by Jody Thorpe

Created on: January 19, 2010

Every year when the kids go back to school I find myself sitting at the kitchen table looking through my old family recipes. Comfort foods are a staple of our fall and winter cooking. It seems that there are special recipes reserved for this time of year. Having grown up in the Midwest, it seems only natural that after a long days work a family would want to come home and enjoy a warm hearty meal. Weather seems to play a big part in our cooking. There are many days that you will find a crock pot simmering away on my counter with something delicious inside. Some of the highly requested recipes include chili, pot roast, beef stew and long cooking homemade spaghetti sauce. There is just something about the pleasure of walking into the house being welcomed by the wonderful smell of pot roast that has been cooking away while you were gone. Comfort foods are a sensory experience!  You smell them, you taste them and of course with presentation there is the way that the dish actually looks appealing to you. Comfort foods are a part of our culture. For instance, people often make chicken noodle soup when someone near and dear to them is sick! Comfort foods are also a part of our holiday traditions. Food is present in so many of our occasions such as birthdays, holidays and special events. There is a tradition in our household that at birthday times the one with the birthday gets to pick their favorite meal and this is fun because it is their own version of comfort food. Comfort foods vary from region to region throughout the world. For example, when visiting the south you may find very different recipes taking center stage than the ones favored here in the north. What you choose to enjoy is completely a personal decision, every family has their own set of special recipes that often are passed down from generation to generation. It is fun to make the same recipes that our families have always made and then also explore some new recipes that may be able to be incorporated into your recipe box. What does comfort food mean to you? Take a minute to dig through your old cookbooks and recipe boxes and  try to find your next version of comfort food to enjoy with your family! You never know what you might come across to enjoy year after year, season after season!

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