When you hear the phrase "comfort food" what comes to mind? Is it a steaming bowl of tomato soup? A hearty lasagna with gooey cheese? Or do you go straight for the basic mashed potatoes and gravy? Winter weather makes us want to warm our stomach and souls and these recipes are so good they'll make you look forward to the snowy months ahead.
My younger two will immediately shy away from any sauce with visible vegetables in it so I started off by grating all of the vegetables and cooking them down before starting on my meat sauce. This way I could be sure it would be healthy but by cooking down the vegetables in grated form they conceal themselves in the sauce and get gobbled up by my kids who are oblivious that they are even there. Daddy 1 - kids 0.
This homemade version means you know exactly what is going into it. Fresh vegetables, chicken, and soup. Your kids will absolutely love it and I you'll be asking yourself how you ever bought the store-bought variety to begin with. Magnifique!
One of my hubby’s all time favourite treats is fried chicken. I’ve been experimenting with a simple recipe to give him a tasty piece of moist and crunchy chicken that’s not deep fried for some time. Here’s the result, a quick and delicious alternative to traditional fried chicken that’s finger lickin’ good.
In ten minutes you can have your entire prep done, toss the stuff into the slow cooker and come home a few hours later to one of the best French Onion Soups my husband has ever had (or so he tells me).
I love soup on cold winter nights. I especially love soup that cooks itself while I'm at work. Combine these two things and you have Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup.
This is my version of my beloved grandma's homemade soup. I prefer my soups to be thick and smooth, like bisques, and so I use crushed tomatoes to get that texture. My version uses cashew cream, but if nuts are not an option for you, I have included nut-free variations. This tomato soup is incredibly simple to throw together, and a single taste of it transports me back to my grandma's kitchen, the most warming and comforting place in the world.
This recipe comes from a friend of mine who lived in Italy for seven years. It's a fan-favourite around our house!
Lasagna is a staple recipe in any kitchen. Whether you're looking for a crowd pleasing family-friendly meal everyone will enjoy, an addition to your freezer meal repertoire or something to take to a friend when they need it the most, lasagna is almost always the answer.
I always used to think that you had to peel mashed potatoes, but the reality is, you don't. These ones leave the peels on-which is great if you are in a hurry. A few cloves of garlic in the pot mash up nicely and add some great flavor, too!
The key to a great grilled cheese sandwich is keeping the ingredients simple. Start with a good bread, decide on a mild or strong cheese, then choose toppings whose flavours and textures complement each other, like the salty crispiness of bacon with the subtle and smooth taste of avocado.
Roast chicken with gravy should be an easy go-to recipe on every home cook's repetoire. It's easy to make, cost effective and feeds a crowd! Roast chicken goes with just about any side dish you decide to make and can be dressed up for a nice dinner or dressed down for simple weeknight dinners. Leftovers are great in wraps or chopped up for chicken salad the next day.
I wanted to come up with something that was still basic enough the kids would eat it but interesting enough to put on the dinner table for guests. Clearly adding bacon and cheese to create this Bacon Cheddar Meatloaf recipe was the way to go!
A few years ago, Swiss Chalet featured a Chicken Shepherd's Pie on their menu. It was my go-to for the short time that it was available for order. After it's dismissal, I had to take to developing my own variation of this delicious Shepherd's Pie. A dish that you can prepare and tuck away in your freezer for a later date or prepare and enjoy in the same evening. Trust me - when I say that this is one dish you won't want to wait to bake!
I must admit this is likely one of the only pork recipes I will ever make, because it was so delicious I can't imagine not having it again. Slow cookers are great for when you want to keep the oven free, and if you make this for a barbecue it's a great way to fix something that you can forget about while you prep everything else-and it won't heat up the kitchen!
We have rounded up 18 of our favourite pizza recipes for you, including twists, rolls, muffins and even some dessert pizzas. There's even a grilled pizza recipe in there.
Although I love the convenience of eating out (a lot!), sometimes it's more satisfying to cook a restaurant-inspired meal at home . . . especially because you have control over the ingredients used. This Wendy's Copycat Chili recipe has been in my family for over 10 years, and while it is delicious, it is also labour-intensive (you have to stir it every 15 minutes for 2-3 hours!).
Looking for an excuse to dig in? These scrumptious Italian Sloppy Joes might be a mess-of-a-meal (three napkins required), but they're also chock full of richly flavored beef that's sandwiched between crisp garlic buns and topped with cheese (three kinds!) and basil. Yes, this Italian twist on the American classic is guaranteed to serve up (sloppy) smiles!
The days are warming up, but on those still cool spring nights, a pot of stew with fluffy dumplings can be a wonderful dinner. This one uses a whole chicken, but if you would rather not deal with that you can substitute about 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
Shepherd's pie is one of my favourite comfort foods, and like the best comfort foods, there is no such thing as 30 minutes or less. No, a good shepherd's pie is a big-on-flavour labour of love, best savored on slow days with friends and family.
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