We’re still working our way towards health, as it turns out the kids and I had strep, not the flu. There’s nothing like having to get get a shot in the rear to keep a person humble. Â I’m on the mend, but solid food is still a day or two away. This got me to thinking, what are your comfort foods?
As sad as it is, one of my comfort foods is Campbell’s Bean with Bacon. I know, I know, I’m aware of what’s in it. I just have yet to find a homemade substitute. If you have that recipe, please share it with me.
Last night we had potato soup, I pureed it a little finer than I normally would and today I’m making stock* for chicken and dumplings. I’ll be sticking to just the broth, but everyone else can enjoy the dumplings.
*I say I, but my husband is doing the heavy lifting, so he should get credit, too.
So Home Eccers, while I recuperate, tell me about your favorite soups and comfort foods. Link to the recipes if you’d like, but don’t share more than two links in one comment or I’ll have to fish you out of my spam filter.
Oh, I have too many to count! Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, a big old plate of spaghetti…As for soups, cream of mushroom always gets a thumbs up, as does split pea with ham. Yum!
But my new favorite comfort dish: beef bourguignon. The smell wafting through the house (er, apartment) is enough to set my mind at ease. I will look for any excuse to make it, and I make it way more than I should, honestly.
Have you seen Julie and Julia? Meryl Streep is fabulous. I do a variation of beef bourguignon, but I need to try out the authentic one, too.
When I am sick, I want orzo cooked in chicken broth, Mint gingerale, and buttered white toast cut into triangles. Ah, nothing better for me
Spaghetti-Os. Yes, the gross canned kind. Reminds me of my childhood (mom didn't really cook) and they make me happy. Also, Mac and Cheese. But when I'm feeling like some grown up comfort food, I do this: http://urbandomesticity.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/…
Here's a pretty tasty and pretty easy bean soup recipe that doesn't require cooking a ham bone –
Easy Ham and Bean Soup
4-6 servings
Open a bunch of cans and packages and you can have ‘homemade’ soup in less than 2 hours.
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2- 3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 stalks celery, sliced paper thin (optional)
3 15 oz cans of your favorite beans, drained – black, great northern, pinto, etc
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
16 oz chicken stock
4 oz diced ham
4 oz bacon bits
Salt
Pepper
Thyme or oregano
Slowly sauté onion, celery and garlic in olive oil in stockpot until vegetables are tender. Add beans, tomatoes, chicken stock and spices. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for an hour or so. Add ham and bacon bits. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with salad and sourdough bread.
I’d agree with other commenters on the mac and cheese-homemade cheesy goodness always makes you feel better. But if it’s stomach sickness you have, then I usually stick to the old BRATTY diet: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Tea, Toast, and Yogurt. A simple chicken and rice soup is just the thing to restore one to health while being gentle on the stomach.
Funny. I've got a mug of Pacific's Curried Red Lentil soup in front of me right now. It's not bad. Soup makes a good, easy lunch since I work at home.
Mulligatawney and peanut butter soup have got to be my favorites. Good french onion. Chicken noodle when I'm feeling sick. And one of my favorite Mediterranean restaurants has a wonderful scented rice with pine nuts and slivered almonds. I've always told myself that if I'm having a really bad day I'll go there and order a big side of it and tuck in. I've since moved about 1000 miles away from that restaurant so it would now have to be a spectacularly bad day.
Feel better soon!
My favorite would have to be split pea and ham soup. I have not idea how to make it, but really enjoy is when some one makes it for me.
Here's my blog post about what I referred to above:
http://misadventuresofmrsb.blogspot.com/2009/09/c…
Strep is no fun! My all time favorite comfort food is mashed potatoes with white gravy and biscuits.
I make a mock version of egg drop soup. I also love ricde cooked to mush in chicken broth. Warm and soothing. I have been down with the flu for over a week now. This has been all I could keep down. I hope you feel better soon and everyone be sure and wash your hands. Im going to see doc. tomorrow.
Home style mac & cheese:
http://www.amything.net/site/2010/01/10/homestyle…
I love some Chicken Corn soup! Or Grandma's veggie soup! Yummy…. oh dear, I think I need to go to the grocery store and get some ingredients for soup now! lol. Hope you feel better soon!
I'm all about the hot cereals. Either grits or cream of wheat will do. With butter, and lots of salt.
Shrimp and Corn Soup:
one onion chopped
one can creamed corn
two cans kernel corn
one can Rotel tomatoes
can evaporated milk
one package of frozen peeled shrimp
Tony Chachare's to taste
soften onion in butter or oil, open cans & dump into pot, warm through & add shrimp, when the shrimp are cooked (pink and opaque rather than grey and semi-transparent) taste and add Tony's to your liking.
I am making this, as I type. Thanks!
To me, nothing is better than this soup. I know it will speak to Tracy. Its a chicken broth based soup made creamy with eggs and the rice can be cooked to mush. Its smooth, lemony goodness. I can't pronounce the name here, but I call it Lemon Chicken Soup.
* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *
Avgolemono Soup
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time:
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
6 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup uncooked rice
4 egg yolks
salt
1 Tbs lemon rind, grated
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1. Bring stock to a boil. Pour in the rice and cook about 20 minutes, until
it is tender. Reduce to low heat.
2. In a bowl beat the egg yolks. Add the lemon rind, lemon juice and salt.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the broth into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
Then pour it back into the broth, stirring. Simmer for about 5 minutes,
stirring, over low heat, until slightly thickened.
Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
———————————————-
Calories: 115
Calories From Fat: 40
Total Fat: 4.4g
Cholesterol: 136.6mg
Sodium: 768.7mg
Potassium: 240.4mg
Carbohydrates: 10.8g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 1g
Protein: 7.4g
Comments: Pure comfort in a bowl. I love lemons so much that I included an
entire chapter on them in the book. This is the simplest of the recipes –
and the most soothing.
Web Page: http://www.ruthreichl.com/?ID=3&page=18#recip…
I always have sprite and saltines when I'm sick…. potato soup sounds good too
I guess i tend to have wendys spicy chicken when I don't feel like cooking anything; it's my "default" 🙂
I am totally with you on the bean with bacon soup. It is really good with a splash of red wine vinegar and a piece of toast for dunking. Now I am hungry! Other comfort foods are mashed potatoes, soup of any sort, grilled cheese and tomato soup, fried egg sandwich, mac and cheese, etc. I can unfortunately find comfort in almost any type of food. I've had that big shot in the rear before — ouch! I hope you feel better soon.
Our favorite "comfort" soup. . .Cheeseburger soup!!! Here is a link: http://jennisseasons.blogspot.com/2009/11/cheeseb…
I am having fun browsing your site this morning!