The Independent Food Festival and Awards is an online event dedicated to the idea that people should share their favorite foods and food experiences to help rekindle a love of and interest in food in general. Judging by the fact that the event seems to be several times the size of last year's festival, this second annual event seems to be a success so far. 

You may have seen their logo on some of your favorite food blogs last year, when 30 well-known blogs were selected to act as jury members and contribute a favorite food-related thing to the online festival. Every jury member creates their own award and awards it as they see fit. The bloggers' awards are being announced over the course of five days, since there are quite a few more participants than last year. Since all the categories and awards are independently generated, it is difficult to say what you might expect to find amongst the nominees, but it is certain to be something delicious judging from the entries so far.

The Food Network editors put together a list of their favorite comfort foods of the past year and if anyone needed any confirmation that Paula Deen is the darling of the network, this is it. 7 out of the top 10 recipes are hers and the Sweet Potato Casserole credited to the "Food Network Kitchens" has a distinctly Paula feel, albeit with less butter than she would use. Their top picks are:

• Good Eats Roast Turkey
• Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Lasagna Rolls
• Baked Spaghetti
• Grandgirl's Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia
• Southern Cornbread Stuffing
• Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes
• Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Sauce

It's hard to believe that they didn't pick any macaroni and cheese for their list, particularly since a search of their site turned up 64 hits, two of which are Paula Deen recipes. It is also a surprise that no Rachael Ray recipes made the list, since her specialty is quick and easy comfort food. Instead of going with a list comprised mainly of casseroles, it would have been nice to diversify the list with some chocolate chip cookies, soups or other non-pasta dishes, too.

Meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food. It is hearty, flavorful and can be subject to nearly infinite variations. Some meatloaves are all beef, while some are made with turkey or even faux meat, which preserves the spirit of the dish, if not the meat. Meatloaves have been around as long as ground meat and are larger versions of meatballs.  Due to their size, they can easily be served as a main course and the leftovers sliced for sandwiches. Flavorings and some "filler," in the form of vegetables, egg, breadcrumbs or rice, are added to help the loaf maintain its shape. The practice of "stretching the meat" with filler was popular and widely practiced during the lean war years of the early 20th century.

After a decline in popularity, due in part to many years of inclusion in frost-bitten, over-processed, microwaveable meals, meatloaf is working its way back onto the plates and into the hearts of diners everywhere. It is on upscale restaurant menus, where it is recognized as classic American fare, as well as being a staple at diners and neighborhood restaurants across the country.