Comfort Foods

Nothing says comfort foods like the first tinge of autumn in the air—back to school, back to routines, back to basic, comfort foods. One of the bonuses of fall foods is their convenience to make; take out your slow cookers and soup kettles and simmer a large batch of pot roast, soup and chili and then store the extra in the freezer to pull out for a second or even third meal. You can even leave them in the refrigerator for a few days and the flavors will meld, making them even tastier the second time around. If you have houseguests, as I did this week, make a pot roast in the slow cooker with all the veggies; serve and then make a great soup from the leftovers. Add delicious, hearty bread from the bakery for the soup meal and you’ve scored a success.


Casseroles make a come-back this time of year, too. A couple of the quickest, easiest ones I know are old-timers that really satisfy.

End one of these meals with a creamy pudding—tapioca or old-fashioned rice—each is nice, creamy, reminiscent of childhood, and delicious!

Pot Roast in the crock-pot

1 3-4 pound rump roast
1 Tbsp Canola oil
3 cups water
1 cup dry red wine
2 large onions
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pound rutabagas
1 pound parsnips
6 medium potatoes, red or gold
8 ozs. Carrots

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan, browning on all sides. Transfer beef to large crock-pot sprayed with cooking spray. Add water and wine to drippings in Dutch oven. Peel and cube all vegetables and add to broth. Add salt and pepper. Bring to boil and turn heat down to low and simmer until vegetables are nearly tender. Set vegetables aside; add liquid to meat in crock-pot. Cook on high for 2 hours. Add vegetables and cook an additional two hours. Remove meat and vegetables and thicken gravy with slurry made of 2 Tbsp flour and one-fourth cup water. Turn crock-pot on high, add slurry and cook an additional half hour. Add meat and vegetables to crock-pot and heat for 30 minutes. Serve.

Second Day Soup

Liquid from pot roast and enough additional water to make 6 cups liquid.
All vegetables left over except potatoes (use for something else) cut in small dice
Meat leftover, cut in small dice
1 tsp. beef soup base for each cup of water
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
¾ cup pearled barley (quick or instant)

Heat liquid and add soup base; bring to a boil. Add barley and cook for time on package. Serve with dollop of sour cream.

Dag’s Quickie Cabbage Casserole

1 large head cabbage
1 pound boneless pork loin, sliced 1/2 thick
1 can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 1 8-oz carton sour cream
½ cup apple cider
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Salt and pepper

Shred cabbage and put in large baking dish, 15x11. Pour apple cider over cabbage and salt and pepper to taste. Layer apple slices over cabbage, then pork loin slices. Cover with soup and sour cream mixture. Bake uncovered for 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees.

Cedric Adams’ Casserole

Any of you who remember Cedric Adams—a long time, beloved radio announcer for WCCO and a newspaper columnist for either the Minneapolis Star or the Minneapolis Tribune are getting to be old-timers indeed! You may also remember this recipe which he claimed was the all-time asked for recipe of his life. His column wasn’t particularly about food—just general chit-chat with an occasional recipe thrown in. All his recipes were man-style—hearty, easy and homey. This is so simple, it is scary—but it really is delicious.

1 head cabbage
1 pound hamburger, browned
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of tomato soup
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop or shred cabbage, put into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle browned hamburger over cabbage; cover with tomato soup and ½ soup can of water. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover with casserole cover or foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Rice Pudding

2 cups cooked rice (use Arborio or other short-grain rice)
3 ½ cups 1% milk
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
¼ tsp. salt
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup golden raisins
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine rice, liquid milk, sugar, dry milk and salt in large saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place eggs in bowl; gradually add half of rice mixture to eggs, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return egg mixture to pan and cook 2 minutes at medium-low temperature, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in raisins and vanilla. Spoon into serving dishes. Sprinkle cinnamon over each serving. Makes 8 servings.