If Mom made it… do I have to choose?

What’s your go-to comfort food?

For me, generally speaking, comfort food is anything my mom makes with a few exceptions. It reminds me of home because my own mom and her mom put a lot of effort into our meals growing up. They also made a lot of simple dishes that can take as little and as much effort as you want.

It’s not only about the taste, but also the nostalgia. Here are my top 5 comfort foods Mom taught me to make.

1. French Toast

I remember the first time my mom made French Toast for me. I was young; probably in kindergarten, and I had asked her what kind of bread she had made me. She told me it was French Toast, and I was hooked.

Originally, she made it with Wonder Bread. Over the years, we’ve made it with cinnamon raisin bread, sourdough, and especially brioche.

2. Toast and Jelly with Scrambled Eggs

If you asked me what I ate the most as a kid, it was definitely toast and jelly and scrambled eggs. Definitely toast and jelly on its own.

When I have the time, I make the entire ensemble from scratch. White Bread reminiscent of Wonder Bread, Sunbeam, and Nature’s Own is pretty easy to bake and super flavorful. Top it with gently cooked scrambled eggs, or good jam.

The jelly or jam I used to eat a lot was Concord grape jam. Recently, I’ve been enjoying homemade Strawberry-Raspberry Jam and Fig Jam.

3. Classic Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers

This is the first meat dish my mom taught me to make. I was around twelve years old when she showed me how to season and shape the patties and sear them so as not to overcook them.

On special occasions, I’ll bake the burger buns and fry my own French Fries. My burgers evolved when I moved out of my parents’ house. They now include Black Bean Burgers and Chicken Burgers.

4. Homemade Pizza

Pizza is part of my life’s blood! It’s another dish mom taught me to make when I was a teenager. Having grown up in New York City, pizza was a major dish that I ate weekly (and still sort of do). We make the dough from scratch and the sauce from scratch. I often top mine with grated mozzarella and Fresh Italian Seasoning.

5. Chicken and Dumplings

Lastly, Chicken and Dumplings. I could eat the leftovers all week long. Mom made this from scratch every so often in the winter. I started making it during the winter as well, now with my own herbs and any leftover poultry.

Honorable Mentions

Did I mention that I couldn’t choose just one type of comfort food? The Seafood Paella is my mom’s masterpiece (I still need practice), but everything else is a weakness for me. The Pear and Cardamom Caramel Upside Down Cake recipe is from the book The Cardamom Tail, by one of my favorite Great British Bakeoff contestants, Chetna Makan.

What’s your go-to comfort food? Let me know in the comments below!