That One Childhood Food That Comforts You

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom's Christmas cookies. I miss her.

OMG yes. No one makes them the same way anymore. We had so many tins to put out for friends, bring places. She was a teacher and would bake all of her break leading up to Christmas. Chocolate rolos, so many biscotti, peanut butter Hershey kiss, spritzes. I miss her too. Sending you big hugs. She also had a friend who was the foods teacher who made mini gingerbread houses for everyone, and every year, my sister and I would attack it bite by bite over the course of many nights when we were home from college/later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homemade turkey barley soup made with a holiday turkey carcass. We would have it with Ritz crackers topped with a dollop of mayo, slice of cheddar, and a dollop of Dijon mustard.

My mom loved making soup. Split pea with ham, beef barley, turkey rice. I made turkey with the thanksgiving carcass this year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pastina with butter. I ate a lot of it when pregnant and everything else upset my stomach.

Yes! Pastina in chicken broth with grated romano cheese.

[Anonymous]

Microwave nachos with torn up pieces of American cheese and Chi-Chi or Old El Paso salsa, with a can of coke. I eat much healthier regularly, but if I'm having a rough day, this takes me right back to my afternoons in middle school with no parental supervision and MTV/E! on the TV.

[Anonymous]

My mum’s chicken broccoli casserole served over white rice. I’ve been vegetarian for years and the fake chicken substitutes have finally gotten good enough to replicate chicken well enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Devil Dogs
English muffin pizzas with Kraft cheese
Roast pork fried rice

Yes! My mother made them with sausage. So good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In one of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy books, there is a scene where Thomas Cromwell is surrounded by all of the fancy foods you could be surrounded by in England in the mid-fourteenth century, and he is feeling sad and wanting only a purslane salad -- the food they ate when he was a child and there was no food to be had other than what you could wander outside and pick. That scene had me thinking: what is that childhood food that you wish for like this?

For me it is lasagna. My mother was not a good cook, and served very little that I liked (or that anyone would like, really), but she made decent lasagna (following the recipe on the pasta box) and it is what I asked for for my birthday every year. I find it very soothing to have it, now. And I don't want a fancy one from a restaurant. Just the basic recipe on the back of the pasta box, and it is better as a leftover.

I think the OP origin story is really sad. That the poorest food he got during starving times is a comfort to him. Most kids would probably grow up resenting that food.

It's a pretty complex character living a very complex life in a complex book...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cream of wheat with butter and toast. I always wanted this when I was sick as a kid.

I've been on a hot cereal kick lately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Microwave nachos with torn up pieces of American cheese and Chi-Chi or Old El Paso salsa, with a can of coke. I eat much healthier regularly, but if I'm having a rough day, this takes me right back to my afternoons in middle school with no parental supervision and MTV/E! on the TV.

Middle school me would've loved middle school you.

[Anonymous]

Campbell's tomato soup and a cheese sandwich that is just American cheese on white bread

[Anonymous]

Kraft macaroni and cheese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Campbell's tomato soup and a cheese sandwich that is just American cheese on white bread

Going back. I can remember eating this with my mom while watching Art Fleming host Jeopardy midday in the mid-60’s before going to afternoon Kindergarten.

We actually attended a taping of Art Fleming’s Jeopardy during a New York trip in 1969!

PS - I am an older mom, and prepared this exact meal today for my daughter who is home from college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cream of wheat with butter and toast. I always wanted this when I was sick as a kid.

I've been on a hot cereal kick lately.

Ok this is a weird one, but my family’s comfort easy food is cream of wheat with tomato sauce and lots of spaghetti cheese (always locatelli)

[Anonymous]

Jello with cool whip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cream of wheat with butter and toast. I always wanted this when I was sick as a kid.

I've been on a hot cereal kick lately.

Ok this is a weird one, but my family’s comfort easy food is cream of wheat with tomato sauce and lots of spaghetti cheese (always locatelli)

I love savory hot cereal. That is basically what shrimp and grits is.