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A bowl of piping hot Havarti cheese mashed potatoes is perfect on a cold winter day.
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JuliKellner
Juli Kellner
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Ah, winter. By now, the thrill of the first snow is long gone and winter has become an overstayed party guest. We’ve had a great time and now it would be nice if it would go away … and take the windshield scraping with it.
And what do I crave for dinner after a day dashing in and out of bone-chilling temperatures? A light crisp green salad?
Not on your life. This is the season of creamy soups, stews and casseroles; winter is best the excuse for comfort food.
Turns out that what a “comfort food” might be depends on the comfort needed, says Sherri Rule, a registered dietitian with Marquette General Hospital. “It’s something that makes you feel comfortable, something that’s relaxing and soothing.”
That might mean a food that feels soft in your mouth, like mashed potatoes, or creamy (ice cream), spicy (“chili makes you warm inside”) or crunchy (nuts, potato chips).
“It depends on the emotion at the time,” Sherri says. “If you’re feeling really stressed, chewing crunchy food may be a stress reliever. If you feel isolated, smooth and creamy might be comforting.”
Comfort foods might be old family recipes that evoke a pleasant memory of the past. In fact, I suspect that research on food and mood might find a direct link between the release of the serotonin in the brain from carbohydrate-rich hot dishes - the creamy, comforting one-dish meals made with noodles, rice, potatoes and “cream of something” soup - and “Northern Nice.”
For most people, it’s okay to eat “comfort foods,” even the high calorie and high fat stuff, if you don’t make it your every day meal.
“There’s no reason to eliminate comfort foods,” Sherri says. “On a diet you can’t have this, can’t have that and then it becomes more of an obsession (to get that food). It’s all about moderation.”
So quantity (don’t eat tons) and frequency (don’t eat it all the time) becomes the healthy key to indulging in comfort foods.
I’ve seen comfort food in action. I once worked with a photographer who was always terrifically nice and even tempered. My only clue to when Scott was upset was when he’d order a cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake for lunch - just like his Dad used to buy for him at Bridgeman’s restaurant. In college, a dear girlfriend downed an entire chocolate cheesecake after breaking up with her boyfriend of two years.
When I don’t feel well, I’ll get up and make my own favorite “chicken soup,” with lots of veggies, homemade dumplings and allspice berries floating in a turkey broth.
But for cold, nasty, lingering winter there’s nothing like my Havarti Cheese Mashed Potatoes; they are a warm down comforter for the soul.
Havarti Cheese Mashed Potatoes is the dish that comes home from the potluck mysteriously licked clean. It’s the food taken to the sick friend who can’t get out of bed to cook. It is the siren singing seductively from the fridge after a long hard - and cold - day.
Ultimately, when it comes to comfort food, we just know it when we taste it. The other day I was sampling a cheesy “Top the Tater” potato hot dish. I complimented the cook who said, “It is perfect comfort food, isn’t it?” Yes, it was…
Havarti Cheese Mashed Potatoes (Serves 5-6)
10 red potatoes (larger sized) peeled or leave some well scrubbed peelings on for more rustic appearance.
8 Tbsp. butter (a stick)
4 oz. cream cheese (half a brick)
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
4 oz. grated Havarti cheese
Fresh, grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes in salt water until they are tender when poked with a fork. Drain potatoes, put back in pot, add stick of butter and cream cheese and cover until easily worked into the potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or use an electric hand mixer. Stir in cream and Havarti cheese. Season with a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg, add salt and pepper to taste. Turn into a serving dish. Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven.
If calories scare you, do not read this paragraph … and remember, it’s “occasional” comfort food. Divided six ways, each serving has about 911 calories, 30 g. fat, 138 g. carbohydrates, 85 mg. cholesterol, 362 mg. sodium, 13 g. fiber.
Easy Vegetable Soup with Turkey Broth & Dumplings
1 quart turkey broth, prepared (I prefer turkey - use chicken if you like)
2 carrots, scraped, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, cleaned, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
5 whole allspice berries
Pinch of ground allspice (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss it all into a pot to cook until the carrots are done while you make dumplings. Season to your taste … add dumplings.
Egg Dumplings
2 eggs
3/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. water or milk (add more if necessary to make a firm dough)
Pinch of salt
Mix in small bowl then using two teaspoons (one for scooping, one for scraping), spoon half a teaspoon of dumpling mixture into the broth at a time. Dumplings will drop to the bottom and rise to the top while cooking. Makes many small dumplings (fewer big ones … you get the idea). Cook for 2-6 minutes.
For four people, each soup serving has about 230 calories, 5.6 g. fat, 31.45 g. carbohydrates, 113 mg. cholesterol, 416.5 mg. sodium.