Comfort Foods

Do you have any childhood comfort foods? Oh, of course...it is a stupid question,. for we all do. And mist comfort food we eat is "junk food" or simple fare. Every Mardi Gras I am reminded to cook one of my comfort foods, barbecue beef on a bun. Barbecue beef sandwiches (cooked in a pot on the stove, not actually barbecued) are not necessarily a Mardi Gras food for most people here, but my mom always cooked those during the parade season. She made a batch of the meat and it was easily stored in the refrigerator and ready for sandwiches for myself or my family.
At Mardi Gras time Schools are closed here for 5 days during the lead up to Mardi Gras Day. Thus, having precooked food is essential, as no one wants to spend long hours in the kitchen during Mardi Gras time. The urge to cook barbecue beef always hits me during Mardi Gras. Maybe it helps me remember my family and those fun days as a child when I had little responsibility and few problems.
There is a kind of rush that I get as I cook comfort foods because they are a link to something pleasant from the past. And food surely is a linking agent for many people. I have quite a few comfort foods that I just have to have at certain times of the year. Strangely, I may not want those foods at other times. The psychological urge for them is beyond my understanding and control.
So I enjoy cooking or eating them. Most are "home made foods" but some are from a particular maker that seems to represent the holiday the food links to. here are some of my other favorite comfort foods.
* King Cake- the traditional Mardi Gras sweet. Bakeries here a can sell so many that as much as one half of their yearly revenue comes from the sales. Everyone who lives here eats at least one piece each carnival, some people buy several each week to share with co workers or friends. The first King cake is sold on January 6th, the opening of carnival season, and the last 45 days later when carnival ends.
* Fruit Cake- I admit to liking this Christmas food. It's quite the chore to make, so I always search out my favorite brands at stores a few weeks before Christmas and buy enough to freeze some of it for my convenience all Christmas season.
* Local Favorites- In New Orleans we eat certain traditional foods, locally made, when we want a pick-up or just feel listless. There is Hubig Pies, Barq's root beer, Roman candy (a local taffy), Lucky Dogs (Our version of the hot dog, but a better quality of meat made locally), Coffee with chicory, snowballs (a finely ground and strong flavored, vastly superior version of what other places call "snow cones", "debris" (A roast beef that sticks to the bottom of the pan and turns black that is turned into a sandwich on French "dressed" with everything including deep dark brown gravy)....well those are a few few I like.
* Fried Chicken and Potato Salad- Crispy fried chicken with a sweet and slightly spicy cold potato salad brings visions of one's mom slaving way in the grease and flour as she batters the chicken and tosses it in the pan to sizzle and emit heavenly odors.
* Chocolate milk- Sometimes when I see my favorite brand of chocolate milk I can't resist buying it, even though I rarely drink milk. I am a child again when I drink chocolate milk for breakfast.
* Chocolate Easter Bunnies- there can be no Easter if I don't eat a few of these and the local "Heavenly Hash" and Goldbrick" candy bars.
* Jelly beans- Ex President Reagan said these were his favorite food. I like them at Easter time. * Salted peanuts in the shell- Got to have them at the circus, sporting event or at Mardi Gras parades * Sweethearts- these are candy wafers with love messages that everyone here eats during Valentine season.
* Corn bread- a favorite southern bread. I put lots of corn in the batter when I make it. Corn bread makes me feel nostalgic for "the good old days".
Ok..that's a few of my comfort foods. How about yours?
Comfort foods are nice, but how about the "comfort devices" like the Grovitizer (see picture below). Haha I got the grovitizer spam ad the other day and give it an A+ for clever marketing. Those grovitizer people sure have high expectations for their product. This one tops the penis enlargers, breast enhancement pumps and those sprays that are supposed to attract ladies (sigh...I would need a whole bottle to get any attention).
Uh....no....I won't order a groivitizer.. but I probably would have to order one of those rubber dolls from that company if I did...