Having experienced the taste of cafeteria meat loaf in college, Jesse began to think of what made meat loaf that his mother prepared so much better. The taste certainly had something to do with it. So did the gravy. So did the mashed potatoes. As much as he liked his new friends in college, the memories of gathering around a dinner table were what made meat loaf at the top of his list for comfort foods.

The cafeteria version of the meat loaf was... well, Jesse could not describe it. His father, who served in the army, once told him of how meat loaf in the military could be really good, especially if you have been surviving on instant food for weeks. No matter, college was not the army. Jesse first identified the excessive use of fillers. Was it bread crumbs? It was not possible to really tell. It could have been leftover bread from the day before for all he knew.

Then there was the lack of recognizable meat taste. It looked liked meat. But what was it? Jesse began to understand why his upperclassmen friends referred to the cafeteria meat loaf as the mystery meat entree. Someone thought of the secret ingredient as leftover Spam. Could the source of meat have been leftover hamburgers from the day before? To this day, ten years after graduation, Jesse still does not know. But he does remember his first cafeteria meat loaf experience and jokingly calls it the college comfort food.

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.