Traditional and comfort food

I dug out my shamrock socks and pulled down a green sweater that might seem a little snug for everyday use, but was certainly acceptable for St. Patrick's Day. I felt compelled to have a slab of corned beef cooking, but refrained since I still would have had to cook something else for the other people I live with to eat for dinner. I can't really complain, since I do not recall if I am truly a big fan of corned beef dinner. My friend and I typically grab a reuben at some point in the month of March and call it a holiday. 

In an attempt to raise the family level of holiday food consumption beyond shamrock cut-outs, I zipped through the golden arches and bought my son a shamrock shake...the first one I have ever purchased. I had a small taste, and while it wasn't my favorite, I can see having a craving for one in a month when they are not available. I can't really think of anything that I can only enjoy once a year. (Please note: Those Cadbury chocolate little eggs with the candy coating were out at Christmas in red white and green oval shapes. Uh-oh, it will be a bit of a wait, so, note to self to stock up on Easter clearance.) Those crazy Peeps? They deck themselves out all the time now!

Sorry, I got distracted by sugar. It seems like I had a point I was headed for. Let me look at the title and see if it comes back to me...Ah yes, traditional comfort food, and the comfort of traditional food. There are certainly foods that I look forward to eating, but there are also plenty of times I find myself blindly guiding food to my mouth just because I am caught up in the moment. Truth be told? I don't really care for cut-out cookies all that much, but you can bet that I have eaten more than my fair share of every shape and colorfully decorated design presented in the name of celebration. 

As my grandmother has started cooking less and less, I have tried to make sure to get some of her recipes so we can still enjoy some of our favorites. There are some dishes that I have a general sense of direction for, but cannot seem to replicate how I remember her version tasting. I also realized that there were a couple of cakes that she tended to make often, but nobody seems to miss them. I keep wondering if I need to track down those recipes just for tradition's sake. Will a chocolate vinegar cake with sticky sweet white frosting or a fruit cocktail cake provide comfort, even if we don't cut them? I seem to recall my mother mentioning that gram used to make creamed tuna on toast...no comfort there, thanks.

I used to really enjoy dunking bread in milk. No, those were not prison days for me, and I do admit it sounds pretty gross right about now. Now graham crackers dunked in milk? Yeah, I'm going to have to go get some now...

Talk amongst yourselves, and to me, about some of your least favorite traditional foods that you eat anyway. Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!