Comfort Foods
by
AndiatBettyCrocker
1/3/2011 7:48:00 AM
The holidays are over now and we are all getting back to our routines. It’s still winter in Minnesota and really cold outside. The days are too short and the nights way too long. If this is sounding a bit dismal to you as it does to me, maybe you need a little Comfort—Food, that is.
Cooking can be comforting to those of us who really like to cook, and eating comfort food* is even better. Over the holidays I made Rustic Italian Chicken—a dish with all the ingredients for a "comfort meal" for me: tomatoes, chicken, pasta and cheese. Because this recipe serves six, Jack and I had a couple of meals from the leftovers and they tasted better every time we heated them.
Rustic Italian Chicken
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lb)
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 oz)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta (about 12 oz)
Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired
Chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, if desired
1. Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with remaining ingredients except pasta, cheese and parsley.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours. About 30 minutes before chicken is done, cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
3. Serve chicken with pasta. Garnish with cheese and parsley.
6 servings
*There is no perfect definition to describe "comfort food." It has to do with where you were born and where you are living now, your age and even your gender. If I were to narrow a list down to main-dish foods that North Americans find comforting to eat, the list would include: some soups and stews (Tomato Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chili, Beef Stew, Chicken and Dumplings), pasta dishes (Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Mac and Cheese) and of course, Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, Chicken Pot Pie, Pot Roast, Swiss Steak and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
If I’ve missed a comfort-food favorite of yours, please let me know in the comment box below.
Tags:
Beef Stew, chicken, Chicken Noodle Soup, meatloaf, Swiss Steak, comfort food, chili, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chicken Pot Pie, Cheese Sandwiches., Pot Roast, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Tomato Soup, Rustic Italian Chicken, Chicken and Dumplings, slow -cooker meals, Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese
Send To A Friend
Share the fun with up to 20 of your friends! (Remember to separate multiple emails with commas.)
You’re a real person, right? Do us a favor and enter the words below. Thanks!