No-S comfort food...

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:47 pm

It's finally looking/feeling like Fall where I am, and I'm thinking of "winter food"... all those warm dishes I associate with cold weather. Black bean soup, chicken pot pie, stews, chili that kind of thing. Not particularly Holiday food (though that will come), just the stuff that is a little too warm/heavy for summer and just right in fall and winter.

What foods do you associate with Fall/Winter that would be perfectly fine to eat on an N-day?

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:57 pm

Baked sweet potatoes, roast chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, spiced baked apples (you don't really need the sugar), baked potatoes, any number of casseroles...

I actually had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today rather than my usual bento. I'm being a tightwad about the thermostat and warm food is good this time of year!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:13 pm

Well, I make soup all year, so not that so much, but beef stew, chicken and dumplings/noodles/pot pie (homemade)/biscuits, polenta with bolognese, chicken and dressing casserole with gravy. Oh, yum!

The temps here are 10-15 degrees cooler than normal, but I've only had the heat on a couple of times early in the morning.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:51 pm

Ummm! Crock-pot applesauce, chicken pot pie, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, chicken puffs, and homemade chicken noodle soup! Yum! (Not all at the same meal, of course!

)

Mimi

Dandelion · Post by **Dandelion** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:44 pm

Zuppa Toscana with warm ciabatta bread; broccoli soup; chicken soup and biscuits; chili; chicken enchiladas;, lasagna; manicotti; roast beef with yorkshire pudding or Toad in the Hole; chicken pie; potatoes mashed with butter, cream and sharp cheddar cheese; mac and cheese; cottage pie; potatoes, parsnips and other vegetables roasted in goose fat; or today's dinner of chicken and artichokes. Breakfasts like steel cut oats with butter, cream and (real) maple syrup, or bacon and fried bread.

clarinetgal · Post by **clarinetgal** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 5:18 am

Reading this thread is making me really want soup and oatmeal -- not in the same meal. LOL!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:08 am

mimi wrote:Ummm! Crock-pot applesauce, chicken pot pie, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, chicken puffs, and homemade chicken noodle soup! Yum! (Not all at the same meal, of course! )

Mimi

Mimi, what are chicken puffs?

I made meatloaf last week and it was so good! Today our highs will be in the 40s and I'm thinking chicken and dressing casserole with gravy, green beans and a salad (?).

Jammin' Jan · Post by **Jammin' Jan** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:23 am

Comfort food is what I made for dinner last night...Chicken and Dumplings. I could eat that every night!

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 1:08 pm

Jammin' Jan wrote:Comfort food is what I made for dinner last night...Chicken and Dumplings. I could eat that every night!

You and me both!

When I was a little girl, my mom used to take me to the next town to shop and we always went to one restaurant for lunch. I don't remember ever having anything but their chicken and dumplings. Well, honestly, it was one BIG dumpling in a bowl with the chicken, vegetables and gravy. It took me years, but I came up with a version that is exactly as I remember it.

I'll have to say that the chicken and dressing casserole is almost as good. I got the idea from the cafeteria at work -- it was one of the few things they made that was "almost from scratch" and was very tasty! It was one of those classic midwestern starch overload things -- served with mashed potatoes. But then, beef and noodles and chicken and noodles are "traditionally" served on mashed potatoes. Good, hearty wintertime food!

Starla · Post by **Starla** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 5:18 pm

My comfort meal has always been creamed chicken on biscuits. It's the meal I always picked as a little girl on my birthdays.

But after reading this thread, I know what I'm making on Saturday - grilled cheese sandwich with Jarlsburg cheese for lunch and chicken enchiladas for the week ahead.

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:54 pm

wosnes wrote:
Mimi, what are chicken puffs?

Oh, they're soooo good and soooo easy! They're my little granddaughter's favorite - she calls them chicken *pups*!
Preheat oven to 350Ëš
Soften and blend a 3oz. package of cream cheese with 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine. Add 2 cups of cooked chopped chicken breast (you can substitute canned chicken breast also), 1/8 tsp. pepper, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon pimento, and some chopped onion.
Mix well.
Separate a can of crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Press the perforations to seal. Stretch the rectangle out a bit to accommodate chicken mixture.
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of the rectangle - pull up the corners to the center and pinch all the seams and holes shut. Makes 4 puffs.
Bake 20-25 minutes. (I use a stone and usually double the recipe, making 8 puffs)
Hope you like them.

Mimi

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:57 pm

There should be a warning on this thread to not read it between meals...

mimi wrote:
wosnes wrote:
Mimi, what are chicken puffs?
Oh, they're soooo good and soooo easy! They're my little granddaughter's favorite - she calls them chicken *pups*!
Preheat oven to 350Ëš
Soften and blend a 3oz. package of cream cheese with 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine. Add 2 cups of cooked chopped chicken breast (you can substitute canned chicken breast also), 1/8 tsp. pepper, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon pimento, and some chopped onion.
Mix well.
Separate a can of crescent rolls into 4 rectangles. Press the perforations to seal. Stretch the rectangle out a bit to accommodate chicken mixture.
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of the rectangle - pull up the corners to the center and pinch all the seams and holes shut. Makes 4 puffs.
Bake 20-25 minutes. (I use a stone and usually double the recipe, making 8 puffs)
Hope you like them.

Mimi

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:01 pm

Lol @ Kevin!

Additions to the list: Barley (I adore barley) and butternut squash and pumpkin.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:42 am

KCCC wrote:Lol @ Kevin!

Additions to the list: Barley (I adore barley) and butternut squash and pumpkin.

Oh, I had some of the best butternut squash soup for lunch today -- from a restaurant. Roasted butternut squash simmered in chicken broth then pureed with a little Pernod and curry added. A walnut garnish. I might have to go get more tomorrow!

I made this for dinner tonight -- it's more stew-like than soupy:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neel ... index.html It was even better than I thought it would be.

Thanks for the recipe, Mimi. I'll try it.

NoelFigart · Post by **NoelFigart** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:49 am

I made a quiche for dinner tonight. The funny part is that my son, who is not an egg fan, is quite fond of quiches and was expressing his pleasure that I was making one.

So, of course I hadda repeat the cliche from the paleolithic about real men not eating quiche. To which my brilliant teenaged son replied, "Horsepucky! Real men eat anything they like!"

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:26 pm

Several dishes not mentioned yet:

Barley N Broccoli soup--slightly creamy, hearty, warm, and satisfying.

Shepherd's Pie--although technically we should call it "cottage pie" because we use beef, not lamb or mutton. I make it with a beef-based gravy, not tomato-based as is commonly called for and this is a favorite around here and is on the menu for this week. Yum.

Hot Mexican Bean Dip: Layer seasoned refried beans (homemade or canned), sauteed and seasoned ground beef (optional), salsa, cheese, olives, onions and heat til hot. Serve with chips and/or soft, warmed tortillas of choice. Note: for extra richness, smear a package of cream cheese on the bottom of the pan before adding the beans....

Dandelion · Post by **Dandelion** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:59 pm

Nope - Cottage pie is in my list

. No tomatoes in ours, either.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:52 pm

Oh....mushroom barley soup. I found a great recipe online last year. I'll have to see if I can find it again!

Update: I found it:
http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11 ... rley-soup/

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:23 am

Noel, I made your butternut squash soup tonight. I used chicken broth I froze earlier from another of your recipes, and leftover roasted squash. Added a tiny touch of cream at the end - probably a couple tablespoons.

It was AWESOME.

Or so I thought. I was sure there wouldn't be enough since I was making about a third of the recipe, so I also made a simple cream-of-broccoli soup. I gave my husband and son their choice of soups. They both chose broccoli... and didn't seem wild about it. When pressed for a reaction to my experiment, hubby said he would eat it whenever I made it but it wasn't something he'd particularly look forward to. The butternut he admitted to disliking. (He was polite - and I asked.)

Now I remember one of the big reasons I hardly ever make soup... it gets a decidedly unenthusiastic response from most of the family. (They did love the cheese toast on homemade bread I made to go with it.)

Oh well. I totally adore the soup, and will enjoy the rest of it myself. Let them eat PB&J.

So there.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:39 am

KCCC wrote: Or so I When pressed for a reaction to my experiment, hubby said he would eat it whenever I made it but it wasn't something he'd particularly look forward to.

When I made something my ex didn't like, the only thing he'd say was that I didn't need to make it often.

KCCC wrote: Now I remember one of the big reasons I hardly ever make soup... it gets a decidedly unenthusiastic response from most of the family. (They did love the cheese toast on homemade bread I made to go with it.)

Oh well. I totally adore the soup, and will enjoy the rest of it myself. Let them eat PB&J. So there.

This is why I make soups for my lunches. I love soup, but I'm alone in my love of it. Since I'm on my own for lunch most days, I have soup. I could eat soup twice daily -- and yesterday I did.

I think soup should be a food group -- right along with meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, chocolate and cookies (not necessarily chocolate cookies, though they're good, too!).