Home > Recipes > Guilty Pleasures & Comfort Foods

Oh, we all have some foodstuffs we crave -- even though we know they're bad for us. But they are satisfying, comforting and oh, so yummy.

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'Umami' and when tastebuds turn grey *
If your steak doesn't have the sizzle it used to, don't blame the cook. The problem may be your aging palate, writes STEPHEN STRAUSS [More]

Anne's (no-onion) Potato Salad *****
A classic potato salad: I think adding onion to a potato salad is a travesty (ditto green pepper, scallions or chives) -- but that's another story. Meanwhile, this recipe is my most popular dish with guests, and my personal favourite comfort food. Enjoy! [More]

Anne's Apple Crumble (Apple Crisp) ****
This delicious but very simple apple crumble recipe (known as "apple crisp" in the U.S.) will serve four people. It fits right into the "comfort food" category. [More]

Anne's homemade Chicken Soup *****
As close to a perfect soup as could be imagined, this homemade recipe results in a clear broth that serves equally well as a cure for the common cold or a base for almost any other type of soup. [More]

Anne's Orange-and-Chocolate dessert cake *****
Orange and chocolate are very compatible flavours. This is definitely a too-easy-to-be-true dessert. Garnish with super-thin slices of orange and curls of chocolate, if you wish. [More]

Anne's Peter Pan 'Poison' Green Dessert *****
A (delicious) guilty pleasure made a little less so in my new interpretation -- and one of my very favourite desserts, too. [More]

Anne's raspberry Jello dessert Cake *****
An impressive treat for guests. Surprisingly easy, low-sugar and low-fat, too. What more could you ask of a recipe? [More]

Anne's two Supremely Simple, Satisfying Sandwiches *****
Here are two new variations on old-standby sandwiches that are sure to garner approval. Guilty pleasures, to be sure, but easy, fast and delicious, if I do say so myself (and I do). [More]

Apricot-Jalapeño Jelly **** 1/2
A spicy, yet sweet, jelly. Fabulous on cream cheese and a cracker. [More]

Baked Potato *** 1/2
Scrub potato carefully and pierce its skin several times with a sharp knife or stab it repeatedly with a fork, while chanting "Die, darn you, die!" [More]

Becel's Fudgy low-fat brownies recipe *****
One of our all-time favourite recipes -- a delicious brownie that you'd never imagine was low-fat! [More]

Boston Market Macaroni and Cheese *** 1/2
Easy and fast, this beats Kraft Dinner any day (although we do have a KD recipe in Guilty Pleasures you should check out!). [More]

Celeriac with Remoulade Sauce (recipe courtesy of Maille) ****
A wonderful side-dish -- celeriac is one of my secret passions! [More]

Cooking with beer *
Are you ready to try something different on your next trip to the dinner table? If you are then head first to the refrigerator and pull out a bottle or can of beer and add it to your recipe. Adding a lager, ale or stout to your favourite dish will not only add a batch of new flavours to your meal, it will have your friends and family coming back for seconds time and time again. [More]

Cream of Leek, Potato and Cheese Soup (Cawl) ****
The traditional leek broth and filling additions, cawl is eaten especially on March first, St. David's Day in Wales. [More]

Crockpot jambalaya ****
Another easy recipe -- adjust the Tabasco to suit your family's preference. [More]

Easy, overnight pork butt (Shirley Corriher recipe) *****
Food chemist Shirley Corriher reveals the secrets to cooking a perfect roast every time: Brown sugar, soy sauce and seven hours in the oven result in the perfect pork roast. [More]

Garlic Appie (Slowly Roasted Candied Garlic with Crostini) ***
Author:courtesy of The Wild Garlic
A great appetizer...just make sure that everyone eats some! [More]

German-style potato pancakes (Kartoffel) *****
Kartoffel are best eaten fresh and hot, right from the street vendor in Munich or Koln or Frankfurt. [More]

Jewish-style potato pancakes (latkes) *****
Serve the traditional way, with sour cream. Applesauce is a German side to potato pancakes and is also yummy with them. [More]

Jewish-style traditional beef brisket *****
Here's an easy-to-make comfort food. Makes great leftovers, too, and is freezeable. Ideal bring-to-potluck or gift dinner. [More]

Kraft Dinner made - ahem - FANCY ** 1/2
One of the first I-did-it-myself ways of tarting up an old stand-by. A hit with the kids. [More]

Lower Sodium Pork & Sauerkraut ****
Cover and cook in slow cooker until meat pulls apart easily. The result has a much milder sauerkraut flavour than some other recipes, but is still excellent. [More]

Mama's Faux Welsh Rarebit ****
A great, fast meal involves the freshest bread or buns you can find. [More]

Matzo Balls (Garber recipe) *****
Call them comfort food or just plain delicious, matzo balls in chicken broth are among the classics of Jewish cookery. This recipe makes a nice, fluffy matzo ball, just the way Bubbie used to do them. [More]

Minute Pizza ****
Cheap, fast, easy -- what more can you say about this simple snack? Oh yes...tasty! [More]

New York Times Famous Macaroni & Cheese (recipe one) *****
This recipe (and its sister, recipe 2) earned the distinction of being the most e-mailed recipe in the past month, and something like the fourth-highest ever! [More]

New York Times Famous Macaroni & Cheese (recipe two) **** 1/2
This recipe is remarkably easy, even if the ingredients are guaranteed to go directly to the blood vessels supplying your heart. This version is slightly creamier than the other one, but it's still excellent. [More]

Pork and Sauerkraut (Miller recipe) *****
This diet-conscious dish is also a good crock pot meal. Just add everything at once and cook for about 6 or 7 hours on low setting. [More]

Rainy Day Comfort Food *
When you live in Vancouver or anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, sure-as-shootin' if it's sunny today, it could be raining tomorrow! [More]

Review: Krispy Kreme doughnuts *****
...there are times I have to look to our larger, richer neighbour to the south and think, "Why can't we have that here?" [More]

San Francisco Fudge (Ghirardelli Chocolate Fudge Microwave Recipe) **** 1/2
A remarkably good fudge recipe, and a family favourite of ours for years. Not the crumbly fudge we had in Tintagel, but pretty darn good. [More]

TEA's Miso Soup ****
Variations are endless. Add thinly sliced potato, onions, mushrooms carrots, lotus root, whatever you like! [More]

That'sa Spicy Meatsa Ballsa *** 1/2
This is what I call an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipe. It's also cheap and easy! [More]

Tuna Melt ****
Ah, the old tuna melt stand-by. So-o-o easy. [More]

Twice-fried mashed potatoes ****
Best enjoyed in front of the television, while watching cartoons or the Space channel. Truly a guilty pleasure! [More]

Uncle Ray's Marinated Beets ****
Says Ray: "Great with rind cheese and bread!" [More]

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Bleu Cheese-Walnut Dip **** 1/2
Decadent, elegant and impressive, this is a good dip to take to a potluck dinner. Excellent with chilled icewine. [More]

Florida Krispy Kreme store gives up trademark neon sign *
A new kind of Krispy Kreme shop is opening in Boca Raton, Florida, but it might not be as easy to be first in line for those tasty pastries. [More]

Granita (Almond Granita) ***
Author:courtesy of Karen Barnaby, Executive Chef, Fish House
A refreshing treat: Serve the same day or cover and keep frozen for up to two days. Stir with a fork to break up the granita before serving. [More]

Keep an eye on your fries *
That medium-sized serving may pack more -- or fewer -- calories than fast-food chains claim, STEPHEN STRAUSS discovers [More]

SPAM® Frittata ** 1/2
Author:recipe courtesy of Hormel/SPAM®
Who hasn't hunkered down to a nice plate of SPAM® and eggs? A guilty pleasure, indeed. Here's a variation that spruces the basic recipe up, but y'know basically, it's still SPAM-and-eggs! [More]

The Big Book of Casseroles *****
ISBN:0811822605
Author:Maryana Vollstedt
Publisher:Chronicle Books, January 2000, Trade paper, $19.95 (USD);
If you're a budding cook or just your standard lazy domestic slob –- the kind of person who can't cook simply because most recipes begin with the words, "Take a clean pot" –- then you need Maryana Vollstedt’s handy-dandy The Big Book of Casseroles. [More]