and salt. (I never said comfort food was healthy!)
However, my all-time favorite comfort food is a grilled cheese sandwich. My cooking technique is simple. I butter two slices of white bread. Not whole grain. Not multi-grain. Plain old white bread.
Next, I plop a piece or two of American cheese or even Velveeta between the bread slices. You may use an Artisanal cheese, but I’d highly recommend my childhood favorite – Velveeta. Next, I slather butter on both sides of the sandwich and brown it until the cheese oozes out.
Serve it with old-fashioned tomato soup. Not tomato bisque. Not tomato basil. Just plain tomato soup. Oh, and use rich, creamy whole milk.
Here’s the thing about comfort food. A vegetable plate may be healthier, but a grilled cheese sandwich makes me happier.
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