Skip to main content

"I make uncomfortable food."

This morning, in my inbox, there was a request to link up a few recipes for comfort foods. But - even with as many foodie tomes as are on my nightstand and as much as I think, read, and write about food - I couldn't really decide what qualified as a comfort food. I found a definition that made sense, but essentially described it as "a food that comforts." Hmmm. Okay. Well, everyone finds comfort in different ways, right?

So, I did what I always do, I took the question to my friends via social media. "Can someone please succinctly define 'comfort food'?" I posed.

The responses ranged from actual suggestions - mac'n'cheese, lasagna, and mashed potatoes & gravy - to sweet compliments. But the answer that made me laugh aloud and had the boys looking at me quizzically was my friend Kevin's response: "Any food you disapprove of." Now that makes sense to me.

Hold on! Before you, dear reader, get indignant and come to my defense, please know that I actually do have a sense of humor and found his answer - while not entirely helpful at helping me pick a few recipes from my blog - informative. He went on to suggest that I respond to the request with an apology: "Sorry, I only make uncomfortable food."

That is actually a true statement. When people tell me that they don't like some food or don't eat something, I take that as a personal challenge to get them out of their comfort zone. I make them uncomfortable, for a little while, until I win them over to my side!

Case in point: my friend Brian told me that he, unequivocally, did not eat beets...under no circumstances. Well, I created those circumstances for a birthday dinner and he walked away with a full belly and a new declaration - "I only eat beets at Cam's house." I'll take that. Aforementioned pal Kevin once said something about not eating cabbage. So I had my husband deliver a trio of cabbage dishes to try - stuffed cabbage rolls, coleslaw, and kimchi. Kevin ate them, documented his foray into cabbage-eating with a video and gave me a 'not bad' verdict. And just last month, I co-hosted a baby shower for a friend with a pumpkin theme. One of the guests confided in me, "I don't really like pumpkin. If anyone can win me over, it'll be you." I never heard a definitive 'yea' or 'nay' from her that afternoon, but I think her plate was empty at the end of the lunch.

So, here are my comfort foods with an uncomfortable twist...and by 'uncomfortable' I just mean 'Cam-style.'

Meat and Potatoes = Tajine-el-Khoukh (Algerian Stuffed Peaches)



Chocolate = Homemade Snickers

Thanks to all my friends who rang in with answers this morning. 
I couldn't have done this post without your help.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce