comfort-food

Apple Crisp

Fruit baked between two layers of an oat-brown sugar crumble, with a cooked cinnamon syrup poured over the middle.

Butterscotch Pudding

Brown sugar and cornstarch pudding thickened with half and half and egg yolks, then chilled four to five hours.

“Deb notes that using just 1-2 tablespoons of butter, rather than the full 1/4 cup, gives a better texture.”

Cheese Soup

Potatoes, carrots, celery and onion cooked and mashed into chicken broth, thickened with flour and milk, finished with American cheese.

Cheesy Potato Soup (makes 1 gallon)

Potatoes, carrots and onion folded into a cream of mushroom and cream cheese base with crumbled bacon; makes a gallon.

“Call if you have questions.”

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Sliced potatoes and onions layered between a from-scratch cheddar sauce and baked about an hour until tender.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Rotini boiled right in chicken broth, then stirred with chicken strips, ham, mustard and cream and topped with toasted panko.

Chicken Pot Pie

Shredded chicken, browned mushrooms and vegetables in a milk-and-broth sauce, baked under a parmesan crumble instead of a crust.

“I cook a whole chicken and double the recipe and freeze in serving sizes. I roast the chicken in an air fryer because it has more flavor. I do the butter-rubbing step in a food processor. I put this in serving-size dishes to freeze at this point, and I freeze the biscuit topping in a bag separately.”

Chili

Ground beef browned with brown sugar, then slow-cooked four to eight hours with chili beans, tomato juice and tomato soup.

Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli and shredded carrot simmered in a roux base of milk, cream and stock, partly blended, then thickened with two cups of cheddar.

Cornstarch Pudding

Milk thickened on the stove with cornstarch and sugar, boiled one minute and finished with vanilla, no eggs involved.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice blend, cubed baked chicken and four dried herbs in broth, thickened with a butter-flour roux, milk and cream.

“I used the same pan I cooked the rice in to make the butter-and-flour roux.”

Creamy Chocolate Pudding

Stovetop pudding built on egg yolks, cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, strained and chilled four hours under parchment.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Diced tomatoes and canned tomato soup simmered with basil and paprika, enriched with melted cream cheese, tortellini cooked in at the end.

Family Goulash

Browned beef and onion simmered with canned tomatoes, catsup and mushrooms until the uncooked noodles absorb the liquid.

Four Onion Soup

Yellow onion, red onion, leek and green onions sauteed in butter and simmered in canned beef broth and consomme, finished with Swiss and Parmesan toast.

French Onion Chicken

Vidalia onions caramelized with balsamic, chicken seared in the same skillet, then baked in beef gravy under grated Swiss.

French Onion Soup

Sliced onions cooked slowly in butter, simmered in canned beef broth with Worcestershire, and ladled over toasted French bread with Parmesan.

French Onion Soup - Best!

Onions cooked for hours in a covered pot, then deglazed with water again and again to build a dark crust before the broths go in.

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

A quick stock built from ground chicken and bone-in breasts, strained, thickened with cornstarch, then finished with noodles and shredded meat.

Mushroom Steak

Chopped steak browned on the stove, then baked low and slow under golden mushroom soup and onions for an hour and a half.

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

Browned chicken thighs and a foil-wrapped breast cook for hours in the slow cooker; noodles and peas are stirred in at the end.

Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake

Batter goes over the rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch over that, then boiling water on top so a pudding forms beneath the cake.

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup - Copycat

Restaurant-style vegetable soup built on three kinds of beans, canned tomatoes and shell pasta, with spinach stirred in at the end.

“1/8 of the pot (one serving) comes to about 360 calories and 6.2 grams of fat.”

Perfect Baked Custard

Six eggs and four cups of scalded milk baked slowly in a water bath until a knife comes out clean.

“Deb's note: you can use 1 cup Splenda instead of the sugar.”

Potato Soup

Red potatoes and two skillets of crisp bacon in a shaken milk-and-flour gravy, melted smooth with American cheese.

“I don't really have a recipe, I just dump. I'll try to describe what I did... hope this works for you.”

Rice Pudding

Long grain rice simmered slowly in six cups of milk for nearly an hour, until it thickens to the consistency of yogurt.

“Deb's note: you can use some Splenda in place of some of the sugar.”

Rich Minestrone Soup

White beans cooked with Italian sausage and pureed to thicken a big pot of vegetable soup finished with cabbage and Parmesan.

Simple Pot Roast

Chuck roast browned, then braised in beef broth and red wine at 300 degrees for close to four hours, with the liquid reduced into a sauce.

Skillet Apple Crisp

Apples cooked on the stovetop with reduced cider in a skillet, topped with an oat-pecan crumble and finished in a hot oven.

Spicy Porcupine Meatballs

Ground pork meatballs with raw rice mixed in, baked slowly in a smoky chili-spiked tomato sauce until the grains poke out.

Swiss Steak

Chopped steak browned, then baked slow at 300 degrees with two cans of tomato soup and onion.

Taco Beef Soup

Ground beef simmered with stewed tomatoes, kidney beans and taco seasoning, then topped at the table with avocado, cheddar, corn chips and sour cream.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Canned tomato soup stretched with half-and-half, stock and sun-dried tomatoes, then simmered with cheese tortellini.

White Chili

Shredded chicken simmered with white beans, green chilies, cumin and cayenne, then finished with Monterey jack and sour cream.

Whole 30 Zuppa Toscana

Bacon, potatoes, onion and garlic in chicken stock, with coconut milk standing in for the usual cream.