From the Kitchen: August 2008 Archives

Cop Car teased me for being a woman who roasts red peppers, but there's a lot to be said about roasting your own peppers! It doesn't take long to accomplish it, and the taste of the fresh peppers added to salad is amazing! I do occasionally use the commercially prepared peppers when I am pressed for time, but usually those go into soup where the appearance isn't going to matter.

Dear Husband found a salad he loves that has romaine, roasted red peppers, chunks of tomatoes, diced feta cheese and cubes of crusty bread, tossed with a balsamic vinegar dressing. Today, at the Farmer's Market, I bought locally grown ripe red tomatoes, orange tomatoes, tiny heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and miniature yellow pear tomatoes. I think the mix of tomato colors and textures, and sizes will make the salad more interesting. DH may opt for mozzarella cheese on his salad, but I like the salty nip of feta.

So, ya see, Cop Car, it's WORTH roasting red peppers! *G*

I'm making a pot of minestrone in the middle of August. Why? Minestrone means comfort food to me. Besides, it's a healthy meal that I can fix in a few minutes, that allows me to walk away and do something else while it finishes cooking.

Everyone has their own definition of "comfort food." Usually it's a food that we remember from our childhood, or a food that is usually excluded from today's healthy diet. Minestrone doesn't seem to fit into that definition, but while I was recuperating from childhood illnesses, my mother gave me tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and ginger ale. I think that the idea of soup as a comfort meal began then. New England Clam Chowder, Golden Cheddar Chowder, Shrimp or Lobster Bisque, all speak of comfort to me. Luckily I like Manhattan Clam Chowder, Chili, Tortilla Soup, Bean Soup, Gumbo, and Cioppino, too, and some of those soups are lighter in calories than the cream-based soups.

I was talking with Elegante Mother's caregiver at lunch, and described a family sandwich that my entire family ate as kids: peanut butter with sweet relish, grilled. We called it: peanut butter and piccalilli. I LOVE that sandwich. I try to keep it down to one a year, but it's incredibly satisfying...finger-licking, even!

EM, given the chance to eat out, will ALWAYS go for Lobster. But, when it comes to home cooking, homemade macaroni and cheese does it for her. She doesn't pig out, or overeat in the slightest, but she loves her macaroni and cheese. I can see it showing up on the menu next week.

What food comforts you? Is it a gallon of Rocky Road Ice Cream? A casserole with a rich sauce? (I could go for that....) Is it a complex meal, or one of those dinners Mom used to make with four ingredients?

All I can say, is, "Thank you, God, for comfort food!"