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Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The economic news this week got some of us at Evening Edge talking about comfort food. For me, it starts with either Mac and Cheese or mashed potatoes. We’re looking for your guidance on where to go next in the list.
If you were pulling together a collection of Ten Great Comfort Foods, what would be on the list. Soup? Chili? Country-fried Steak or some other gravy-smothered cholesterol-adding dish? Shepherd’s Pie maybe.
While you’re debating, here are a couple of links to get you hungry:
Triple Cheese Macaroni from OK Cafe
Jeanne Besser’s favorite Mac and Cheese recipe
Please share your nominees (and links if you have them)
And thanks to Jeanne for letting me borrow some space on her blog.
Permalink | Comments (32) | Post your comment | Categories: Home cooking
When do you insist on homemade?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many home cooks are willing to take shortcuts here and there to save time. But for a lot of us there are a few items where packaged just doesn’t meet our expectations in terms of quality.
I know I roll my eyes when I read a recipe that insists on homemade mayonnaise for something like tuna salad. That, I can tell you, is not going to happen. But there are times that I do think homemade is better and so much cheaper.
I know this sounds crazy, but for some reason I don’t mind using a cake mix for cupcakes, but for a layer cake, I think from scratch is better. I used to be a homemade tomato sauce fanatic. Although there are now one or two on the market that I like, including Rao and Dave’s Gourmet, their price (some upwards of $7) is enough of a deterrent to encourage me to simply sauté some garlic, add canned diced tomatoes, stir in basil and oregano and voila, a fresh tasting sauce in about 20 minutes.
Another biggie for me is piecrust. To me, the frozen kind in the metal tin is the equivalent of eating a cardboard rock. I’ll use refrigerated, only Pillsbury (I have been disappointed in most store brands, but never at Thanksgiving. Then it has to be homemade.
Is there anything that you insist on making from scratch? Or is the difference too minimal to justify the extra work?
Permalink | Comments (34) | Post your comment | Categories: Home cooking
Where do you dine at home?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I know for many house hunters the lure of an eat-in kitchen is a big draw. But the more I thought about it I wondered how many families still eat at a traditional kitchen table.
I began thinking of all the methods my friends use while dining. I have single friends who basically eat standing at the fridge, picking here and there until they are sated. Their rears never touch a chair during meal times.
Then there are those who sit on a barstool and eat off a counter or island. Usually Mom or Dad serves a rotating group of kids between activities and everyone just comes and goes, eating when it’s convenient.
The more traditional table diners have a couple of options. Some eat in the kitchen while others move to the dining room for a more formal dinner atmosphere, forgoing the breakfast nook or kitchen.
And of course, like recently discussed, there are those who just take their plates to the living room and eat while watching TV.
What about you? Where do you eat? Does your family have a specific dining routine?
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Family foibles
Is TV dining a thing of the past?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I was cleaning out my laundry room, looking for a more out of the way spot to hide my kid’s growing assortment of sports gear, musical instruments and book bags. Tucked away I found a set of tray tables that we got as a wedding present. They were a nifty convenience when we were doing a family dinner and movie night, an event we haven’t done in ages, now that bed times have moved later leaving us time to dine first.
A recent episode of the 60s-oriented series, Mad Men, a show which captures that time period in exquisite detail, showed a young couple sitting at their tray tables eating dinner while the TV entertained them. I remembered a time during the early days of TV, when the norm was to take dinner plates into the living room and eat while watching the evening news. Then the TV migrated into the kitchen. You followed along to Julia Child when making dinner and ate breakfast with the hosts of your favorite morning show.
I began to wonder if the TV is still a dining companion or are those days obsolete? Do you or your friends eat while watching TV?
Permalink | Comments (22) | Post your comment | Categories: Family foibles
Do you count calories when you snack?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The recent story on 100 calorie dining made me wonder why 100 is such a magical number when it comes to counting calories. I know that the individual snack packs have made eating specifically100 calories the rage, though you pay dearly in added costs for the privilege of eating less. But at least it’s packaged in a nifty, take along pouch
I doubt many people who are not on specific calorie-based diets calculate how many calories they are eating or drinking at each meal, so it seems a little odd that the time to really be specific is for snacks. I mean, you’ve got to figure, things haven’t changed that much. Before the era of alluring packaging, a run-of-the-mill snack was about 100 calories. Just think about it, an apple or other piece of fruit, a couple of cookies, a handful or pretzels or chips, they are all about 100 calories.
Has it gotten so difficult to watch portion size that a snack needs to be specially measured to prevent overeating? Does eating a round number of calories make you feel better or more in control?
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: diet
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Alltime Highs: Pot Roast with potatoes, carrots, onions & celery; Boiled Dinner with Corned Beef (or ham) and potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips,onions (SAVE THAT BROTH!!- strained, chilled, de-fatted & re-warmed it makes FANTASTIC tea/tonic for... read the full comment by Kate Keiran | Comment on Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food? Read Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food?
A 20-wing takeout from Three Dollar Cafe and a six pack of Milwaukee’s Best Light.... read the full comment by Neoconnisseur | Comment on Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food? Read Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food?
I like a couple, no three, good shots of Early Times and a bag of Cheetos.... read the full comment by Magnus McMagnus | Comment on Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food? Read Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food?
I like to make cobbler when it’s cold or nasty outside- peach cobbler, apple & cranberry cobbler, or whatever fruit I happen to have on hand and serve it with fresh whipped cream or Breyer’s original vanilla ice cream. In the fall I like... read the full comment by Rebecca | Comment on Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food? Read Is Mac and Cheese the ultimate comfort food?