Comfort Foods

[Sonia]

What are comfort foods? They are the foods that soothe our psyche by reminding us of comforting childhood memories. For most of us, these foods remind us of Mom or grandma's home cooking. They invoke feelings of nostalgia, safety, and security. We're not talking about fancy dishes, but simple fare like macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, mashed potatoes and gravy, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There are literally hundreds of comfort foods, each family has their favorites. Feel free to share the recipes that remind you of home, childhood, and family.

[Sonia]

Penne With Meat Sauce

A favorite in our household, this is a dish my Mom used to make for us when I was a child, and that I make for my daughter from time to time.

You will need:

To Make the Meat
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Large onion (chopped in small bite-size pieces)
3 chopped garlic cloves
Jar of Marinara sauce (we use Rinaldi's, but you can use your preference)
1 pound of chopped sirloin, or a combination of chopped sirloin, and chopped veal
McCormick's Mediterranean Spiced sea salt
McCormick's California Style Garlic salt
1 tsp Oregano
Grated Cheese (optional)

To Make the Pasta:
DeCecco 110.40 Penne
8 quarts of water
Olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, lightly browning the onions and garlic. Add the meat, chopped olives and spices, chpping up the meat inside the pan with a fork, cook until browned (about 3 to 5 minutes) Add the Marinara sauce, and cover the pan. Cook over medium heat for five minutes, stir, and then lower the fire to low heat for another 5 minutes

Pasta:

Bring 8 quarts of water to a heavy boil, then add pasta and boil for 11 minutes. Immediately drain the pasta in a colander. Serve warm with sauce scooped on top. If you like, top with grated cheese.

This dish is great the next day. Refrigerate left over meat. Try serving left-over meat in a hot dog or hamburger bun topped with lettuce and tomatoes, with potato chips on the side. Kids will love it!