Remember when comfort food used to mean something? When recipes were passed down through generations, handwritten and placed on index cards? When the kitchen was filled with the sizzling, smells of food being cooked and memories being made? Today’s methods make food preparation faster and easier, but there’s still something to be said about taking the time to really make a meal the way Grandma used to do it — with love, patience, and insanely good ingredients.
Table of Contents
1. Mac and Cheese from Scratch
Forget the powdered boxed mac and cheese – real mac and cheese is made with a rich, creamy, and buttery roux made from REAL aged cheddar, FRESH real butter, and milk. And for the love of God, do NOT use pre-shredded cheese. The reason most people don’t like how the macaroni and cheese comes out is because they fail to fold in the cheese while it is still hot enough to melt the cheese into liquid gold. That pre-shredded cheese has anti-clumping agents that will cause it to never melt. And to make it even worse, the macaroni is likely to be dry and overcooked. The buttered breadcrumbs will be overbaked and will not be the top that we always fought over at the dinner table.
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2. Sunday Pot Roast
A good pot roast, will only need 3 things. A heavy Dutch oven, patience and some decent ingredients. The magic will happen on its own when you let the meat get really brown and then let it simmer down with some well-done carrots, well-done onions, well-done potatoes and some beef broth. Don’t even think about heaven in a jar because those drippings make the most magnificent gravy – nothing like the stuff that comes from a packet.
3. Real Mashed Potatoes
Those instant potato flakes don’t even hold a candle to potatoes mashed by hand with warm milk and real butter. The key is using Russet potatoes, boiling them with their skins on, and passing them through a ricer while they’re still hot along with the warm milk and the salt. Don’t forget that Grandma never skimped on the seasoning.
4. Homemade Apple Pie
When creating an American Classic like an Apple Pie, the process starts with a unique handmade pastry crust which uses ice-cold butter, along with just the right amount of water which is brought together; as well as hand-picked, ______________________________ (your choice) carefully chosen and freshly baked and fuelling the top of the pie, while you DRAW ______________________________ (your choice) decorative knife slits, which will express creativity, as mom used to do.
5. Chicken and Dumplings
Those dumplings are to be made completely from scratch; if you want to make a chicken broth, chicken and vegetable soup, then you can put them in the water, then you can make a chicken broth soup with lots of vegetables and chicken, and you can put them in the water, you can put them in the water under a lid, and you can put them in the water under a lid, and you can put them in the water, until they reach the perfect level.
6. Real Cornbread
The only true cornbread comes from a hot cast iron or a true cast iron skillet, which will have a little melted butter in the bottom of it. The batter will also have a little flour in it, as well as a little bit of baking soda and a little bit of baking powder. That bottom crust is what makes it a true cast iron skillet.
7. Beef Stew
The right and only beef stew takes time. Take the beef and cut it in a little flour, then put it in a pan and let it get really dark, and then put it in the other ones in batches so that not one of them is too soft. This doesn’t mean that the beef is not tender enough to be able to cut it and that the gravy is not thick enough to be rich, not to be brown, and not to be thick naturally, to be done, to be and to be.
8. Classic Meatloaf
The greatest meatloaf is not made from a mix. Rather, it is made from a combination of ingredients, such as ground beef, fresh breadcrumbs that are soaked in milk, sautéed onions, and a proper amount of seasonings. For a glaze, use homemade sauce that has real pieces of tomato, with a little bit of brown sugar and a touch of vinegar. Shape your mixture with your hands and put it in a loaf pan to bake it until the top is just right and caramelized.
9. Homemade Chicken Soup
Nothing is better than soup made from an actual chicken. The chicken is cooked slowly so that there is a nice golden broth. In addition to the soup, there are hand cut carrots, celery, and onions. The soup is made with egg noodles, that are cooked right in the soup until they are soft, but have a little bite to them. This is real comfort food, all in one bowl.
10. Banana Pudding
It is no surprise that the best banana pudding starts with homemade vanilla pudding and not some boxed mix. It is layered with vanilla wafers and freshly sliced bananas, then topped with freshly whisked cream (not that stuff that comes from a can). The real secret to perfect banana pudding is letting it sit overnight so the cookies soften and the flavors come together.
11. Buttermilk Fried Chicken
The secret to perfect fried chicken is not based on any fast food recipes. It really comes down to an overnight soak in buttermilk, paired with a seasoned flour dredge. Using a cast-iron skillet with just the right amount of oil and at the perfect temperature will create the golden brown crust we remember from Sunday dinners. The chicken should be juicy enough to run down your chin when you take a bite.
12. Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding
Making real rice pudding is a time-consuming process. Real rice pudding is made by using only the best ingredients including a vanilla bean, whole milk, and short-grain rice. The process also requires patience as you must stir the ingredients to create a creamy and thick consistency. As for sweeteners, you cannot add too much sugar because it will overpower the delicate flavor of the dish. Grandma served her pudding with a sprinkle of sand and a dot of butter, and that is the only way to have it.
