The other day as I was having a conversation with someone I had just met, and as all first conversations go, we were sharing pleasantries and asking questions of one another. And then the inevitable Colorado question was asked: Are you a native?
These days it seems not many people in Colorado are natives, and alas, I am not one of them. But I also wasn’t one of the people that spent their whole life in one place and then wanted to venture out and see the world. Due to the nature of my father’s job, I spent my childhood moving from place to place, from Indiana to South Carolina to Tennessee to Ohio. A few years here and a few years there made for some challenging transitions and constant change.
But in spite of all the moving we did, I could count on one constant, no matter what state we ended up in: our old antique kitchen table would always come with us and every night, my mom would cook up and place on that table the delicious, comforting recipes that defined my childhood. And even if it was our first night in a new house, the appearance of those familiar foods helped us feel like we were home.
* * *
It’s no surprise that food is one of the most common things that evokes nostalgia. And my daughter, Zoey, who is learning all about the 5 senses, did a remarkable job explaining why the other day; at dinner, she pinched her nose and excitedly exclaimed, “If you plug your nose, you can’t taste anything! We taste because we can smell!”
We are mostly nostalgic about food because of the scent of food and how our olfactory sense goes into overdrive when we eat. Think about how the scent of a food you loved as a child can instantly transport you back in time.
But when it comes to comfort food, there’s even more at play. A 2015 study shows that the power of comfort food may lie primarily in the associations it calls to mind. Another one back in 2011 delved into this concept even further by studying people’s associations with chicken soup, a food often associated with the feeling of being taken care of. Those individuals who found the chicken soup most satisfying tended to have stronger emotional relationships.
According to Shira Gabriel, an associate professor of psychology at the State University of New York, Buffalo, “If you’re a small child and you get fed certain foods by your primary caregivers, then those foods begin to be associated with the feeling of being taken care of. And then when you get older, the food itself is enough to trigger that sense of belonging.”
As for me and my own childhood nostalgia, the food that I associate with belonging, with my roots firmly planted in the South and the Midwest, is rich and cheese-laced or sweet and decadent:
- My grandmother’s Christmas cookies, for which I would wait for the postman to deliver every holiday season, and her delicious zucchini bread, baked in old coffee tins and spread thick with butter;
- Krispy Kreme donuts, which my dad would treat my brother and I to on Sundays. I remember standing against the glass wall and watching the sweet confections run through the conveyor belt as they were drizzled with their iced, sugary glaze, waiting patiently as a dozen warm ones were placed in that green and red cardboard box, and then finally sinking our teeth into two or three or four of them, the air-filled dough melting in our tiny, happy mouths;
- The home-cooked family meals of spaghetti and meatloaf and hamburgers and pot roasts and casseroles so delicious and filling that the thought of eating the vegetables that were also on the table (unless it came in the form of a potato) was almost too much to bear.
Of all the food that I consumed as a child, my hands-down favorite was my mom’s chicken casserole. Consisting of only five ingredients, the recipe was simple, but when they all came together in that Pyrex baking dish, hot and steaming out of the oven, the combination was a forkful of heaven.
Although as an adult I don’t make this meal often, my mom always makes this when she visits, and with one bite, I’m transported back to childhood dinners, where we’d sit around the table with this dish in front of us. The anticipation of the creamy, cheesy goodness would make my mouth water and although I desperately wanted to be the one to get the first bite, I would wait patiently as we’d take each others hands, bow our heads, and say a blessing for the food in front of us and the family around us.
What I love about this recipe, too, is that it has become one of my daughter’s favorites as well. I hope that this nostalgic dish is one that she also passes down to her children, and more importantly, one that she passes down with the memories she has associated with it: Sitting around a table filled with food and warmth and the people she loves, sharing stories, laughter, and warmth. Her memories will most likely be similar to the ones I associate with this recipe, and I love that we will have a shared nostalgia for this simple, delicious meal.
Mom’s Best Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked elbow or shell macaroni
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup milk
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir all the ingredients together and pour into greased casserole dish.
- Cover and bake for 1 hour.
(Makes 4-6 servings.)
* * *
February’s Everyday Nostalgia has been all about warmth, and what better way to create warmth in your life than remembering the “comfort” foods that nourished your youth and make them a part of your life today? Take out those recipe books and cards (the ones your parents passed down) and whip up some of grandma’s pancakes or cupcakes or pies, or your dad’s fall-off-the bone rib recipe, or that steak recipe you couldn’t get enough of, or meatloaf, or turkey dinner, or mac and cheese, or whatever happy recipe you associate with your childhood. Or, if you don’t like to bake or cook, find some of the foods that made you happy as a kid at a restaurant.
However you plan on enjoying your favorite comfort dishes, grab your friends and family to share in some togetherness, laughter, love, and nostalgia while you eat lots of that good, good food. And whatever it is you choose to make or find and eat, your and your loved ones’ hearts—and stomachs—are sure to be happy. Because the food we eat not only comforts our minds and bodies, it comforts our souls, too.
* * *
Talk to us! What are some of the foods and recipes that comfort you? What foods transport you to your childhood? Are you passing down comfort food recipes to your children? Let us know in the comments!
Week 7 Suggested Reading
I love that the desire to get back to the nostalgic comforting foods of our past seems to be a universal feeling these days. Yesterday as I was checking out at the grocery store I saw a special edition of Bon Apetit magazine called Comfort: The Ultimate Cooking Companion | 95 Essential Recipes. If you search for comfort food on , thousands upon thousands of options come up. Countless websites focus on comforting foods like Kitchen Nostalgia, The Comfort of Cooking, and Simple Comfort Food. And for those desiring to make their comfort foods just a little bit healthier, sites like Emily Bites and The Clever Carrot will help you out. Of course, you can also find hundreds of cookbooks devoted to good ol’ fashioned comfort food, including this little gem:
Nobody knows comfort food like Gooseberry Patch—and with more than 260 fast and flavorful recipes, Everyday Comfort Food is a must-have in every cook’s collection. From Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini to Loaded Baked Potato Soup to Mom’s Favorite Meatloaf, the recipes in this book provide countless heartwarming meals perfect for everyday. I remember the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and planners from back in the day, so I’m personally nostalgic for that cute little goose that happily graces the cover of this cookbook, too.
Happy Cooking!
* This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com. If you purchase a product after clicking an affiliate link (and it doesn’t even need to be the product I’ve linked to), I receive a small percentage of the sale for referring you, at no extra cost to you.*
Just joining me on my journey? Catch up on the Everyday Nostalgia series here.
I love the fact that what I can see of your blog so far is much food and music! Both very close to my heart. Will have a little read back through the week x
Music and food are two of our favorite things! 🙂 Glad you stopped by!
Sounds yummie and is beyond nostalgic – all the more so since I am unable to eat gluten anymore. Sadly, the simple recipes are often the most difficult to adapt.
Still, fond memories of family dinners — and the man-sized appetites of my younger brothers, along with how I usually watched them digging in heartily long after I was about to pop — are still alive and well. It was a delight to revisit them with this well-written post. Thank you for sharing.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
When you say comfort food everyone responds with emotion and memories. They make us feel at home. Delicious recipe with every day ingredients looks yum!
Yes, and feeling at home is such a great feeling!
I was thinking while reading this.. I dont really have any memories tied to a certain food! Kind of crazy, right?
That is really interesting… Maybe it’s time to start making some 🙂
That recipe looks delicious. My comfort food is ‘Mince and Tatties’ (Kind of like a lazy shepherds pie) My dad is from Scotland and that was his favorite- so my mom learned to make it and it was a once a week meal growing up. I make it occasionally for my family- served of course with some Irn Bru (Scottish Soft Drink) We have to keep with our roots and it really does make me feel better. 😉
Gonna have to find a Mince and Tatties recipe! Yes, celebrating the past keeps us grounded in who we are and where we came from!
I adore your blog! Great post, I’m now following. Also can’t wait to try the chicken casserole!
Thank you and thank you for following! I hope you enjoy the casserole!
I am hungry now 😅😅
Ha! Yes food blog posts always make me hungry!
I’m new to your blog and this recipe is going on my weekly menu right now! I read every word of this post and you brought back many memories of my life growing up! I can’t wait to go back and read your previous posts!!
I think because of Thanksgiving coming up, I have actually been thinking about nostalgic food recently. Peach cobbler is a big nostalgia food for me because my grandma always used to make it for us.
Mashed potato, meatloaf or fried chicken means home and comfort.
“[…]with my roots firmly planted in the South and the Midwest, is rich and cheese-laced or sweet and decadent:” Yes!! I can attest to this! We have recently changed our diet due to restrictions and allergies… so I’m trying to find our “new” comfort foods!
I can feel a little left out because I don’t have many foods that I associate with childhood. But if I think harder, I do find a couple of them comforting. Every Sunday after church we would go to the bakery, pick up a freshly baked baguette and then make tuna salad. I connect tuna salad on a baguette with warm family togetherness. That’s special and worth something, right?
Easy and affordable, ain’t nothing wrong with that! My family had a lot of freezer meals and “out of the box” meals like tuna helper! Maybe that’s why I like to cook “real” food today!
To me, there’s nothing more comforting than the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking. It’s hard to beat!
Uhh that first photo makes me drool
oh Yum, there is nothing better that the smell and taste of some comfort food after a busy cold day and here in Ohio, those days have started already. my comfort food is a thick chicken noodle soup and throw on the side some homemade biscuit and this girl is in food heaven already lol.
Oh my word, just reading the word ‘comfort foods’ takes me down memory lane. The first thing that came to mind is mom’s Christmas shortbread cookies, they were so light and fluffy and absolutely heavenly. I am going to have to search in her recipe cupboard and give it a try as she passed away in September so I hope I can do them justice.
This looks delicious and remind me of a similar dish my mom use to make when I was little!
My favourite comfort food is stuffed peppers and mash – strange combo but my nana always used to make the loveliest stuffed peppers. It gave me a sense of home and belonging as I travelled between countries a lot as a kid.