Comfort Food Essentials: Over 100 Delicious Recipes for All-Time Favorite Feel-Good Foods

By: Kim Wilcox
Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing
Publication Date: October 23, 2023
ISBN: 978-1497103207
Reviewed by: Diana Coyle
Review Date: November 7, 2023

Finding a cookbook that has a wide assortment of recipes you want to try can sometimes be a daunting task because there may only be a handful of recipes that might tickle your fancy. Another deciding factor could be what is involved both time-wise in preparation and cooking times. Just how many ingredients you might need to buy could also play a big part in whether you buy a cookbook or not. With Comfort Food Essentials by Kim Wilcox, there are over 100 recipes, so everyone will likely find recipes that interest them. These recipes vary in cooking abilities, from quick and simple recipes to more involved ones that the more seasoned cook might want to try. No matter how seasoned a cook you are, this is one cookbook that covers a wide variety of meals you can make from everyday meals to ones for those special occasions.

This cookbook is broken down into the following sections: Breakfast Favorites; Sweet and Savory Breads; Satisfying Soups; Hearty Sandwiches; Childhood Comforts; Memorable Main Dishes; Delectable Desserts; Beloved Beverages; and Favorites from Chef Friends. Plus, the first chapter offers Tools and Tips to familiarize yourself with before starting on your cooking adventure, and in the back of the book Wilcox included Recipe Conversions to help every reader out. Some things to definitely note when trying to figure out what recipes to make is that each recipe offers easy-to-follow directions, has a gorgeous and tantalizing colored picture to show off the final product, the total cooking time needed, and finally, the yield amount is offered so you can adjust how much you have to make to suit your needs.

While reading through Comfort Food Essentials, two recipes jumped out to try immediately. The first was Upside Down Pineapple Pancakes. One of the big deciding factors was the ingredient list was simple, and so was the making of the food. It contained simple ingredients such as baking mix, milk, pineapple rings, eggs, sugar, vanilla, butter, and Maraschino cherries. Most of the ingredients are things you probably already have in your pantry, although you probably have to buy the pineapples and cherries. The recipe was simple and produced the most delicious Pineapple Pancakes imaginable. I have to admit, I’ve had many types of pancakes throughout the years, but never did I ever think of pineapple ones. This is my new favorite pancake dish!

The second recipe tried was Ultimate Comfort Grilled Cheese. It was another simple one - all I needed was sourdough bread, but that simple change in what bread to use made this grilled cheese go to a whole new level of deliciousness. Plus, part of the recipe states to put the desired number of slices of sourdough bread down in the pan and place the slices of cheese on top of each slice of bread. Then let that sit until the cheese slices melt. After the cheese is nice and melted, it is then that you are to assemble two slices of the sourdough bread together to make a deliciously oozing grilled cheese sandwich. Something as simple as preparing the sandwich differently made it even more delectable. Overall, there are plenty of recipes for every level cook to enjoy in this cookbook, and with the holidays fast approaching, you may just want to cook up a recipe or two to bring to a potluck office party or friend's get-together.

Quill says: If you want to experience a cookbook that will have your mouth watering before you even cook that first delicious meal, then you must look into adding Comfort Food Essentials to your cookbook library!