Good old country comfort
November 5, 2010
I’ve never thought of myself as someone who takes comfort in things. I’m not the one who runs out to shop when I’m in a mood (what mood is one in when one comfort shops? I don’t even know), or who binges on donuts and potato chips when I’m upset. Buying a new pair of shoes does not make me feel better.
Nevertheless, I cannot deny how much I enjoy food and drink, and how I use both as comfort and reward. I know donuts and potato chips are technically food, but they’re junk foods so I discount them—empty calories of processed flour, sugar, potatoes. I feel slightly superior that my comfort food takes the form of pizza (dairy and vegetables with a little flour in the thin, flat crust that I prefer) and beer and wine (I experience a chemical imbalance from it).
I engage in a favorite comfort combo is when I’m feeling lonely. Not because I’m always alone because I’ve freely chosen and embraced the singleton lifestyle which I’m generally fine with, but due to those periodic occasions when I actually wish I had another person around. Nothing soothes me like a big old broiled steak, a giant salad with lots of veggies and vinegar and oil dressing, a movie such as “Bridget Jones’s Diary” or “Under the Tuscan Sun” or a James Bond (wha?) and a bottle of red wine, preferably one of my favorites like Pepperwood Grove Old Vine Zinfandel (a steal at about $7 or $8 per bottle). I’ll be hopelessly weeping by the end of the movie but the next day I’ll feel very satisfied and emotionally refreshed.
I guess beer’s just a general reward for having made to that point the next day. There aren’t many days that go by right now that don’t include a beer or three. I suppose I use it to compensate and comfort myself for the things that I have to deal with in daily life that I’d rather not have to, like working for a living. Not the best reason, but there it is.
Pizza always brings pleasantness to my life—sometimes more than others, as I have forgotten how to stop eating after a sensible amount. I LOVE PIZZA om nom nom nom nom …
When I am getting lunch during a work day, one of my favorites is the lunch special at D’Amico and Sons. I get the Caprese Panini and Tuscan Chicken Soup. That’s a fancy way of saying tomato soup and grilled cheese. Who doesn’t love and wouldn’t be comforted by that? Delicious tomato-based soup with a cheesy overtone and gooey mozzarella sandwiched (pardon the expression) between perfectly toasted and crinkled slices of Italian bread.
I’m sure I could come up with a few other go-to comfort foods (can you say Chipotle chicken burrito, black beans, easy on the rice, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, and green salsa, or The Brothers Deli totally awesome clam chowder on Fridays?) but I won‘t try. You get the idea.
And as for comfort of the flesh and blood kind, how about your cat lounging on you, or giving you a kneady back rub before she flops herself down against you for the night. What’s that? You say you have a human partner? Kids? Pshaw.
We be jammin???
June 1, 2010
What???s the oldest thing in your refrigerator? This jar of Welch???s grape jelly is five or more years old. Rob gave it to me when he was cleaning out in preparation for a Minnesota???California move. I never told him that I don???t really use grape jelly???at all. I don???t really use jelly of any kind???it seems mostly to be solidified corn syrup. When I did get jelly, I???d get currant jelly or something else red.
Kelly???s Unnecessary Blog, a.k.a. Kelly???s Confessional to Rob.
But I still have that grape jelly and it does get consumed???by my parents a few times each year. It???s pretty much just sugar. It???s fine.
When I did still eat toast for breakfast, I eventually shifted from the currant jelly to any mostly-fruit jam in an attempt to ingest as natural ingredients as possible, which I do not consider corn syrup or grape juice to be, even though they are touted as such. If fruit wasn???t the first ingredient listed, I put it right back.
I still don???t eat toast for breakfast (now I go more eggy), though sometimes I do keep whole wheat bread. My favorite is Healthy Choice 7-Grain. Whole wheat flour is the first ingredient and it???s soft and tasty. There again, just because bread is brown, that doesn???t mean it???s whole wheat. You must check the ingredients list. If it says anything other than ???whole,??? it???s not true whole wheat bread. Thomas 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins are good, too. However, the double fiber whatever muffins are like eating twigs and should be avoided.
I digress.
Now I have something new???Raspberry Pinot Noir jam, special delivery from Annie in Portland, Oregon. It is awesome! It???s made by the King Estate Oregon Wines, an organic, sustainable operation. Follow the link above and then explore the rest of the site. They use sheep to ???mow??? the grass. ???Moo??? the grass? ???Baa??? the grass? ???Bleat??? the grass?
The point is, it looks like a neat place. And the jam is made from raspberries grown in the vineyard???s orchard and spiked with Pinot Noir. From the moment you unscrew the lid, you can smell the wine. It tastes as delicious as you would imagine.
So when the jam arrived, I didn???t have any bread to spread it on. I experimented with making whole wheat flour baking powder biscuits, but those were a disaster. But they were good enough to sample the jam and find out that it???s as delicious as it sounds. I would have made the biscuits with white flour, only I???ve been out of it since March. Yesterday I went to the store mainly to get a frozen pizza for supper but with the secondary intent to get some pop ???n??? fresh biscuit dough. I ended up getting pop ???n??? cinnamon rolls. No raspberry Pinot Noir jam got spread on those.
Today I went to the store again to get a steak and some fresh veggies to grill for supper. Still no bread.
But I might just put a dollop on these whole wheat brownies I just made. Chocolate, raspberry, and wine, especially red wine that I???m drinking? Oh yeah. Not even noticing the whole wheat aspect 🙂
Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog 