The A-List: Comfort Foods

I am not, nor have I ever been, one of those people who will turn down a meal or --gasp!-- "forget" to eat.  I love food.  I may not be able to cook it without setting fire to my kitchen, but I can, and do,  indulge.  It's certainly a vice that I am paying for, in being a round and "fluffy" person, but it is not a vice that I am willing to completely give up.  I have cut back significantly on fried foods.  My cupcake consumption has gone way down, resulting in some businesses shuttering their doors forever.  But I don't think that I should have to go cold turkey.  If I am food deprived, the whole world begins to look less wonderful.  Moderation is the key for me.  While I am doing a better job of watching portions and eating more fruits and veggies, I still occasionally fall off of the wagon and into the mashed potatoes. 

Here are my current favorite comfort foods:

1.  Chicken-fried Steak.   I never had this until I moved back here to college.  It's not the same at every single restaurant here; some places add too much pepper to the batter or to the gravy.   There is absolutely no way to look at this meal and think low calorie, especially not if there's cream gravy on it.  This meal is proof that fat just tastes better sometimes.   I usually only order this if I am in serious need of something sticking to my ribs for the duration, like if it's really cold outside.

2.  Mac and cheese.  Kraft, of course.  Not the powdery box--the 'Deluxe' version of the gooey, cheesy goodness.  I try not to buy more than a box at a time these days, but we eat this at least once a month.  My mom used to mix it with ham or tuna and it was still awesome.  I've loved this stuff since I was a kid, and even though I've had many other varieties of macaroni and cheese, I keep coming back to Kraft.  I should get some sort of medal for that, right?   Something to put on my heart monitor?

3.  Meatloaf.   I like the meatloaf with the tomato sauce on top.  I can eat an entire pan by myself, cardiac arrest be damned.  I also love meatloaf sandwiches, with a slice of cheddar cheese.  My husband hates meatloaf.  I am not sure why, but I think that it must involve some sort of childhood trauma that he refuses to confront.  I just shake my head and watch him eat the hamburgers--which I make exactly the same way I make my meatloaf.  What he doesn't know won't require years of therapy, I always say. 

4. Brownies  I know that there are people out there who are anti-nut brownie fans, and that fisticuffs have been known to break out at Betty Crocker conventions over approved brownie recipe variations.  I am not partial.  I am an equal opportunity brownie eater.  I prefer them not to be on the dry side, as the milk required tends to dilute the flavor, but chocolate is chocolate. 

5. Cheesy Tater Tots from Sonic  It has been divulged in various places that Matthew MacConaughey owns an ice machine just like the one at the Sonic.   And their ice is pretty awesome; it completely makes the Cherry-Limeades I get in the summer 'good delicious', as my son says.  But it's the Cheesy Tater Tots that keep me returning all year.  It's a simple recipe; tater tots with melted cheese all over them.  You eat them with a fork.  It's heavenly.  I've tried making these at home, any you would think that they would be exactly the same, but it's not. 

Honorable mention must be made for Frito Pie(fritos, chili, cheese!), just because it is kind of chilly today, and Frito Pie is very definitely a cold-weather sort of food.

What are YOUR comfort foods?