Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I still don't remember how I ended up with The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart by Emily Nunn* on my to-read stack. I don't recall if a friend recommended it, or it was just one of those 'people who bought x also bought this' suggestions that always gets me on Amazon. Always. In any case, on one sunny Saturday this month, I plunked down on a chair in the sun and read all the way through it with, first, lemonade in hand and, then, sparkling wine as the afternoon wore on. Uncomfortable Food Years ago I asked friends to help me define 'comfort food' - you can read my post 'I make uncomfortable food.'   After this dinner, Jake said, "You should email Kevin and tell him you can  make comfort food!" Too funny. On the Page Let me set the stage: Emily Nunn has just lost her brother to suicide, her engagement is shattered when the Engineer doesn't understand why she's wallowing in her...

Okay, I'll be honest: I shuddered a little when I saw the theme for this month's #WinePW event. Comfort food?!? I make uncomfortable food. And I'm perfectly fine with that statement. Let me explain. And, if you're interested in the post where I came to this conclusion, click here . But, in recent years, I've been faced with comfort food events and I've adapted, though I do still like to host dinners that make my guests squirm. Just a little. The Comforting Pairings Cindy of   Grape Experiences  shared  Wine and Comfort Food: Adler Fels Chardonnay and My (New)Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich Camilla of  Culinary Adventures with Camilla  posted her  Kick Ass Mac’N' Cheese and Kung Fu Girl Columbia Valley Riesling Lori of  Dracaena Wines  wrote about  Comfort Food with a Side of Wine Jill of  l’Occasion  is  Cookingat Home: Affordable Bordeaux & Homemade Pasta Jade of  Tasting Pour  contributed ...

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, ...