By Dagmar Alayash

It’s this time of year again, and the Foodie Team at e-Management is asking how did we get here so soon? Many of us are reflecting on the past year, and with evenings drawing closer and cooler now, our thoughts turn to the holidays, family, and of course, an array of endless culinary delights.

Food that comforts us…

Speaking of amazing food, we’re taking a look at dishes that are considered comfort food and ask why they are comfort foods? Wikipedia says comfort foods are traditional staples that bring feelings of nostalgia. These foods usually have a “high carbohydrate level” and are simple to prepare. Think chili, soup, and stew dishes. Why do we love these foods so much? Well, the long slow cooking of these dishes intensifies the melding of ingredients, enhances the flavors, and makes for overall delicious satisfying meals.

Soups for the soul…

Becoming more popular are soups and dishes that include ingredients from the ‘Superfood’ category, resulting in not only nutritious, but also very tasty hearty meals. For example , , and . All of these soups are very flavorful and filling. Yes, it can be a lot of chopping, but they are so easy to create, and once you taste the foods, you’ll know it was worth every minute making them. The spinach soup is described as ‘restorative’ in the recipe, which is perhaps what we are looking for in comfort food, something that will give us a lift, make us feel good, and essentially help to restore our energy reserve, which around the holidays can feel depleted at times!

More comforting…

, a comfort food if there ever was one; and one of the best recipes that always receive rave reviews from the Food Network. Like one of the kings of comfort foods Macaroni cheese? Try this cholesterol-free and unimaginable tasty – described as luxurious, savory, mega satisfying and altogether dreamy. Do these words capture most of what we’re looking for when we seek out comfort foods? Sweets and desserts also count as essential in the comfort food arena. Hot chocolate comes to mind and warm cinnamon rolls with the must-have sweet and creamy icing…. the list of comfort sweets is endless.

Morning comfort…

Hearty breakfasts can also be a truly comforting way to start your day, especially at this time of the year. FoodNetwork.com recently listed ‘50 States 50 Breakfasts’, that includes an found in Boise Idaho, Red Feather Lounge, so popular that they frequently sell out within a couple of hours of opening – perhaps 2016 is the year of a foodie vacation planned around visiting Boise Idaho. 

Your favorite…

All of a sudden we are hungry. Why is that? Now, we invite you to join us with your own thoughts: (1) How do you define the meaning of comfort foods? (2) What are your favorite comfort foods? (3) What comfort foods will make it to your holiday dinners?