Meatball Soup - Comfort Food

1 egg; lightly beaten                    

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 pound lean ground beef

4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes

1 medium carrot; thinly sliced

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1/4 cup uncooked tiny shell pasta

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1- inch balls.  Brown meatballs in a large saucepan; drain.  Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrot, and Italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add pasta; simmer 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and pasta is tender.  Freeze in 1-1/2 portions for up to 3 months.

Gluten Free Almond Cake - Comfort Food

3 eggs 

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 cup unrefined sugar

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round baking pan with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.  

In a large mixing bowl, or a stand mixer, combine the sugar and coconut oil. Add the eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract, and combine until well mixed. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are well-combined and the batter is creamy and thick.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and make sure it’s spread evenly. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the batter and bake the cake for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer cake to a cooling rack and cool completely. Serve with milk or as desired.

Creamy 5 Cheese Macaroni and Cheese - Comfort Food

8 oz. 1/2 box elbow macaroni or pasta of your choice

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups half and half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (Coleman's)

8 ounces (2 cups) cheddar cheese shredded

4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed (room temperature)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Asiago cheese shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.  Drain and put into a large mixing bowl.  Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix the shredded cheddar, Parmesan, and Asiago cheeses.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm half and half.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter, add flour and stir to make a roux.  Stir for a minute or two in order to cook out the raw flour taste, and don't let the roux turn brown.  You'll want it to stay white or a light cream in color.  Add the warm half and half a little at a time and stir until the sauce thickens.  Add the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and dry mustard, stirring another minute to incorporate into sauce.  Add the cubed Velveeta and cream cheese and stir until melted, then add in 3/4 of the shredded cheese mixture.  Continue stirring until all the cheeses are melted.

Pour cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly.  Pour into an 8x8 casserole dish.  Top with remaining shredded cheese mixture.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Black Raspberry Ice Cream - Comfort Food

1 cup Clearbrook Farms Black Raspberry Preserves

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

In a bowl, whisk together the preserves and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in the cream and milk.  Cover and refrigerate until completely cold or overnight. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Beef Porcupine Balls - Comfort Food

1 (6.8-ounce) package RICE-A-RONI® Beef Flavor

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2-1/2 cups water

Combine rice-vermicelli mix, ground beef and egg. Shape into twenty 1-1/4-inch meatballs. In large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown meatballs in oil. Drain.

Slowly stir in water and Special Seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked.



Beef-Macaroni Skillet - Comfort Food

1 lb ground beef

1 cup medium onion, chopped

3 cups tomato juice

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

Brown beef and onion in a 12-inch skillet. Add tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard and macaroni. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Stir occasionally during cooking. Makes 6 servings.

Original recipe from Farm Journals Best-Ever Recipes p. 35 (1977) Edited by Elise W. Manning, Farm Journal Food Editor.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread - Comfort Food

1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted



Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12 cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening or cooking spray.  Set aside icing tubs from cinnamon rolls. Separate each can of dough into 5 rolls; cut into quarters.  Place apple in small bowl. In another small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup sugar mixture to apple; toss to coat. Sprinkle half of apple pieces in pan. Roll half of dough pieces in sugar mixture; place on apples in pan.  Sprinkle with remaining apple pieces. Roll remaining dough pieces in sugar mixture; place on apples. Pour melted butter over top. 

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown across top. Cool 10 minutes; run knife around edge of pan to loosen. Place heatproof serving plate over pan and turn over; remove pan. Cool 10 minutes longer.  Drizzle reserved icing over top of bread, allowing some to drizzle down sides. Pull apart to serve; serve warm.