What is your favorite self-made comfort food?

When I'm in the right state of mind. My favorite thing is to cook for myself. It is something I feel competent at and the measure, stir, create process calms my mind after a stressful day. My favorite dish: Risotto. Some people think this dish is labor intensive but for me the 20-30 minutes "stirring repeatedly" is almost a meditative act. No kidding. Add some veggies in the last minute, serve with a salad and plenty for left overs. If cooking is your kinda thing, what do you like to make for yourself?

Oh, Jesus! Mine: grilled cheese
Right on the risotto. It also comes out much better if you do actually stir it the whole time. Anything involving a lot of prep can also be a stress-reliever IMO, e.g. minestrone. Something nice about having a pile of little chores and then getting them all done. Then having a healthy meal.
Pasta with sausage and masses of garlic with chopped fresh tomato.
Yes, that's exactly it r2. The chopping and dicing is a nice repetitive and mindless task.
[quote]the measure, stir, create process MARY!
Julia Child
I love making risotto because I sip on wine the entire time while I'm stirring it. By the time I finish I'm happy and the risotto is yummy.
Stews and pot roasts are wonderfully comforting and very easy to make. They just take time to cook low and slow. Strictly a weekend thing unless you throw it in a crockpot in the morning. Agree about risotto. It's a lot easier than people think. My fav: Butternut Squash Risotto 1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup water 1 medium onion, chopped 1 bunch shallots, chopped 2 large garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 1/4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup Arborio or long-grain rice 1/4 cup dry white wine 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives Garnish: chopped fresh chives and Parmesan curls Preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. Peel one half and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Put remaining half, cut side down, in an oiled shallow baking pan with diced squash and season with salt and pepper. Bake squash in middle of oven, stirring diced squash occasionally, until tender and browned lightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Holding halved squash in a kitchen towel, scoop out flesh and chop coarse. In a saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer. In another saucepan cook onion, shallots, garlic, and gingerroot in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Stir in 1/4 cup broth and cook, stirring constantly, and keeping at a simmer throughout, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until about half of broth has been added. Stir in diced and chopped squash and continue simmering and adding broth in same manner until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes. Stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon risotto into 2 shallow serving bowls and garnish with chives and Parmesan curls.
On Sundays I like to slice German pasta squares (called 'Maultaschen' - filled with meat and spinach) into thin stripes, grill them (with sliced onions being the pan, too) and when they are pretty much done I add the content of a few cracked open eggs with a bit of salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs. Turn off the heat and let the liquid egg mix turn solid. The final result may not look appealing, but with a tomato salad (with mozzarella cheese) it tastes heavenly.
No boil baked Ziti. I also brown some saugage and cut that up to add even more flavor along with fresh basil on the top. Not exactly low cal, but comfort food none the less.
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=572049
I have a pot roast cooking in the crockpot waiting for me tonight. I'll get several meals out of it, including a potroast sandwich with gravy tomorrow for lunch.
Thanks for the recipe r7! I have a similar one but instead it calls to peel and chop the squash into cubes, then simmer it in broth for 5-8 minutes. (Set aside the cooked squash for the final step) but add that squash broth to the stock for the risotto. It cooks a litter faster and adds even more flavor to the end product.
Maultaschen sounds delicious. Where do you get them? [quote]I add the content of a few cracked open eggs with a bit of salt, You mean you just crack and egg into the pan, right?
On weekends I love to slow cook meats. Nothing fancy, and I'm not a BBQ fanatic, just slowing baking a piece of meat, maybe into Swiss steak, and then spending the rest of the weekend eating it on fresh hamburger buns. Oh, and it's not self-made, but I've recently become completely addicted to Pringles potato chips, especially the sour cream and onion. There's something about how they stack like little poker chips in your hand, and then they fit your mouth so perfectly. They give life a sense of order and appeal to the German in me.
Chuck roast with potatoes, carrots and onions. I'll also second the risotto and add butternut squash soup. These are the foods that make me look forward to Fall.
r12, I crack the eggs and let their contents slip in a bowl. I add the salt, pepper, and the herbs and mix them. When the sliced maultaschen pieces are pretty much fried I put the mix in the pan. I use one egg per maultasche (singular, maultaschen is plural).
http://www.schwobs-originals.com/schwobs-originals/html/about_us.htm
Pot brownies.
Tacos with iceberg lettuce and refried beans.
I have a wonderful recipe for macaroni and cheese made with Gruyere, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and prosciutto--you gain calories just thinking about it, but it's the most delicious comfort food I've ever tasted.
Please post R18. I love mac and cheese.
Here you go--this is the most delicious comfort food I've ever had. INGREDIENTS: * 1 1/2 cups (packed) grated Gruyère cheese (about 6 ounces) * 1 cup whipping cream * 1 cup whole milk * 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped * 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese * 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg Preparation Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Butter 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Whisk 1/2 cup Gruyère, cream, milk, prosciutto, Parmesan and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Add macaroni and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Gruyère over. Bake until cheese melts and macaroni and cheese sets, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Beef Stew. Just made a pot of it last night. The other one is Lasagne. Boring but does the trick. Plus, I don't mind eating the leftovers . . . day after day after day.
Meat pies. My mother makes them for me, although I help by chopping veggies and rolling out the crusts, etc. I love steak and Guinness pie and chicken pie. Also shepherd's pie or cottage pie. It is a comfort just knowing I have a few in the freezer ready to go when I need them. My sister just asked me to make her a tuna melt and a bowl of cream of tomato soup. That's her favourite thing when she's stressed.
Ciaran
Are we talking main dish or dessert? If the latter, quick microwave dark chocolate pudding, that takes about 5 min in the microwave. Refuse to satisfy my chocolate cravings with instant "chocolate-colored" garbage. 2 C milk (non-fat if dieting) 3 T cornstarch 1/4 - 1/3 C white sugar 1/4 - 1/3 C cocoa dash cinnamon or/and 1/4 tsp vanilla marshmallows for top, optional Stir halfway through and adjust ingredients to taste. I like my pudding creamy and not very sweet, also warm. Would welcome any suggestions to improve it.
I'm with R1. This afternoon it's raining, so I'm going to make a grilled cheese with bacon (very crispy) and tomato sandwich for dinner. Maybe two, one on white and the other on rye.
For me it's scrambled eggs. If I'm a little down they cheer me up. Was dumped over the weekend by a guy I was starting to dig. He ended things while we were having cocktails before dinner. I immediately went home, broke out 'marvin's room' from the dvd dustbin, and made myself a delicious dinner of scrambled eggs, canadian bacon, and sourdough toast with generous amounts of butter. Finally, at the end of the night, I took a bath and sang "i'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair". I felt much better by the time I went to bed. The key to good scrambled eggs is to get them off the frying pan while they still look undercooked and liquidy. The eggs should be moist and tender coming out of the pan, and will finish cooking while on the plate.
Tuna sandwiches. If I need extra comfort, I put cranberry raisins in. But not often. Usually just tuna, onions, celery and a little mayo and I'm good to go. But I also agree w r1 - grilled cheese is pretty heavenly, too.
Xanax Nachos
[quote] My sister just asked me to make her a tuna melt and a bowl of cream of tomato soup. I used to like tuna and Campbell's tomato soup as a comfort food,l but tomato soup nowadays has too much sugar in it (or HFCS). It's just awful.
I don't eat much read meat these days but I LOVE to make beef stroganoff from scratch (well, not the noodles.) Alton brown has a great recipe you can find online. It takes a while if you want to cut up the cubes beef yourself. Tangy and creamy goodness.
Cinnamon toast.
That's why I get the tomato bisque R28. According to the ingredients, it is made with sugar rather than the HFCS that is in their regular tomato soup. I make it with condensed skim milk so it is very thick and rich without lots of added fat. My mother makes tomato soup from scratch and it takes her about ten minutes. I should ask her to make some and freeze it for my sister.
Ciaran
I make this often during the winter: I take a package of turkey wings, usually three to a pack, wash and dry them, and toss them with some oil. then I roast them in a hot oven to brown them. I also roast some carrots, onions, and parsnips. the parsnips are the key, btw. I then make a turkey stew. I use a bit of Bell's seasoning whilst it is cooking, and I top it with some dumplings. It is a bit of heaven in a stew pot.
Avgolemono (Greek egg lemon) soup. Brings me back to the warmth and security of the days of being a kid at home with Mom and Yiayia.
Chicken thigh stew - Aside from salt, pepper, paprika, minced garlic, and chicken broth, I dice all my ugliest potatoes, carrots, and onions. After six hours on low, I pull out the thighs and remove slimey skin, cartilage, and bones. Then I thicken the broth (cooked flour, butter, and two cups of stewed liquid in a pan). I also include peas just so I can watch the dog eat them. The best part is that each step takes only a few minutes throughout the day.
It's not cooking but I love to open a can of stewed tomatoes, drain off part of the juice, heat them up, and eat them with Ritz crackers broken up in the bowl.
R13 love Swiss Steak, but hamburger buns? Seriously?
1 Box Nabisco Graham Crackers Lots of chocolate frosting (icing) "Butter" one cracker generously with a knife full of frosting, then add another cracker, "butter"..add another cracker and you are good to go. A nice 3 cracker treat filled with chocolate icing. Good at room temperature or after being refrigerated for a while. (If you press down on the crackers, the frosting will ooze out the side and you can lick it up.) Tall glass of ice cold white milk. Comforted!
It depends on how much time I have. Like a few others here, grilled cheese is one of my comfort foods. If I have a little more time, fried chicken with real mashed potatoes (with sour cream and a touch of garlic) will do it for me every time.
I love Devils on Horseback. Dates stuffed with an almond and wrapped in bacon, baked till crispy.
Grilled cheese and chicken soup.
Macaroni and cheese with salmon, sounds gross, tastes great.
R40, Hope that chicken soup is homemade; so easy to make.
"Self-made" would mean that the comfort food made itself, not that you yourself made it. I agree with the posters who find comfort in chopping, measuring, etc. I like to make complex recipes, which I further creatively dress up with very many extra ingredients. I like to make an extremely spicy macaroni and cheese with cheddar, jack, gouda, and Parmesan. It also has spicy Italian sausage, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, onions, garlic, buttermilk, heavy cream, bread crumbs, etc. It's baked, and comes out thick, creamy, and very spicy.
Ragu Bolognese. 20 minutes prep, 4 hours almost unattended cooking time. Over pasta or rice, with leftovers for 3 more meals (using 1 lb. of beef). I use Marcella Hazan's recipe and add a beef bouillon cube instead of salt. I make it at least once a month.
kev
That's a SERIOUS macaroni and cheese recipe R43's got there. I may have to try it but I don't like chipotle, but that doesn't matter.
Beefy Mac n' cheese: simple pasta + cheese sauce (grated parm/cheddar and milk) + browned ground beef w/ olives onions and peppers. Can eat the entire pot in one sitting.
White beans and rice, Louisiana style. Similar taste to red beans and rice, except subtler and creamier. Good in summer weather with lots of hot sauce, good in cold weather as sort of a warm stew.
It's funny that this thread should come up at this time. Yesterday, I made a dish from my childhood: Salmon (the "L" is not silent in this version) Patties or Croquettes. 1 can Double Q Salmon 1/4 cup grated onion, drained. 1 egg Half a tube of saltines or Ritz crackers, or a mixture of both pulverized. Flour mixture for dredging: (cup of flour, 2 tbls granulated garlic, 2 tbls black or white pepper, 1 tbls onion powder. Partially drain the salmon, and break it up in a bowl. Crush all the cooked bones. Crack egg into salmon and mix well. Add drained onion and mix well. Add crackers until the mix is not wet anymore. Make into patties and dredge with flour mixture. Fry patties in oil. I also made biscuits, so I could make salmon sandwiches. This is the first time I've made this in at least 10 years. I also occasionally make another childhood comfort food: BBQ'd Spam. Don't ask...
Is the "L" supposed to be pronounced R48? Where I'm from it's always "sammin".
I can ALWAYS use a good salmon croquettes recipe, thanks R48!
couple of glasses of warm heavy cream before bed
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baked tofu that has been marinated in vegetable broth and onion soup....dusted with bread crumbs before baking....
r49, here it's just Sa(l)mon when you make my recipe. I'm in the ATL. On Fridays, my Kroger that makes breakfast makes salmon croquettes. They aren't as good as mine. And less fat!
[quote]Finally, at the end of the night, I took a bath and sang "i'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair". MARY!!
had%20to%20be%20said.
Jiffy Pop.
Not homemade (unless partial credit can be claimed for boiling water) but, for me, there is no more comforting comfort food than Lipton chicken noodle soup.
Tuna tacos with extra pussy cheese!
Cheryl
A fast one: frosting on a graham cracker. Less fast: homemade tuna melts with cheddar cheese. Thanks for all the peeps who posted great recipes/ideas.
Zak