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Comfort Food

All this talk about bacon has made me wonder about your favorite foods. Not just your favorites, but what are your comfort foods? You know, those foods you turn to when you need to reconnect with who you are, with your roots, with better memories, that make you feel as if all is well with the world. I have many such foods and I have much to say about them all. I know that is shocking to you.

Today I'll write about nachos and Rotel Dip. I don't recall the first time my mother made nachos, but I had to have been hooked right from the start. I am fairly simple when it comes to building nachos - tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos. Every now and then some meet is acceptable, but not too often and definitely no vegetables beyond the peppers.

My expert opinion on the matter is that the pepper makes or breaks the nacho. Some peppers taste as if they have been pickled in formaldehyde. And some brands are more reliable than others if you use store-bought peppers. There is no substitute for home-grown, home-canned jalapeno peppers. I do remember the first time I ate jalapenos on nachos. My mouth burned so bad that I cried and had to drink milk (after a failed attempt at cooling the heat using Coke. Bad idea.). After the storm had passed and I could collect my thoughts, I remember thinking, "I'm gonna need another bite of that." And I have been hooked ever since.

Rotel dip is another staple in my comfort food diet. Kim knows it has been rough for me when I make a vat. Velveeta may not occur naturally in God's creation, but it must have been an oversight on His part, as blasphemous at that may sound. The combination of Velveeta and Rotel tomatoes is a miracle of cheesy goodness. Many a marriage could learn a thing or two from the example of the two becoming one. I might use that in ceremony sometime. Add sausage or ground beef and jalapenos and you have yourself as perfect a meal as you can expect this side of heaven.

Nachos are my substitute for mac and cheese, which is a staple in many people's comfort food menus. I'll write about more foods later. I would love to hear about your comfort foods as well.

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