Cold Comfort May 28, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Vegetarian Recipes.trackback
Sidey’s theme this weekend is Comfort Food.
In South Africa, where Sidey resides, it’s cold right now. Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, it is not . . . it’s hot.
Her theme got me thinking about how the comfort foods I enjoy change with the seasons.
During the long winter months, comfort foods warm us up when temperatures take a brisk nose dive. Meals of heavy, hearty fare (potato rich stews, thick chowders, steaming lasagna, piping hot casseroles, fragrant fondues, creamy macaroni and cheese, rich onion soup) insulate us against chilly arctic blasts providing . . . Comfort from the Cold.
Comfort foods in summer cool us down when temps rise. Meals and snacks of lighter, easy-to-digest fare (ice cream cones, frozen slushies, shakes and frosties, ice-cold watermelon, corn-on-the-cob, chilled pasta salads, salty French fries, Sangria sorbets, and red, ripe tomatoes) help us beat the heat, providing . . . Cold Comfort.
Comfort from the Cold and Cold Comfort . . . food nourishes our bodies, fuels our minds, and sustains our souls.
Perfect Cole Slaw
16 oz. cole slaw mix (shredded carrots and cabbage)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing or mayonnaise
2 tsp. vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
Dump the cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) into a large mixing bowl.
Combine remaining ingredients and whisk together. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture. Stir to combine and coat vegetables.
Refrigerate, covered, for several hours to let flavors meld. Stir before serving.
The dressing is also delicious on Broccoli-Raisin Salad & Carrot-Raisin Slaw.
For Broccoli-Raisin Salad, fresh or frozen broccoli will work as a base. If using fresh, blanche the florets and chill in an ice bath to preserve color. Drain and chill before adding raisins and dressing.
No rules. Just write!
What about you?
What are your favorite Comfort Foods ~ in winter, in summer, in sickness, and in health?
Related posts: Comfort Food (The Only Cin) * Comfort Food (Go Between Flames) * Eat, Drink, and Be Merry (I’m Not A Verse) * Comfort Food (Mangetout & Other Stories) * Comfort Food (View from the Side)
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Spirit Lights The Way 
I guess comfort food for me is the unhealthy stuff, like pizza or spaghetti carbonara. And in summer of course it’s got to be icecream 🙂
Pizza is one of my all time favorite comfort foods ~ winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Chocolate is another. 😀
Is sugar a common ingedient for coleslaw? I’ve only ever had shop-bought.
Sugar is not an uncommon ingredient, but this cole slaw is a bit sweeter than most I’ve bought from the deli. It’s a sweet and sour mix due to the hint of vinegar.
Cool comfort! nice one nancy
Wonderful theme, Sidey.
Food is a “mood elevator” . . . going up?
This past winter my main “comfort food” was soup, but it had to be homemade – made from scratch, as they say, and by me – at least half the comfort came from making it…
Thanks, Ruth. I agree. I almost never buy canned soup. Making a big pot of soup from scratch is relaxing and allows for customization.
I keep Lipton Onion Soup mix and Noodle Soup mix on hand for “emergencies” ~ tailoring both to suit our tastes.
Wonderful recipe, Nancy 🙂 I’m finding this theme challenging: I’m trying to shed a little weight ready for the Summer and each post just makes me want to head straight for the kitchen!!
Maybe Sidey’s trying to fatten us all up. Fine for her since beach days in SA are months away. Not so great for us.
Next week’s theme ought to be exercise or diet related. 😀
I think my favorite winter comfort food is shepards pie! And in the summer time, I can’t get enough iced tea!!
I love vegetarian “shepard’s pie” smothered in smashed potatoes.
Iced tea is my 2nd favorite thirst quencher in summer . . . right after H2O.
Oh, yes, I’m with Rosa – shepherds pie in winter, for sure!
Summer – grilled salmon steaks with asparagus and sweet chilli sauce.
Sickness – lamb shank soup
Health – chocolate! I figure if I am healthy, I can fight off the calories!
Good picks! Especially your health pick . . . chocolate rocks!
I have so many favorite foods for all seasons, but sticking to the more healthier choices has been my pic. Maybe some chocolate now and then- it really does rock !!! 🙂
One of my favorite summer meals is vine-ripened tomatoes and corn on the cob.
Chocolate is my year round favorite comfort food.
Pretty much just how I make my coleslaw. Except that I never measure and don’t use vinegar. I think I will try that exact recipe.
Comfort foods: Ice Cream, Chocolate, Kentucky Fried Chicken. I know it’s meat. I’m trying!
I was thinking about some of my favorite chic flicks today and how they are kind of like comfort movies.
If you’re used to not measuring, just add a splash or two of vinegar at the end and stir it in. I mix the dressing in the measuring cup (sugar first) and then pour it over.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 13+ years and if I wanted a burger tomorrow at a cookout, I’d have one. It’s what we do 90% of the time that matters. 😀
Good point about comfort from movies.
Comfort foods… I love steak, potatoes, bread, peas.
New to me is chocolate-I use to hate it too. I hope you have a nice Memorial day weekend, and you are one of my blogging buddies.
Thanks, Jackie. Potatoes, bread (and pasta) are so comforting ~ I expect it’s the carbohydrates.
I saw the list, but it’s a little overwhelming. Maybe next time you could do a one line intro for each of your blogging buddies? Or maybe only print 20 blogging buddies at a time?
We’re invited to a potluck supper and cookout tomorrow for veterans and friends at a local pool.
That is the same coleslaw recipe as I have always used, and it is the first time I have seen someone else using it! I have had it for years and can’t remember where I got it. Mine has a teaspoon or so of finely grated onion mixed in as well.
I think I first saw the dressing attached to a broccoli raisin salad with minced onions and bacon bits.
I decided to try it for cole slaw because my cole slaw was often too sweet or too sour or too dry. Now, this is the only way I ever make cole slaw . . . although I do sometimes add pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple at the end.
I love soups and salads year round but more soups in wintertime. The summer is all ice this ice that. But fruits rule in our home… 🙂
We have fruit with most/many meals ~ apples, oranges, banana, pineapple, grapes, peaches, pears. And in the summer . . . watermelon ~ we almost always have some cut up and cubed in the fridge.
Nice one, Nancy. Keep cool 🙂
Thanks, Cin. These days, summer’s heat is easier on me than winter’s chill. Especially with air conditioning as a respite from the scorching sun.
I like some diced pineapple and a dash of Tabasco !
I love the peppery “tang” of Tabasco. I’ll give it a “shot.” 😀
I’m addicted to Pasta…..it’s my weakness. I know I have some Italian in my heritage somewhere so I’m going to blame that!
Since it’s so hot in Texas in the summer, I’m usually not as hungry…I’ve found the hotter it is, the more I’m just thirsty.
Pasta gets a bad rap . . . as do potatoes. Both are low fat and full of energy. It’s what we choose to put on them that causes problems.
One of my favorite pastas in summer is just sauteed onions, peppers and tomatoes tossed over noodles. Healthy and heart friendly.
Mangia!