Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

Comfort Foods

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Banana Pancakes

So many of our memories are forever entangled with the aromas and tastes of special dishes and special meals. We call them comfort foods but we all know that it’s not the food itself that comforts, but rather the memories that are triggered when the kitchen fills with the scent of baking bread, simmering spaghetti sauce, bubbling casseroles, fried chicken, sizzling bacon, or pancakes on the griddle.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

We each have different comfort foods but they all have one thing in common. Comfort foods trigger memories of times when we felt safe and warm, when loved ones were near, when laughter came easily. These are the foods we turn to when the world feels just a bit uncertain, when we need reassurance that yes, tomorrow will be a better day.

Biscuits and Gravy

Sometimes it’s a huge meal we crave, sometimes all it takes is a side of gravy. And sometimes, all of life’s worries can be pushed aside with something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

What are your comfort foods? Do you have a favorite family food memory?

Barbara from A Writer Afoot has shared some of her memories in a beautiful post titled Of Biscuits and Sunday Mornings. She has invited us to visit her site and share some of our own family memories that revolve around food. I’ll have to think about what to share, but I plan on writing something soon. Join me?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan Smillie says

    Macaroni cheese. No contest. Most of my comfort foods seem to involve cheese - toasted cheese sandwich, simple pasta with cheese and butter, grilled halloumi ... problem is, I'm trying to stick to being non-dairy.
    Reply

  2. Susan says

    Oooh, comfort food. My favorites are my mother's baked split pea soup, egg custard and meat loaf. When I would come home from boarding school she would have all three waiting for me. And later on, when I visited, they would all be on the menu at some time. It has turned cold here in Northern California so the thought of comfort food is, well, comforting!
    Reply

  5. Nicole says

    Reading about all these different foods is making me hungry!! Keep them coming! Susan: I'm intrigued by the baked split pea soup...do you have your mother's recipe?
    Reply

  6. deb meyers says

    My grandmother's macaroni and cheese...very milky, almost like soup. With sharp cheddar crust and liberal amounts of black pepper. She's gone now and there's not a one of us in the family who can come close to re-creating that dish, even if we watched her do it a million times.
    Reply

  7. Susan says

    Nicole: No, I don't have a recipe for baked split pea soup. My mother probably got it from her mother who got it from her mother . . . etc. What I remember is she put all this stuff in a big pot ~ dried peas, ham hock, onions, garlic, s & p, herbs, water, stuck it in the oven and several hours later it was soup. Here's a research project for you!
    Reply

  8. Nicole says

    Deb: interesting how we all have such different tastes! Homemade mac and cheese is one of my favorites, but I prefer mine pretty dry :-) I bet if you keep experimenting, you might eventually come close to your grandmother's dish. Sounds like the effort and patience it would take would be worth it! Susan: I think I'll take that challenge! I love split pea soup so much and although I usually do mine on the stovetop, I would love to figure out how to make a baked version :-)
    Reply

  11. Jessica says

    Ha ha all of my dad's cooking is a comfort to me. He always makes his food from the heart. Its rarely healthy, but I think society now takes the fun out of eating by focusing on the nutritional value of everything :(. BBQ Ribs, Fried Chicken, his breakfast's and pancakes are some of my fave. When all of us kids get together an easy way to feed us all is biscuits and gravy. yay :)
    Reply

  12. Anne Holmes says

    Fantastic post! I think some of my favorite comfort foods are really gooey grilled cheese sandwiches -- though the Croque Monsieurs I used to get when I lived in France might actually beat out the grilled cheese my mother used to make... My grandfather's both made foods I consider comfort foods: My Dad's father made pancakes with real Maple syrup when we'd all be up at the family cottage together. Those were the best pancakes I've ever eaten... And my Mother's father used to make popovers once or twice a year on special occasions, like Christmas Eve. Those popovers were outstanding and I keep trying to reproduce the feeling they brought me, every time I make popovers... Of course, I don't serve my popovers with Christmas tree-shaped ice cream slices, the way my grandparents did for Christmas Eve -- but I haven't forgotten them, either!
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  13. LexieMariah says

    I must say my favourite comfort foods have to be: burritos, my mum's homemade pizza, my grandmas famous rolls, sweet honey/pineapple ham, cooked brocoli and cheese, and the best of all...Carmel Apples straightly dipped (or just cooked apples). The best relation ships are developed in the kitchen I must say...:]
    Reply

  14. Dbratkowski says

    Definitely the chicken mole my mom makes! She makes it with peanut butter instead of chocolate and it is creamy and warm with shreds of chicken all on top of Spanish rice. Perfect for a really cold day. I'm daydreaming about it right now....
    Reply

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