Comfort Foods

Food is the ingredient that binds us together.

As I quickly picked up a handful of groceries at Schnucks a month or so ago, I glanced down at the refrigerated items in the middle cooler. The jars of Kraft Pimento Spread immediately drew my eyes. My family had purchased and emptied enough of those tiny glass jars during my childhood that we had repurposed them as our water cups. On any normal grocery run, I would have concerned myself with the nutritional value (or lack thereof) and passed on this pimento spread. Instead, I snatched one out of the cooler and backtracked to the cracker aisle to pair it with Triscuits.

Just as I had many years ago, when I returned home from the grocery store, I loaded a plate full of Triscuits slathered with pimento cheese. It threw me back to memories of weekends when my dad was working and my mom, sister, and I were hanging out at my grandparents’ house. My Grandma and Grandpa Trulove maintained a stock of the best snacks—twizzlers, bing cherries, and woerthers originals. However, my favorites snack was Triscuits topped with a dollop of Kraft Pimento cheese. I frequently filled a plate full of five or six Triscuits and sat between my grandparents while rocking in one of their red upholstered rocking chairs.

As you can tell, I love food. So much so that I plan my next meal while I’m still mid-meal. Lately, my food cravings have specifically centered around childhood comfort foods and times spent with my grandparents. This year, I lost the last of my grandparents and have only been able to spend limited time with family still around. Food, especially family recipes, have served as a connection and channel to memories of those I love.

Dill dip and rye bread

During Christmases past, in the coziness of my grandparents’ kitchen—the same one where I raided the snacks on routine visits—all of the women and girls crowded to set out the Christmas buffet. Appetizers abounded in the kitchen and family members squeezed in and out to give hugs of welcome and to grab a bite before the main event. My favorite appetizer involved tearing into a large soft loaf of round rye bread, and dunking a hunk of it into creamy and tangy dill dip. The hearty bread and comforting flavors still linger each time I savor this family recipe.

This Christmas, I chose to make this recipe for my in-law’s family gathering to honor past Christmases and to feel the warmth of hugs from loved ones near and far.

Peppermint kisses

Each Christmas Eve, following dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa Trulove’s house, we joined my dad’s family for a candlelight church service and gift exchange into the wee hours of Christmas morning. While Grandma Dressel assembled Christmas punch complete with an ornately arranged ice mold, my cousins and I nibbled at the cookie tray to stop ourselves from tearing into our gifts. My cookie of choice was the fragile, crunchy meringue cookie flavored with peppermint and sprinkled with chocolate chips throughout its chewy bottom. Biting into a kiss can be a messy proposition, with the top pieces of the meringue falling to bits. I find that it’s simplest to just pop a whole one in my mouth.

This year, when my mom graciously offered to make these cookies for me, I accepted them all. The rest of my clan may not enjoy them, but I sure do!

Perhaps losing the last of my grandparents in 2020—or being unable to gather with family still around—has made me seek nourishment in these comfort foods and the memories. Whether sharing a meal with others, or simply savoring a sweet and salty snack of Triscuit slathered with pimento spread, these “secret” family recipes have become my go-to. They don’t need to be perfect, for they unlock perfect memories. And they serve as a bridge into future memories that form each time I enjoy them and share them with others.

Shelley Lester