Chocolate pudding cake is an intensely satisfying, yet simple, dessert. As it bakes, it separates into two layers - a tender chocolate sponge-type cake and a very rich chocolate sauce/ pudding base - so the cake needs no accompaniment unless you want to throw a scoop of vanilla ice cream into the bowl, too.

The second best thing about this cake (the flavor is the first, of course) is that it is incredibly easy to make because it is mixed in the pan that you bake it in. This means that cleanup is minimal and that you can have a delicious, from-scratch dessert on even a very busy weeknight. Not that you shouldn't have it at other times, as well. Any excuse is a good one for chocolate pudding cake.

The cover illustration from Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt is more than enough to stop any grilled-cheese lover in their tracks. And fortunately, when it comes to cookbooks, making your selection based on the cover illustration isn't an entirely bad idea.

The single-subject cookbook contains 50 recipes that are the very embodiment of comfort food. Some are simple combinations and others are a bit more involved, but all result in a warm, satisfying and delicious meal. The book opens with a detailed discussion of various types of cheeses and the pros and cons of using each for this particular type of sandwich. Some of the ingredients, in addition to various types of cheeses, that are added to the sandwiches are prosciutto, creme fraiche, fig jam, pesto, fresh herbs and sausages. And in addition to simply listing the various ways in which the ingredients can be combined, the book is filled with tips for toasting them to perfection (very helpful if you don't own a panini press) and on how to select the right sorts of bread for grilling. Highlights include Bacon and Cheddar with Chipotle Relish, Halloumi Sandwiches with Lime, Goat Cheese and Cilantro Mint Ginger Quesadillas and Grilled Ham, Cheese and Pineapple.

When a book goes so far as to put the phrase "from family and friends" in the title, you know it is going to be the type of book that a home cook can relate to. After all, we are generally cooking for our family and friends, aren't we? Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends is the sort of cookbook that makes you want to cook for your loved ones, in addition to providing you with plenty of recipes that will put smiles on their faces.

The book is about soul food desserts and is, in fact, a follow-up to the author's previous work on that subject. The recipes have been collected from all over the country, so there is no regional bias towards any specific area, but the thread that connects everything is the "homespun style of African-American cuisine sprinkled with a healthy dose of brown sugar" - and while that sounds like a metaphor, there is quite literally brown sugar in just about every recipe in the book. They are all written in a casual, friendly style and are easy to follow. Some of the recipes include Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, Orange Buttermilk Pie and Burnt Sugar Ice Cream.

The first installment in this series of Thanksgiving ideas from around the blogosphere introduced us to some turkey and stuffing recipes. Now, we're moving on to side dishes, many of which are even more beloved than the turkey itself. There are way too many sides to list here, since there is no limit to what can be served with a turkey dinner, but these are fairly standard (or twists on a standard) recipes that everyone is sure to enjoy.

• If you thought brussel sprouts were boring, you havent tried the deliciously caramelized Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts from Bunnyfoot.
• The Bourbon Baked Sweet Potatoes at 101 Cookbooks are easy to make ahead and can be a side or a vegetarian main dish.
• The secret to making the perfect mashed potatoes from Simply Recipes is to use Yukon Gold potatoes.
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic vinegar from Kalyn's Kitchen is the great choice for squash fans, as well as for anyone who wants a lighter side.
• We've already seen a Veggie Venture's world's best green bean casserole, which updates a traditional recipe to the best it can be. Incidentally, most of Alanna's other veggie recipes will work well as sides, too.
• Chubby Hubby made a comforting, tasty creamless creamed corn that uses frozen, not fresh, corn.
• Berries? Booze? The Cranberry Bourbon Relish from Sorry Fugu sounds like a winner already.
• Cranberry Satsuma Relish, from Brownie Points, unlike the sauce mentioned above, is uncooked and made in seconds in the food processor. The Wednesday Chef has a cooked Cranberry Orange Sauce for a different combination of the flavors.

Homemade marshmallows are definitely one of my favorite candies. Unlike store-bought marshmallows, they are like little clouds of sweetness that are soft, tender and melt in your mouth. They are easy to eat, go perfectly with coffee, flavored coffee drinks and hot chocolate, and are ideal for making s'mores. They are also surprisingly easy to make, and very impressive when you bring them out to serve to friends or family. The only real drawback is that you really need a stand mixer to make them, as it allows you to keep your hands free while you're working and has a very large whisk (as opposed to the beaters of a hand-held mixer) that does the job quickly and efficiently.

I really recommend using vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean crush instead of plain vanilla extract because the tiny bean specks really look fantastic in the finished candy. Read on for the recipe, which I have made and enjoyed countless times:

This French toast and bacon sandwich could just be the ultimate breakfast sandwich - assuming that you aren't in the least bit worried about your weight and that you enjoy indulging in the morning, of course. It starts off with two thick slices of bread, soaked in an egg and milk mixture then fried into perfectly cooked french toast. The toast is then topped with a generous amount of lightly crisped bacon, allowing the pieces of overlap and for two layers. Once the bacon is in place, pour on some maple syrup and add the top piece of french toast. Eat with a knife and fork.

The end product is salty, sweet, filling and in no way can be considered health food. Ah well. You can't win them all, right?

Recently, I was struck with a rare craving for a bowl of grits, boiled on the stove the way they do in diners below the Mason-Dixon line, with some butter and salt and pepper. Bargain-savvy as I am, I decided to buy the economy-sized tub of Quaker quick grits, rather than the smaller, less cost-effective box. Proud of myself for figuring out such a great deal, I trotted home with grits in tow and cooked myself a bowl.

I had eaten a bowl of grits for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and breakfast again when I realized that I was stuck with the rest of this huge tub, and that there was no way I could stomach any more of the mushy grains. I forgot, I hate grits!

I'm the type of guy who can't throw stuff away so I needed a way to spruce these grits. And who better to consult than my raised-in-the-South assistant, Emily. 

 "Emily... fix my grits?" I pleaded.

When Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart and Emeril are turning the glass inward, cooking up comfort foods like meatloaf and mac-and-cheese and Americanizing European classics by making them bigger, saltier and less dependent on exotic ingredients, the husband-wife team of Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid are going the other direction. They seek to be "engaged" rather than to be comforted by their food choices. Writing for the New York Times Magazine, Amanda Hesser seems to ask, which movement reflects that of America at large?

Be engaged, she seems to whisper hopefully in response, although none of the evidence points there.

The cookbooks of Alford and Duguid, which explore Southeast Asian cuisines and flatbreads and things of this nature, sound amazing (even if I've never picked up a copy). Hesser points to the 80s and 90s infatuation with the authentic cookery of Diana Kennedy and Paula Wolfert, and heralds Alford and Duguid as the prophets of a renewed interest in real world cuisine. While I can't promise I'll go out and buy pomegranate molasses, you've sold me, Amanda: I'll at least try one of their cookbooks (how about  Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, their "meditation on Southeast Asia").

Ohmigod this soup is so good. But what's not to love about a soup that contains half a pound of shredded cheese and a cup of heavy cream? If it's wintry where you live, or even if it's not, why not try this soup for dinner? It's ready in about 45 minutes so you can even make it on a work night. And if you like to cook on the weekend, it freezes beautifully.

This would be great to serve at a Super Bowl Party.  The recipe doubles easily, and it is so rich that a little goes a long way. Enjoy the cheesy, velvety goodness!

It's not our fault. It's evolution, man. When the days are short and the weather is cold, all we want to do is snuggle into our comfiest chair with a blanket, a steamy mug of hot chocolate, and maybe a nice slice of meatloaf or macaroni and cheese. Followed up by (naturally) chocolate layer cake with extra coffee ice cream.

But the magazines, the newspapers, heck, even the blogs, all they say is eat right! Lose weight! Get out of the house! And most importantly, lose that comfy chair, man!

We're left with the ultimate D-word: Dilemma. What's to be done when our biology is warring with our better judgment? Diet? Or give in to the Decadence of the season, fill our tummies with warm, fattening comfort food, and just wait 'til spring to follow through on those resolutions?

Yesterday I was in the mood for baked salmon and roasted garlic mashers, one of my favorite comfort food combinations. I took a short cut and bought the mashed potatoes from Bryan's Market, made a big green salad, then set the fish to baking.

The mayonnaise in the recipe helps to keep the salmon moist, and puffs and crisps up to give the fish a deliciously subtle "crust."  I find the very high cooking temperature to be perfect for thicker fillets. If you use thinner filets (tail-end fillets) you may want to reduce cooking time by 5-10 minutes. It was so comforting and easy, I just had to share.

This morning I got a semi-early start and headed over to my favorite San Francisco dim sum bakery, Wing Lee, for breakfast. I ordered pork jook (a.k.a. congee or rice porridge) with preserved duck eggs. I also ordered some steamed shrimp and leek dumplings and turnip cake on the side. I love getting dim sum and jook first thing, when everything is at the peak of freshness. The jook was perfectly comforting, slightly salty from the duck eggs, and very delicious.

Having already dropped the kidlets off at the the indoor park with the baby sitter, I brought everything home and tucked in. Alone. Aaaah, to eat in peace and quiet. It's rare in this house.

[photo: Stefania Butler]

"I want French toast with honey!" says my three-year-old, grumpily, each morning. "No, I want French toast with honey and syrup!"

Something about French toast - its buttery, egg-dipped carb-tastic-ness - is just the ultimate breakfast comfort food. It's good when you're a baby, it's good when you're recovering from a hangover (grease protein carbs = first rate hangover cure).

In my opinion, it's the most comforting of all breakfast foods, replete with every good thing we want on a cold January morning, and easy, to boot. You can have hot, golden-brown, supremely comforting French toast on your table in 12 minutes flat. Start your timer.

There's a lot of buzz about comfort food right now - macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, meatloaf, and doughnuts - things that you crave when you need a little bit of TLC whether it's from a bad day, being sick, or just hungover. The buzz has gotten me thinking about things that are the exact opposite of comfort foods. Does that mean uncomfortable foods? Nah, uncomfortable foods are things like still-wiggling octopus tentacles and scorpions. I was thinking more along the lines of the last thing I want to eat when I need some TLC (but that's not to say that live octopus isn't one of those last things).

1. Salad - Salad really is the opposite of every comfort food I know. It's cold. It's light. It's a little too healthy. Even when it has two cups of oily, fatty, sugary dressing on it, a salad still has all those healthy vegetables with vitamins and minerals, which are probably really good to have when sick. I don't care. I don't want vitamins. At least not from a salad. (And not from a vitamin either.)
2. Sushi - It's raw and it's cold. Sushi is not warm and comforting, and I don't want to cuddle up with it. It reminds me of when I wanted a puppy when I was little and my parents bought me a goldfish instead.   
3. Fresh fruit - "I'm depressed," shouldn't be followed with, "Aw, here, honey, have an apple." That's not right. If the apple is drowning in hot sticky caramel and wrapped in a flaky pastry, maybe I'll feel better. But a fresh apple? See #1, salad. 
4. Wine - When I'm hungover, the last thing I want to drink is wine. Some say that the best way to cure a hangover is with more alcohol, which I totally agree with. That's why I say, "bring me a bloody mary!" not wine.
5. Cookies - This is weird, I know. It's probably only me. In fact, I think I really might be the only one who doesn't want to eat a cookie when I'm sick. When I'm sane, happy, and healthy, I love cookies of every kind, even *ahem* store-bought ones. But if I'm hungover or sick, a cookie sounds dry, like it will take too much effort to chew and swallow. I don't mind the fat and sugar though, which is probaby why a piece of tres leches cake sounds great.