There are many answers to the definition of comfort foods. There are as many variations to the answer as there are individuals who are asked the question. What makes something a comfort food while others are not? Is it related to diet or type of recipe? Is it related to ingredients?

Marie was a waitress at a French restaurant. She was asked what she thought of when I asked her what comfort foods were. After she put down a plate of garlic roasted Italian bread, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, she volunteered that oven-roasted chicken came to mind. That is what her grandmother served every Sunday evening when Susie was a child. Grandmother's Sunday chicken is what Susie thought of as a comfort food.

Familiarity is a word that is used to describe one's comfort level. This also applies to things that one eats. Foods that one recognizes, things that bring memories of family and home, are important characteristics of comfort foods. It is not the ingredients per se. It is the setting in which the food item is served. Family meals often are cited as part of the answer to the question of what are comfort foods.

Yahoo! News Search Results for comfort foods
Yahoo! News Search Results for comfort foods

Taste: Mac ?n? cheese
With fall peeking its cool head around the corner, the season for comfort foods is fast approaching. Forget mashed potatoes and fried chicken -- here it?s all about the quintessential macaroni and cheese.
10 decadent foods with half the guilt
(Photo: Getty Images) It's hardly a secret that cooking fresh foods at home is better for your health, waistline, pocket book, and the planet than choosing packaged foods or eating take-out. Does that mean you can eat anything you want as long as you prepare it yourself? Unfortunately, most of us need to steer clear of high-calorie foods that contain too much fat and salt. But this doesn't mean ...
The gym will totally still be there after you finish that creme brulee.
Japanese BENIHANA VILLAGE Las Vegas Hilton, 732-5111. Japanese tabletop cooking at its finest. The chefs deliver great steaming-hot food, as well as an entertaining show.
Program focuses on healthy cooking for elders
Shane Valentine?s latest book may be ?Baby Cuisine,? but it was easy for him to shift to creating recipes for the elderly. ?It?s the same thought process,? he said.
Local Flavor: Olyvia's Italian Eatery
This week's Local Flavor takes us to a neighborhood eatery in Berks County.
Orphanage Donation
Tim Rose, Tyson Foods, presents a check to W.A. Dillard, trustee for the Texarkana Baptist Orphanage for $4,585. The money was raised from the fifth annual Tyson Golf tournament to benefit the orphanage. The orphanage will use the money for their educational programs.
USO still sparkles in modern day
When the USO is mentioned, it conjures up visions of World War II canteen dances or overseas tours by Bob Hope. People in Shelby County who aren?t directly involved in the military might not realize that lively USO facilities still exist at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh and at the Indianapolis International Airport.
Bring home the bakery
The West Bend 41300 Hi Rise Bread Maker features programmable options allowing for anyone to enjoy the scent of freshly baked bread in their own kitchen. Complete with a bake delay option, the bread maker is capable of greeting users returning home from work with a loaf of freshly baked bread.
Cashing in on comfort
By EMILY BRYSON YORK CHICAGO TRIBUNE Tough times call for some serious comfort food, and macaroni and cheese is a staple of that category. That's added up to a nice payday for manufacturers. As a whole, macaroni and cheese sales are up 25 percent over the last four years, to $802 million. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner accounts for the vast majority of category growth, which likely means more ...
Answer Man: Papaya, pineapple and pregnancy
Should pregnant women avoid eating papaya or pineapple? The Answer Man dispenses some medical advice, to wit: Talk to a doctor, not me.