What's so Comforting about Comfort Food? (Stephen John)

Comfort food is described as food that offers a sentimental or nostalgic feeling to the person eating it but is basically food that is easy-to-digest, soft in consistency and is either rich in nutrients or calories. Comfort food is easily prepared and flavorful, which is why most people tend to reach for these whenever they are feeling down in the dumps.

The term "comfort food" first came into being in 1977 when it was first used in Merriam-Webster. It was specifically defined as food eaten to pique emotions, relieve negative psychological effects and increase positive feelings. The feelings of nostalgia or sentiments evoked from eating such foods may be specific to the individual or dictated by culture. The most popular comfort food we reach for in times of sadness usually range from sweet to salty like chocolate, ice cream and a bag of chips.

Foods like these are not something people reach for out of whim. There are reasons why these types of food boost our mood and studies conducted reveal that it is due to the fatty acids contained in these foods that impact the parts of the brain that get activated or suppressed as a result of emotion. This in turn results in what we all know to be emotional eating, which is a coping mechanism to deal with intense feelings, stress or depressed moods. In short, our urge to eat is strongly driven by our moods and emotions.

Most people, however, prefer to think of comfort food as those that remind them of their childhood, of moments wherein they felt their happiest amidst friends and family. Comfort food evokes tasty memories of home cooking, something that is rarely tasted by those who lead hectic lives, those who just don't have the time to sit down to a proper meal. Whether your favorite comfort food is something sweet like apple pie, something savory like chicken noodle soup and something classic like tuna casserole, home is always something you'll remember when you partake of these foods.

One of the most popular comfort foods is chicken. When you search for chicken dish ideas online, you will discover that whether you eat it broiled, grilled, roasted or poached, combined with a variety of herbs and spices or just as plain chicken soup, chicken never fails to impress. Both kids and adults alike love the chicken not only due to its taste, but also because of its meaty properties and unequalled tenderness. Chicken also makes for a healthy and nutritious meal and is in fact, the world's best source of animal protein and the best alternative to red meat. There are also tons of chicken dish recipes that you can make for any occasion and at any time of the year and you can find some of the best recipes online on sites like Foodplus.tv.

You can check tasty chicken recipes in Foodplus. tv and discover just why they are considered a top and healthy comfort food choice. Chicken dishes also offer many health benefits particularly for those who want to lose weight or prevent bone loss and cancer. It is also a very good source of the trace mineral selenium which is an essential component of several major metabolic pathways in the body like thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems and the immune system. It also helps in the repair of blood cells as it eating chicken activates the Vitamin B6 components in chicken meat.

Also, when you watch the food and cooking videos on foodplus. tv that feature chicken recipes, you will find just how versatile chicken can be when you incorporate in as main ingredients for salads like Chicken Bacon Blue Salad or in exotic, spicy Caribbean dishes like Mango Chicken or Chicken Negril. Of course, you can also learn as you watch chicken recipes video in www.foodplus.tv about classic dishes like Chicken Pot Pie with Gravy that never fail to hit the spot. As far as these chicken recipes go, you'll be surprised at just how many dishes you can create with just chicken.

Another classic comfort food is Italian food. The Italians are renowned for making their food not just very flavorful but also one that makes your palates sing. With their ingenious blending of special herbs and spices, as well as organic produce and olive oil, it is no wonder many people search high and low, through friends or over the internet, trying their best to find recipes from Italy that can bring them to gastronomic heights.

Also, Italian food is noted as well for the health benefits it can provide like calcium from the cheese used in most of your favorite dishes to protect the bones and teeth, unsaturated fats from olive oil that keep your cholesterol levels normal and prevent your arteries from being clogged and complex carbohydrates from pasta to keep your metabolism and energy levels up. Of course, let's not forget those green and red bell peppers on your pizza that help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. So let's go ahead and watch how your classic meatballs in tomato sauce are made so you can enjoy that melt-in-mouth tenderness that will not only keep you happy but your heart singing as well.

Whether you take your comfort foods as a main meal or a side dish, they will always raise your spirits and keep you in a good place. You can find more italian food recipes in www.foodplus.tv and be on your way to food heaven.

Stephen John is a food and wine enthusiast. He blogs about food, wine, and culture and writes wine reviews for a living. He loves to travel and try exotic cuisines of different countries. Tasty chicken dishes are some of the best kinds of comfort food there is. Watch chicken recipes video in www.foodplus.tv and whip up delicious dishes that won't only make you feel good but make you look good at your next dinner party or casual get together.

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Interesting Facts About Pasta (rajiv tiwari)

Pastas, one of the tastiest of the Italian creations, are a delicacy world over! A lot of people play around with and localise their pasta recipes to their own region. Besides being such a tasty dish, pasta had a very rich background. Knowing its heritage and history makes pasta even more interesting. Next time you're trying out pizza recipes for your family, remember how much pasta must have been experimented over the ages and create your very own recipes.

- People knew how to make pasta all the way back in fourth century BC - an Etruscan tomb has images of the natives cooking it.

- People used pasta recipes for thousands of years before even thinking to use tomato sauce.

- One of the best qualities used for a recipe of pasta is Durum wheat which is grown in North Dakota.

- Fettuccine in Italian means Ribbons.

- Singaporeans too have authentic pasta recipes, their noodles are known as 'meat'.

- If you are learning how to cook pasta in different ways, you should know that there are over 600 different pasta shapes in the world.

- The recipe of pasta from scratch is very easy. To make your own pasta you just need two cups of flour and ? cup of water! After mixing, you do need to allow the dough to just sit for 20 minutes though. It allows the flour to absorb the water thoroughly.

- There are two kinds of pasta that you can use for your pasta recipes. Dried pasta, made from eggs, lasts for up to two years, whereas fresh pasta can be refrigerated for a few days.

- In the 13th century, the Pope actually used to set the standards of the pasta used by the people.

- If you've cooked more spaghetti than the recipe of pasta recommends then you can fry the extra noodles.

- Pasta originates from Paste in Italian, where they were talking about the mixture of the flour and the water.

- Thomas Jefferson brought the first macaroni machine to the USA after he came back from being the ambassador to France.

If you know how to make pasta than you know how to make a healthy meal that provides you with energy. Besides having several nutritional properties, pasta recipes are yummy dishes that can be enjoyed at any time. Go ahead, try out a recipe of pasta and see for yourself!

Rajiv Tiwari is an out and out gourmet whose love of food has made him travel to all top food destinations. In this bouquet of articles Rajiv discusses some quick tips on food recipes, and shows us how you can make people enchanted with lipsmacking food recipes. pasta recipes, recipe of pasta

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Interesting Facts About Lasagna (rajiv tiwari)

Lasagna is a pasta that uses flat noodles to create layers of vegetable, meat, cheese and sauce to create a yummy dish. There are several facts about lasagna that people are completely unaware of, these facts actually make cooking lasagne a lot more interesting than it already is. Every time you try out a new lasagne recipe, remember these facts and enjoy even more!

- The plural of lasagna is lasagne. In Italy, they always only use lasagne when they refer to lasagna.

- The word lasagna authentically meant the pot in which the dish was cooked rather than the noodles itself. It is actually believed to be derived from the Greek word meaning 'chamber pot' - lasanon.

- Lasagna is only made with either flat noodles or rippled noodles.

- Lasagna was called "losyns" in Middle English.

- Lasagna is the favourite of cartoon character cat called Garfield.

- The original Lasagna recipe didn't have tomatoes since it was discovered in the thirteenth century. At that time, tomatoes weren't known in Europe.

- You can even make lasagna in the Dishwasher! Yes, believe it or not, a process actually allows you to cook the recipe without using your oven in a dishwasher.

- Some lasagna recipes can be carried out without the noodles being precooked. Layering the lasagne allows it to cook in the dish itself!

- Lasagna was responsible for a diplomatic dispute between England and Italy.

- In 2003, researchers studying the The Forme of Cury, a medieval cookery book, in the British Museum found a recipe for a type of lasagna dish prepared by chefs for the King in 1390.

- The most important 'Lasagna' to have ever lived is the late Dr Lou Lasagna, considered to be one of the most important scientists of the 20th century.

- Lasagna supposedly cost the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club a lot of money. They said the lasagna dish was responsible for costing them ?14 million after several players who ate it pie fell ill before an important match against West Ham. The players were later found to have contracted norovirus before even arriving at the hotel that served the lasagna.

- Another illness known as the lasagna syndrome, which is a computer enthusiast's term for an excess of overlapping browser windows.

- An artist known as Weird Al Yankovic did a parody of the song La Bamba and called it Lasagna.

Rajiv Tiwari is an out and out gourmet whose love of food has made him travel to all top food destinations. In this bouquet of articles Rajiv discusses some quick tips on food recipes, and shows us how you can make people enchanted with lipsmacking food recipes.lasagna

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