Sick Day Comfort

[commodorified]

In a nice deep microwave safe bowl with a handle[1], combine:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup water

Microwave two minutes[2] on high, stirring at one minute. Remove from microwave, stir vigorously, and add

1/2 cup frozen berries

Return to microwave for one minute on high. Remove from microwave, stir vigorously, and add

1/2 cup applesauce

Return to microwave for one minute on high.

Stir. Add cream or milk and/or sugar if you like. Eat. Feel better.


[1] Everyone should have one or more of these, in my opinion. They make comfort food more comfortable.

[1] Your microwave may vary; keep an eye on things to make sure the oatmeal doesn't boil over, and test a spoonful of oats to make sure they are as cooked as you want them.

Comments

[giglet]

Comfort food? That's everyday breakfast, more or less, at my house.

(Okay, instead of berries and apple sauce, we use apples and raisins. But yeah.)

[commodorified]

It sort of is for me, too, but still comfortable and comforting. I'm more likely to make it on cold, grim days.

Also, when I'm well I tend to do somewhat less slapdash and more elaborate versions; I mean, I like it with apples but I'd have to cut one up and that would be another minute on my feet, that's how out of it I am today.

[giglet]

I hope you feel better soon!

[fajrdrako]

Sounds good. My comfort-food lunch is crêpes with ham and cheese filling, and asparagus. But I wouldn't have made that if I was feeling unwell. The ham, of course, is leftover from last night.

[commodorified]

That sounds really yummy. OMG.

But yeah. Effort. If I get feeling really good later I shall have grilled cheese and wish I had ham to put in it.

[zillah975]

This sounds wonderful! I must get some applesauce and berries and try it.

[fajrdrako]

I could freeze the ham - we only ate about half of it - and make crêpes for Tuesday night next week, when you of course will be feeling healthy and hungry again.

[commodorified]

YESPLZ!

[fajrdrako]

Okay! That eliminates the problem of figuring out what to do for next week. I might make a soup or something to go with it.

[sollers]

I was with you right up to where you added the applesauce (unless it was Bramley apple)

[commodorified]

Sadly, no. Just basic applesauce from the grocery store.

It's strictly optional, though.

[sollers]

So that would be sweet apple rather than tart? No, I definitely wouldn't fancy that.

[commodorified]

Unsweetened, but sweet apple. This is why I don't add any actual sugar. I imagine if I can lay hands on Granny Smith applesauce, which is tart, that would be nice too.

I've never seen Bramley on this continent. :-(

[sollers]

Granny Smiths are still sweet enough to eat as they are. I think Bramleys are exclusive to the UK; they're big, tend to be a bit lumpy, and too tart for anyone but people like my daughter (who eats lemons and limes the way I eat oranges) to eat as they come. They're used for apple sauce for pork as the tartness helps with the fattiness (I did try Granny Smiths once, but they were much too sweet).

They are also cooked as desserts: core, cut in half, fill the core space with brown sugar or mincemeat (as in mince pies) and bake.

[adrian_turtle]

I make a variation involving half a cup of canned pumpkin. Stores around here sell cans of cooked mashed pumpkin, primarily for making pumpkin pie. When I make pumpkin muffins or spice cake, there's generally a cup of pumpkin left over...which goes in the freezer in little plastic bags holding approximately half a cup. When I actually need it as comfort food (to thicken vegetable soup, or to make porridge more festive), I don't have to deal with the can opener. That's important, because I tend to need comfort food most when I am least capable of using my hands.

[sollers]

Now, that's definitely something that separates the cultures. I've tried pumpkin on a number of occasions, including dishes prepared by American friends, and the only time I found it the least bit palatable was in a curry.

[commodorified]

I like fresh pumpkin as in a soup with cashew butter and curry paste.

Which still probably won't turn your crank, if you found it only palatable done spicy, but if you ever need to use up some pumpkin in a way you can stand, or want to serve it to a friend who loves it, it's dead easy; those really are the three ingredients.

[sollers]

Well, basically, it has to be something that kills the taste. It's not a situation likely to arise often as pumpkins are only available around Hallowe'en for decoration purposes (one usually throws the middle away) and I don't know anybody who does like pumpkin anyway.

I'd never even heard of cashew butter; it sounds as if it would be hideously expensive. "Curry paste" is a bit unspecific; what sort? My local convenience store has two shelves of pastes for different curries.

[commodorified]

Cashew butter is considerably more expensive than peanut butter, but not ruinous, at least around here: $10 for 500 g, ish.

As I am allergic to peanuts, I call this a good deal. :-)

Lack of specificity is deliberate as in fact I've done it with about 6 or 8 pastes and liked them all. I've done rogan josh, I know, and vindaloo, and I think biriyani once when I wanted super mild... basically the nut butter and the pumpkin both soak up spices beautifully, and since it makes a good part of a meal involving vegans I make it fairly often for parties.

[nishatalitha]

I like mine made with milk instead of water, sans dried fruit, but with more milk and either brown sugar or honey and cinnamon. Mmmm.

My real comfort food is Watties tinned tomato soup. IDK.

Feeling better today?