I’m glad I chose the subject of comfort food for my little blogoversary blowout (click here for details). Our choices vary, all very interesting, though I admit I’m not a bit surprised to find such diversity. After all, it is about what soothes us during tough and trying times, or makes us feel good after a hard day’s work, or simply the craving synonymous with rainy days that make us reminisce on days long gone. Like ripping open a wrapped bar of chocolate, or cooking a pot of hearty soup the way our moms do it.

So before we get into who wins, here’s a round-up of our comfort food. This is my way to celebrate 4 years talking about food, glorious food.

Mine is sinigang na baboy. Warm summer days. Cold rainy nights. Bonding with either mom or dad when I was sick kid. Definitely a trip down memory lane.
iska on Sinigang na Baboy

It’s gotta be MISUA!
luna miranda on Misua

This is a healthy soup, my ultimate comfort food. Luckily, Mr. J likes it too. Reminds him of the Philippines, he says… (of course!!! )
Jescel on Mung Bean Soup

as for comfort food, i have a few of them but the one that i’ve been coming back more often specially leaving here in uae is pork barbeque. whether we go in a picnic in the park or beach or just have celebration with family and friends, this should always be in the menu. sometimes, if i really crave for it, i just prepare it; marinate overnight, grill, and serve for lunch the next day.
ing on Pork Barbeque

My favorite comfort food is a steaming bowl of pork ribs sinigang with LOTS of kang kong, sliced radishes and okra. Whether the weather is rainy or sunny, this comforting soupy dish never fails to uplift me. It’s especially comforting when spoonfuls of rice are mixed into the soup bowl! Ah, bliss. It’s the dish I look forward to after a trip abroad. Very Filipino, very homey.
Toni on Pork Ribs Sinigang

Hay… so many food to choose from. My favorite comfort food would be a bowl of sushi rice and antything on top!
Kitchenmaus on Sushi Rice

For as long as I can remember, spaghetti has been one of my favorite food to a point where I can cook it in my sleep! Yes, and I am not one who cooks! This yummy dish is always prepared at least once a month (sometimes more) and is always present during my birthdays. Of couse, the superstitious folks would say that it brings “long life” but I think my excuse would be that it is the only dish that I can cook by heart!
Zriz on Pinoy Spaghetti

my comfort food is ice cream, any choco flavored ice cream. im not a fan of fruit based ice cream.
for cooked food, my comfort food is pasta in tomato based sauce w/ lots of basil.
Jay on Ice Cream and Pasta

Chocolate is THE ULTIMATE comfort food for me. Blame it on my mother! (I love you , Mommy!) Hee hee! Chocolate bars, ice cream, cakes, drinks, practically chocolate in all shapes, sizes and forms. Growing up, my favorite chocolate cake was Cafe Elysee’s (remember this coffee shop found at SM branches all over?) chocolate mousse. If you look at my pantry, I have a stash of chocolate products… candy bars for snacking, chocolate chips and cocoa powder for baking.
Munchkin Mommy on Chocolate

my comfort food is…….chicken sopas!!! mouthwatering soup that tastes almost like milk with bits of hotdog and lots of shredded chicken and a tinge of butter!! so yuummmmmyyyyyyy on a rainy day!
Gertee on Chicken Sopas

I have always been an Adobo fan. No pretentions. I’m a plain adobo junkie. I loved the Tagalog version but I digg on the Visayan version more. I love the taste of oozing melted pork fat on my tongue and how the excess (read: burnt sauteed garlic, onion, oil, soy sauce and vinegar) make my kaning lamig taste oh so heavenly! But until now I am still wondering why this viand goes “sumasarap habang tumatagal.
Entrepremom on Adobo

My comfort food since I was a child is hot champorado swimming with milk!
Lynn on Champorado

If there is a fuel food that makes a person tick, it’s definitely sushi for me. My love affair with sushi started at the time I was going out with then ex-boyfriend, now hubby, shortly before we graduated in college. This must be one reason too why sushi is at the top of my comfort food list.
Kitchenmaus on Sushi

For some reason, the past month was jammed with a lot of activities that ran from birthdays, baby showers to church functions. In the midst of all the helter-skelter, I began longing for something comforting; something that reminds me of home — and this breakfast trio just hits the spot: freshly cooked “puto maya” (sweet sticky rice cooked in coconut milk), with ripe, sweet, golden mangoes and finished off with a hot “sikwate” (hot chocolate/cocoa drink processed locally). What is more comforting than something you grew up with eating?
Jescel on Puto maya, Philippine mangoes & hot cocoa drink

It’s my comfort food too and I’m actually getting set to make some more this week. I have some spareribs in the freezer and when I cook it, I plan to set some aside for my sinigang fix.
JMom on Sinigang

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And the winner is…. tada!

The 2GB Toshiba thumb drive and cookbook go to Kitchenmaus. I hope you’ll enjoy those essential healthy dishes for everyday cooking. Inside are recipes from drinks and muffins to stir-fry and noodles. I’m quite sure you already have a USB but it doesn’t hurt to have another one, especially for us computer addicts hehehe….

Jescel, enjoy this skinny but cute notepad with matching pen and magnetic bookmark from Kikki.com.

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Zriz, these are for you – A4 size recipe inserts, a 60-page magnetic shopping list and practical recipe sticky notes. They are also from Kikki.K. I so love the shopping list and the sticky notes. Hope you will, too.

The felt Koru (green) and Tiki (red) coasters from Living & Giving go to Entrepremom. Something from New Zealand.

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Congratulations to all of you! At maraming, maraming salamat sa mga sumali!

Nga pala po, nakasanayan ko na lang na taon-taon gumawa ng maliit na compilation. Just click on the photo below to download.

Iska

I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.