 Everyone knows what comfort food is. Some comfort foods are universally agreed upon (mac and cheese, anyone?) and others are comforting on a much more personal level.
Some of my favorite comfort foods are sunny side up eggs with buttered toast, pierogies fried in butter and sprinkled with sugar, and american grilled cheese on wheat bread. These foods aren't necessarily the healthiest, though they remind me of childhood in the best way! If we're gonna talk about comfort sweets, however...my number one is banana bread.  Ever since I was a child, crispy rice squares have been one of my favorite treats. Their crispy yet gooey texture with buttery marshmallow flavor just speaks to me on a hugely comforting level. Whether they were homemade or store bought I could never get enough of them when I was growing up!
Now that I'm older, I won't discriminate against store bought. After all, there are some pretty good ones out there (I'm looking at you, marshmallow dream bars from Starbucks). But homemade crispy rice squares are just so superior. Not to mention, they're a blank canvas to flavor however you like!  Yes, I am a little crazy...I mean, it's like 100 degrees out and super humid so naturally I decided this was a perfect day to bake. I was going to be hot anyway, right? But I'm happy I'm crazy. Because boy did I come up with a treat!
You might recall earlier in January when I posted my recipe for Iced Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies. In that post I mentioned that the basis for any shortbread cookie I make is the same. Think of these as that cookie's tart, summery cousin. Baking on a hot day may be crazy, but enjoying the flavors of lemon and cherry in crisp buttery form makes it well worth it.  Just last week I was talking to my friend Anais on a train ride home after a work event. She came up with a wonderful idea to tell the other an ingredient to make something with and we had one week to do it. I told her to make something with zucchini (can't wait to find out what it is!) and she told me to make a savory dish with mango.
Honestly, I had been feeling like I was at sort of at a standstill with post ideas. But this little exercise was just what I needed to get my creative juices flowing again! And let me tell you...I made a savory mango dish that I will certainly be making again.  My Poppop has always been a culinary inspiration for me. I owe many of my kitchen skills and knowledge to him. A while back when I was still in college and living in my first apartment he gave me this recipe. I made it a handful of times, loving how delicious and easy it was. Then it got tucked into a cookbook and over the years I just forgot it even existed.
Recently, I was going through my collection of cookbooks and came across the recipe. I immediately lit up and knew I had to make it ASAP! I told my Poppop I found it and planned on making it soon. And that's when I found out a little more about how he came to acquire the recipe some time ago. |
AuthorAli is a Brooklyn based blogger and Certified Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, providing you with recipes to inspire you to cook more at home! She is a firm believer in knowing that eating healthy can be made easy and inexpensive if you simply know how to cook and understands that for the average person there needs to be balance between "healthy" and "unhealthy". Whether you are looking for easy weeknight recipes, delicious snacks, or want to try something new, Ali's recipes are easy to follow at all skill levels! For more info about Ali and her offerings, check out the About page.   Categories
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