Comfort Food - new definition

Life brings lessons when you don't expect them. I was so excited with the concentration on Comfort Food for January. For so long, comfort food has meant the food that brings me home. The food that makes me sigh with contentment and takes me on a wonderful journey back to my childhood and home.

What I didn't realize was how much comfort I would need over the past few weeks.

The loss of friend and friends of loved ones made me crave comfort - soft quilts, warm food and encompassing hugs.

I looked to comfort food all month to bring me peace. Food such as this delectable mac and cheese from the Adirondack Brewing Company. in Lake Placid, New York.

Honestly - it made me want to cry with joy.

This month, I've lovingly prepared zesty stuffed peppers, tarragon and lemon roasted chicken, onion-filled meatloaf. I've dined on KFC chicken dinners (with really great mashed potatoes and gravy), Big Macs and Mighty Taco burritos. These were the meals that made me feel happy, content, cozy...I would make it through these crunching times.

I have been looking for comfort food to comfort me. What can I make this month for our comfort food recipe? What comforts me most? Me. Me. Me.

And then one day I looked out the window and saw this:

Three of the people I love most. My dear husband and two grandsons who spent most of a very cold day building a sled run in the back yard. The were in need of warmth and COMFORT! And it came to me that comfort food isn't only what comforts us, but it is also what we can create that comforts those we love most in life.

Whether it's a ginger-pear martini or a warm pot of chili - comfort food is what we make for others - my new definition.

So I searched the pantry and decided a spicy chili would be perfect. First, I gathered the raw ingredients:

lb 1 inch chunks of beef2 lbs of ground beef
stewed tomatoes

my favorite chili seasoning mix (no - it's not cheating!)

onions
kidney beans

lots of love

And it all became this

Comfort food is the food that comforts those we love.

love marmie