"comfort foods" news and stories

Got a family favorite or a calorie-laden comfort food classic you'd love to see lightened up? Vote for your favorite, or let us know in the comments below.

Reruns of Sex in the City, combined with a brief glance at this Chowhound thread, brought up the interesting topic of secret foods. The idea here is that every person, no matter how dedicated a foodie they are, has at least one "secret" food that they eat when there is no one else around. It could be sometime simple that you fall back on when you lack the time to cook, but it could also be something that you just don't want anyone else to see you eat. Are you a health food lover who indulges in a couple of Oreos and a big glass of milk when you have the afternoon off? Maybe you don't feel like cooking dinner and have a (frozen) waffle loaded with peanut butter instead.

Two favorites of mine are s'mores without chocolate, since it just seems slightly less guilt-inducing to have the molten marshmallow on crunchy grahams even though I might have a few more than I ordinarily would, and dry cereal (current fave is Honey Bunches of Oats), which makes a great snack when I don't feel like having anything salty.

'Fess up - what are yours?

If your Valentine is anything like mine, he (she) appreciates a fine meal, sure, but would much prefer to snuggle up on the couch with a bowl of pasta and good movie. My favorite "warms-the-heart," comforting pasta dish is the one I grew up eating: spaghetti con burro e pomodori. My mom was a working mom so it was a dish she could throw together quickly. The beauty of this sauce, like so many good pasta sauces, is that in the time it takes to boil the pasta water and cook the pasta, it's done. The recipe is simple, but the key is to use the best ingredients you can get your hands on. Don't skimp on quality. Buon appetito!