| Comfort food. It even sounds warm and welcoming - | | | | foods we grew up with. People want to enjoy their |
| like cuddling up by the fire on a cold winter day. | | | | homes and entertain at home. We're expressing an |
| Comfort food trends have seen a real resurgence in | | | | interest in cooking everything from easy party food |
| recent years and our desire for comfort food seems | | | | recipes to BBQ to slow cooked roasts with all the |
| to be holding strong. So what is comfort food? | | | | trimmings.We also want to experience different |
| Generally it's the food we have good memories | | | | tastes, sometimes tastes from around the world, |
| about, the food we think of when we hear the word | | | | sometimes the familiar foods we love, with twist or |
| homemade, and that reminds us of simpler times.The | | | | an extra bit of pizzazz. So we have things like garlic |
| list of favorite comfort foods can be different for | | | | mashed potatoes, 4 cheese macaroni and cheese |
| each of us. While homemade macaroni and cheese | | | | and thin crust gourmet pizzas.We're also a population |
| and meatloaf with mashed potatoes have been | | | | that is becoming more aware of health and making |
| staples for many of us, for some of us comfort | | | | healthy food choices. With aging baby boomers |
| food may include a delicious cheesy lasagna, or | | | | creating a bulge in our populations, healthy lifestyle |
| yummy sweet potato pie. We all tend to love the | | | | trends are front and center. We want fewer calories |
| food that takes us back to our roots - the foods we | | | | but all the taste, healthier eating with the comforts |
| grew up with.Some Of Our Top Comfort Food | | | | of our favorite foods. So where does this leave us? |
| Choices Were Found To Be:- Soup | | | | How do we combine comfort food trends with |
| - Meatloaf | | | | healthier lifestyle trends?As much as we love our |
| - Pasta sauces | | | | comfort foods many of us now look for ways to |
| - Pot pies | | | | turn them into healthier choices, with a lower fat |
| - Mashed potatoes | | | | content and fewer calories. We tweak those great |
| - Pizza | | | | recipes from the past so we maintain (or sometimes |
| - Potato salad | | | | even improve) the taste but forgo some of the fat, |
| - Macaroni and cheese | | | | unhealthy carbs and sugar content. And while most |
| - Biscuits and scones | | | | of us are still eating our favorite comfort foods, |
| - Chili | | | | maybe it's just a little less often. We might decide to |
| - Beef stew | | | | share that piece of amazing cheesecake so we get |
| - Fruit pies | | | | the taste but not the pounds.We're going back to |
| - Chocolate chip cookiesWhy the increased desire | | | | our roots - but with a nod to healthy food choices |
| for comfort foods? It seems to be a combination of | | | | and a few wonderful, tasty twists along the |
| things. People are busier and more stressed than | | | | way.Karen Ciancio is a cook and lover of all things |
| ever. The last few years have also resulted in many | | | | food and cooking related. Her website contains |
| of us feeling less safe in the world. We want to feel | | | | recipes for comfort foods, plus lots of other recipes, |
| warm and safe again, the way we did when we | | | | cooking tips, measurement conversions and kitchen |
| were young and the world seemed simpler.Comfort | | | | ideas. |
| food trend watchers say that we are craving the | | | | |