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When I was twelve years old my Grandma Williams gave me a complete cooking set-up for Christmas. She filled a huge box with all sorts of things a budding cook would need -- bowls and spoons, measuring cups and basting brushes. She included rolling pins and cookie cutters. I think my box even had an apron -- it was the 70’s after all, and my grandmother always wore an apron when she cooked.

But the crowning glory of the box was “The Complete Family Cookbook”. It was one of those, “build-a-book” deals where you received a new section in the mail until the entire cookbook was complete. My grandmother had put together complete cookbooks for me, my sister Mona, and our cousins, Kim and Andrea. Each granddaughter received her very own cooking “starter kit” that Christmas.

Whenever I am asked “what is my favorite comfort food?” The answer is unequivocally, Chicken and Dumplings! There’s nothing more comforting than a simmering pot filled with tender chicken and chewy dumplings.

Thinking about the way comfort foods make us feel reminded me of my grandmother and my cook’s starter kit from 40 years ago. I still have the cookbook. It’s the best comfort of all!

What’s your favorite comfort food?