An occasional craving for comfort food is one that most of us share when stresses or anxieties abound, an impulse to revisit times or places of simplicity and security, no matter how real or perceived our memories. It's a pleasure of mine to indulge my loved ones with kitchen comfort at those times, not to mention that fussing with pots, pans and food can be a welcome relief to myself when others around me are feeling strains. Into these dishes I can pour the love and care that aren't always easy to express in words.
One of my husband's favorite comfort foods — and one shared by many others — is a big helping of macaroni and cheese. In his case, he remembers the Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese that his father baked with a can of crushed tomatoes. Of course, now that he's eating out of my kitchen he gets my own brand of comfort food, meaning fresh quality ingredients assembled by hand and with a little spicy touch of my own tossed in. I'm happy to say that a big helping of warm and creamy homemade jalapeño and tomato mac'n'cheese did just the comfort trick for him while giving him a taste of something new at the same time. After all, moving forward is important even when we want to indulge our nostalgic feelings.
