"Comfort Food" news and stories

With rich layers of warm flavor, this Butternut and Navy Bean Lasagna is blatant proof of comfort food's supreme ability to alleviate all winter weather ails.

In this seasonal alternative to the traditional red bolognese lasagna, the Delementals blogger used leftover roasted squash and a surplus of navy beans paired with a wintry blend of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage) to create this rich lasagna. Beneath the patterned layers of sauce, pasta and cheese, the cheerful yellow base is remarkably complex, with flavors ranging from cumin and cayenne to bold Manchego and tangy apple cider vinegar and ginger in this perfect cold-weather dish that's made to satisfy body and soul.

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Happy National Apple Pie Day!

Said scribe Jane Austen, "Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." And arguably, there's nothing more American than a good old slice of apple pie.

The dish was first documented by British poet Robert Greene in 1590, but made its first recorded appearance in the United States in 1697, when Harvard alumni Samuel Sewell made note of it from a fruitful picnic trip. The American staple has since come a long way, with variations ranging from the cobbler, crisp, pandowdy or lattice apple pie, but the traditional variations featured by Flickr user Hakeber will eternally remain an American classic.

What's your favorite type of American pie? Argue your case and praise the iconic dessert in the comments!

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Chances are, you're probably still experiencing a little too much pumpkin-pie overload to be able to get properly excited for National Pie Day. And while that's understandable (we feel your pain), there are many other savory pies still worthy of your enthusiasm!

Case in point: blogger Everybody Likes Sandwiches' chicken pot pie with cheddar biscuit topping, which she claims is not only a "warm and hearty meal, which not only warms the kitchen but also the spirit." We couldn't agree more -- and are eager to throw leftovers into this easy, soul-warming concoction. Happy National Pie Day!

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A staple of British food culture, baked beans appear regularly in breakfast menus across the U.K., but rarely grace food counters stateside. Whereas American baked beans traditionally include molasses or brown sugar, the British Heinz variety strictly includes white beans and tomato sauce, creating a much more savory dish.

Here, blogger Luscious Temptations created this blissfully easy, hearty breakfast dish, topping the carb-and-protein plate with a hearty drop of Maggi seasoning and a generous dash of white pepper for kick. The dish may be simple, but definitely disproves the stereotype of British food lacking flavor -- this is easy comfort food at its best.

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Happy National French Toast Day!

Dubbed "poor knights of Windsor" by the Brits, French toast originated in Europe during the Medieval times. As a way of making use of "pain perdu" (or "lost bread," as it's called in France), cooks discovered they could add moisture to hardened bread by dipping it in a sweetened egg-milk mixture. Despite the practicality of using up old bread, this practice was most likely confined to the wealthy, who would cut off the bread's crusts, an unthinkable, wasteful move to those less fortunate.

Today, French toast still refers to the breakfast dish involving bread dipped in an egg-milk mix, then fried, then topped with a combination of powdered sugar, jam, syrup or other various toppings.

What do you like to top your French toast with? Let us know, after the jump!

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