by Tierney O'Hara

Created on: August 28, 2009   Last Updated: May 04, 2010

Comfort foods are usually simple dishes we remember from our childhood that remind us of being warm, safe and loved. For some reason, comfort foods also seem to be inexpensive to make - which shows that we can food shop on a budget yet still give our families the foods they most love to eat. The list below is a collection of comfort foods rated as "go to" dishes that many people consider the best of the best.

1) Macaroni and Cheese is always number one on comfort food lists because it is easy to chew, easy on the stomach, easy to eat and easy to make unless you are making a homemade recipe with many steps.

Pasta is like a hug which is why another pasta dish is always high on the list of comfort foods: spaghetti.

2) Spaghetti with meatballs preferably but if not - almost any shape pasta with almost any kind of sauce will fill the heart and the belly with a warm filling meal that makes us happy. For those of us who appreciate spiciness, this is a better comfort food than the blander macaroni and cheese. And it's made with garlic which when raw can irritate digestion but when cooked is healing.

3) Meat loaf and mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans...a comfort food meal that needs no knife and has no bones, but tastes hearty yet is easy to swallow. You can eat this with a sore tooth and it's still soft enough not to cause you pain. It fills up sad hearts and well as hungry bellies.

4) Homemade chicken pot pie is a gift from someone who loves you a lot. It's time consuming to make because instead of you ever needing a knife or having to be aware of a bone, all is taken care of for you.

The chicken and vegetables are all precut to bite size pieces so all you have to do is shovel it in. The gravy and the crust complete a divine delight, even when you're stuck buying a frozen pot pie from the store.

5) Beef stew is also considered a comfort food for the same reasons chicken pot pie is comfort food. All the meat and vegetables are fork tender and all are cut to fit inside your mouth with ease. Bubbling gravy is for soaking up with soft bread, another comfort food in itself.

6) Of course when your head hurts, your nose is red and your throat feels like sandpaper, there is only one ultimate comfort food people ask for: chicken soup. A hot steamy bowl of soup opens your nasal passages, slips down the gullet easily and feels like liquid love on a spoon.

7) Comfort food can also be a dessert: think of warm chocolate pudding with whipped cream or cold vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce.

8) Think of chocolate chip cookies right off the baking sheet, almost too hot to touch with liquidy chips oozing chocolate.

9) For others a warm piece of apple pie, nothing fancy, no raisins or rhubarb, just apples, butter, cinnamon and a simple crust is what the ultimate comfort food dessert must be.

When you think of comfort food, you think of what helps you get through a bad day; what reminds you of pleasant times and what fills every part of your being, not just your stomach.

Learn more about this author, Tierney O'Hara.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.