Instead of a X’mas Wishlist, I have a list of my favorite comfort food finds and creations.
In spirit of the holiday and my going home in…7 days (!!!!) here are some (mostly) edible things that are comforting. 🙂 Speaking of which…is it “bad” to turn to food for comfort?
1. Improvisational Fried Rice
Why it’s comforting? Tastes like home! You can’t have real Chinese fried rice without a few things though… they include eggs, peas, and white rice! These were our additional add-ins to spice things up a little:
- Imitation Crab Meat
- Scallions
- Onions
- Maple-glazed ham chunks
- Sesame oil
- Dark soy sauce (Did you know that “light soy sauce” is more concentrated and actually MORE salty than dark soy sauce? :))
Nick makes a mean fried rice, but not with brown rice, that’s for sure. With white rice, you’re able to achieve a rice “cracker” like texture when the rice granules char slightly on the heated wok. If you order this at a restaurant, your chef will most likely use leftover rice from the night before because it’ll hold up better to the stir-fry process and not get soggy.
2. Elegant Ramekins
HELP! I have an obsession with cute and pretty bowls/ramekins! I bought a set of 3 at Marshall’s for $3.99. Good deal huh?
Almond Apple Pie Spiced Steel Cut Oats
Use this as a base and top it with lots of yummy things!
- 1/3 cup steel cut oats
- 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup almond milk
- 1 Tbs Fine ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp apple pie spice (I ordered from MySpiceSage.com*)
- 3 drops liquid Stevia (I used NuNaturals)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract (Ordered from MySpiceSage.com*)
Simply throw everything into a slow cooker, stirring occasionally until oats are thickened and have absorbed most/all of the liquid.
*MySpiceSage sells seasonings and spices in BULK! The price will often come out cheaper than if you bought it from your local grocery store. They also have an insane collection of spices!
3. Cereal + Banana + Peanut Butter Dribbles
Kid food for grown-ups!
Multi-Grain puffins are my newest cereal find. Too bad TJ’s doesn’t have it. I had to pick it up from (the always over-priced) Whole Foods. Yummiest served with super ripe bananas and some Krema peanut butter. (Does the bowl look familiar?)
Tastiness: 8.5/10. They are in between the size of a regular puffin and the peanut butter puffin, so it’s pretty much a smaller PB puffin without the PB flavor. Get this cereal and drizzle it with REAL peanut butter – it’ll knock your socks off. The multi-grain puffins are excellent at soaking in a little bit of its surrounding milk, yet still retains is crunchy flaky texture. Delicious!! Beware of addiction.
4. My $10 Gingerbread House!
To be fair, Nick bought the kit for us when I got sick over the weekend for our entertainment. We spent 3 hours assembling the house and decorating it. I will never underestimate cake decorators and their frosting abilities!
*warning* Store bought ginger bread kit houses are NOT meant to be eaten. Blechh…
Now it’s just going to sit on the counter until creepy crawlies start move in.
Hmmm I wonder where the gingerbread boy’s foot went? Nom nom…He looks like a ghost doesn’t he?
5. Spicy Noodles (spoken like a true Asian yes?)
Though I wouldn’t consider instant noodles a “health food” per se, the Annie Chun instant noodles have no chemicals and no MSG at all. After a tough day at work, it’s nice to have a piping hot bowl of fresh chewy noodles to eat for dinner.
The product: Gochujang is a popular Korean red chili paste that is the main component of the sauce. Annie Chun’s combined fresh-cooked (Chinese) hokkien noodles with the sweet and spicy Gochujang to create a bowl of broth-less “tossed” noodles ready to be consumed in literally 2 minutes.
Tastiness: 8/10. The sauce itself is a wonderful well-balanced blend of sweet, savory, and a tad of spiciness thanks to the gochujang. You smell the aromatic sesame oil from the moment you open the package and just makes the sauce sing. The noodles themselves are incredibly chewy and fresh-tasting, but like all instant noodles, the vegetable toppings are pretty much tiny and non-existent.
NOTE! The bowl packs an astounding amount of sodium (1660mg per bowl) and contains 1 major food group: carbs.
Served with Chinese braised eggs and furikake *drool*
My Recommendation: Split the noodles into 2 servings and top each with a hefty plate of veggies and protein to round out the meal. Flavor-wise, this is excellent, but nutritionally, it’s not exactly awesome.
6. Getting inspired by food blogs!
I suppose it’s not a coincidence that pretty much everything is in the form of carbs huh? What Comforts You??
Love the gingerbread men! 🙂
Peanut butter and maple syrup are my comforts.
Your house is awesome; any that I’ve made in the past have turned out as giangt piles of mush
The gingerbread house is adorable!! That fried rice looks amazing too! Hmm ice cream comforts me!
That is the cutest gingerbread house I’ve ever seen. Love the gingerbread peeps standing outside! I found apple pie spice in our pantry…I took a whiff of it immediately!! Mmmmmm
Mmm that rice looks delicious!
Well let’s face it, carbs are a comfort!! I love your gingerbread house, so much. It’s so pretty and I don’t even want to eat it, I want to stare at it all day!
I didn’t know the PB Puffins had a whole grain product, this is fantastic. I’ve GOT to try these! I like the normal Puffins, but I’d rather have more fiber, for sure.
Store bought g’bread houses are NAST. I remember trying to eat them from my childhood. Not good!
The sodium in most prepared foods astounds me. Thx for noting it.
The spices you ordered for the apple spice oats…very cool linkage. HAve never heard of that site, cool info!
Comforts me? Choc and coffee no doubt. And my daughter and hubs 🙂
carbs definitely comforts me, specially those coming from kabocha and corns! 😀
lovely ginger bread house, it’s fun to assemble your own, right?
excited going home? I bet you are, there’s nothing like being at home with the family, hope you have a fantastic stay there! 🙂
Carbs rock my face off. Atkins would never be a friend of mine…from freshly baked baguette with nutella to spinach and ricotta, can you go wrong with carbs? I think not 😛
Have an amazing time at home! 😀
Aww that house is darling!!
what would life be without carbs?! 🙂
I love your gingerbread house!
I was going to buy the puffins the other day at Whole Foods – I will need to buy them next time.
Sadly I think chocolate chip cookies are my comfort food.
Coconut comforts me.
That shrimp rice dish look out of the world!!!!
I love all the carb loaded dished you have here. My fave comfort food is mac and cheese. I could eat it all day. Especially on snow days like I did when I was a kid and off school.
Oh my gosh your gingerbread house is beyond adorable!! and I love the little people standing in front of it!! Have a great Christmas!! ❤
All great comfort carbs, except maybe the icky taste of the gingerbread.
How does one braise eggs?
haha, this is deja vu! I’ll be posting all about my gingerbread houses soon 🙂 yours is so cute!
I love that gingerbread house! My dad’s wife makes them from scratch, she is betty freaking crocker haha.
I am soooooo craving fried rice now
I need to buy some ramekins! They make everything look so elegant and dainty 🙂
Mmm, I’ve got to have peas in my fried rice too. Delicious pops of sweetness! I did not know that about soy sauce, thanks for sharing!
Comfort to me is all about carbs as well. Fried rice, pb&j, any type of noodles, and rice cakes!
Loved your comment on my blog. We need to meet one day, and I bet our Nick’s would get along just fine 🙂
All of those look delicious, great ideas for comfort foods. I especially love the Gingerbread House. That is def on my list of things to do this week!
Oh my GOSH you know I’m drooling over that fried rice!! Imitation crab?! Yum!! DId not know that about light soy sauce–interesting!
Glad you’re back!
Hello? Carbs is fabulous. Carbs is loving. Carbs hugs you! Sometimes literally, but hey, we only have one life, and I’d rather it be a happy and carby life! 😉
Oh, and WHITE rice? Scandalous! >.,< hahahahaha!
YAY gochujang! I see you like that Korean BBQ paste, too!
those steel cut oats sound WONDERFUL
i actually have a tin of steel cut oats and was wondering what to do with them!
ahhhh i want that gingerbread house!!
Your fried rice looks really good! And your gingerbread house is so pretty. I haven’t made one of those in years. Although, it is true…the homemade graham cracker/candy ones do taste a lot better than the store bought kind, even though they make look less professional. 🙂
Good music, running, and being with good friends and family = my form of comfort.
seems like we have a pretty similar stomach!!!! most comfort food you list here are my comfort food too ;-p especially the fried rice and braised egg….oh..I miss it. I would put some Chinese sausage in the fried rice too ( hehe, just love that naughty greasy flavor).
I didn’t know that gingerbread house couldn’t be eaten…..I love ginger-ed stuff…and that’ the point I would buy that ginger bread house, haha
oooh comfort mania 🙂 that gingerbread house is adorable! great eats girly!
This is an AMAZING post! I love that gingerbread house. You are very talented 😉
❤ jess
xoxo
love those eggs!!! hope my mom makes some this week…
mmm fried rice! Comfort foods for me are soups or chilis, coffee <3, hot chocolate, and roasted veggies. Deliciousness 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment. Very exciting that you're going home soon!!
Excellent comfort foods! I would love the spicy noodles! And the gingerbread house is adorable!
Your gingerbread house is adorable! They always do look yummy but I refrain myself. 😉
LOVE that gingerbread house!! Absolutely adorable :O).
– Beth @ http://www.DiningAndDishing.com
furikake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY FAV. yum yum yum
guess what, Michelle!? I dont own a single ramekin!!! eeeeeeeeeeeek! they are cute to boot though!!!
beautiful oats, and the gingerbread is pretty darn good!!! They are definitely not as easy as they look!!!
have a wonderful Tuesday!!!!!!!!! 😀
Hi there! I’m so glad you introduced yourself to me on my blog. I love your blog! You are the cutest! Why haven’t we met before? My comfort food is carbs!!! I love them to pieces even though I don’t think they love me the same. Ugh, they used to love me but now that I’m no longer a youngin’, they have turned on me. Oh well! Your fried rice is making me drool…my grandmother used to make me fried rice for lunch all of the time. Did you ever get peas or shrimp sauce or fried egg in yours? So glad we ‘met’!
OMG! The eggs! My grandmother had those in jars in my garage (I think those are the same?) I haven’t had one in years! Did you ever eat them in a steamed egg dish with salty pork? If you say yes, raise your hand up because I’m slapping you a high five!!!