Comfort Food

I've been sick this week with the same virus Sawyer started out with. And when I'm sick, I want comfort food.

I started thinking about some of the comfort foods Mama used to cook, when I was a child. During the week, meals were quick and easy. There were 6 of us kids and Mama was usually very busy taking care of us, making sure we got our homework done, getting baths, mounds of laundry, etc. But the meals I remember most were made on the weekend.

Breakfast was usually grits, scrambled eggs and toast. My brother used to put ketchup on his eggs. Have you ever tried that?

Lunch was usually toasted Ruth's pimento cheese or chicken salad sandwiches and chips. And sometimes, we would have soup with the sandwiches, especially if it was cold outside. Some of Mama's soups were home-made potato, Campbell's Chicken Noodle, or chili.

And Sunday dinner might be roast beef with carrots and potatoes over rice and biscuits or fried chicken with rice and gravy, some kind of vegetable and biscuits or fried pork chops, rice and tomatoes and biscuits. Yum! That was comfort food at it's best. We eat much healthier now, but sometimes, especially when I'm sick, I want some of Mama's comfort food. And today, I wanted chili!

I created a great chili recipe, but since I didn't feel like cooking, I went to Wendy's for some of their chili, instead. It's very similar to mine. I'm not entirely sure if they add chili powder to their recipe or not. But, my recipe doesn't call for chili powder because Cliff doesn't like it, so I improvise with the Rotel. If you are interested in trying it, see below.

Laurie's Home-Made Chili 

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lbs. lean hamburger meat

I can Kidney beans

1 can Black beans 

1 tbs. olive oil

2 stalks celery

1/2 onion

1 - 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 can Rotel chili fixins

1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce

 salt and pepper

In a large pot, saute chopped celery and onion in olive oil. Remove from pan until later. Brown hamburger meat. Add back the sauteed celery and onions, Rotel, tomato sauce, beans, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and lower heat to simmer for about 40 minutes. 

Let me know if you try it,

Laurie