comfort food

[rthstewart]

So, today, I was at a meeting all day long and the subjects were very intense, emotions were high, and words like, "well, it's a problem with tone" came up a lot.  It was partially addressed at me, partly at my client, and we had to sit and politely take it because well, we do.  (Not sexism, by the way, or misogyny, just beastly internal politics).  The words no good deed goes unpunished came up a lot.  yeah.    You tried but everyone thinks you fucked it up so we're taking it away and giving it all to someone else. 

AND THEN there was a whole other separate thing going on at the same time with a very expensive super smart Batman who had been brought in to save the day about a Thing.  BUT  BUT I had to handle the Thing by myself for months before Batman arrived, and I've been worried I might have done something wrong and Batman would have to clean up my mess and that I might really have caused injury to others.  I don't *think* it was quite that bad, but I'm not sure and that worst nightmare unfolded today too. 

Also, I really really wanted to get a piece of business but I lost it to a man who was also at the meeting today.  Except, the man is nice and smart and extremely competent and thinks the world of my skills and seriously how can you get mad when someone decides to hire Captain America instead of you?  So, you can't get mad, just super disappointed that if it had been any other Avenger except for Steve, you could have kicked their ass and won the business.  Instead you just have to swallow the disappointment and say "So glad it went to you."

Anyway, very uncomfortable day where at various points I just wanted to go into the bathroom and have a good cry and one time I actually did a little bit.

So, I ate a whole chicken salad sandwich from the lunch buffet and a peanut butter cookie.  And I had Ghiradelli dark chocolate salted caramel square for dinner and large slices of watermelon.  If I'd had access to honest to goodness Minnesota Chicken and Wild Rice soup, I would eaten that.  So what about you?  When you have a super stressful day that makes you want to cry in the bathroom, do you have any comfort foods? 

Comments

[petra]

I'm sorry your day has been so entropic. May tomorrow be better!

As for comfort foods: popcorn, peanut butter on toast or graham crackers, mashed butternut squash, mashed potatoes, baked chicken breasts with Italian seasoning & breadcrumbs, and in truly extreme cases, tuna noodle casserole made with cream of mushroom soup. They're nowhere near my favorite foods for an average day, though.

*sips some Sleepytime peach tea*

[rthstewart]

So in Minnesota there's thing called "creama" as in cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, and cream of chicken soup. Creama is invariably on sale at Cub Foods and other places right next to Big Top Liquor where the beer is cheaper than soda pop. You see, Creama is an essential ingredient in wild rice hot dish, which in its purest form contains the following:

2 (6.2-ounce) packages fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 celery ribs,
chopped 2 medium onions,
chopped 2 (8-ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts,
drained 5 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 cups (1 pound) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups soft breadcrumbs (homemade) 1 (2.25-ounce) package sliced almonds, toasted


Why yes, that's creama, and sour cream and whole milk and cheese. it's amazing and 20 years ago was guaranteed to appear at the potluck for every one of your major life events, from birth and christening, to your wake. It's a close relation of the tuna noodle casserole. Do you have Midwestern in your roots?

[petra]

That sounds like it's soothing by sheer dint of "You must now sit and digest." Bodies do love a reliable source of fat.

The only food I know I've tried due to my Missouri-raised grandfather is sorghum molasses. Everybody else is solidly northeastern.

[psyche29]

I have lived in MN all my life and have never heard it called "creama," but it sure fits! And yes - essential in hotdishes!

Also, will you share the rest of that recipe, please?

[rthstewart]

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/leslies-favorite-chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole

This was the one I found but I've got a MN recipe book with a whole chapter on these things. I'll try to remember to bring it at Christmas.