Cooking with a little comfort
from The Morning Star, Vernon, BC

After a bad day, there is nothing more soothing than a big bowl of comfort food, but if you've eaten enough Kraft Dinner to last the rest of your life, Norma Bannerman and Laurana Rayne have an alternative.

The two Calgary women are the authors of the Comfort Food Cookbooks, a set of six books filled with recipes that warm the body and soul.

All of the more than 200 recipes in the books were contributed by the public. Each contributor also shared a heart-warming story as to why their recipe is a comfort food.

Each book comes with a theme: Comfort Food for Cold Days, Comfort Food with a Heritage, Comfort Food for Families, Comfort Food for Sharing Caring and Giving, Comfort Food for Company and Comfort Food for Congenial Times.

For both Bannerman and Rayne, food has played an important part in their lives.

Bannerman graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in household economics, followed by a dietetic internship.

"For me, working with food has been a creative outlet, and one I could use both professionally and with my family," she said. "Teaching food preparation and nutrition, testing and developing new recipes and products, operating Collective Kitchens and keeping abreast of nutrition trends have occupied a major part of my life.

"Underlying it all is my philosophy that simple food, thoughtfully chosen, conveys a caring message."

Since graduating from the University of Alberta with a bachelor of science in home economics, Rayne has been involved in the testing of recipes and putting them into written form. She said she has enjoyed learning about the link between food and behaviour, preparing meals for her family and teaching her sons to cook.

"The thread running through all of this is my strong desire to foster our innate ability to look after ourselves and those close to us," said Rayne. "My other passion is exploring a life pattern of intentional simplicity and these books embody that as well."

The cookbooks feature a large variety of recipes, including chicken soup with matzo balls, Cornish pasties, Russian rye bread, perogies, strawberry shortcake and rice pudding.

Each recipe comes with its own story that helps to convey the comfort behind the food. The contributor of Maritime Molasses Bread writes, "The wonderful aroma of freshly-baked brown bread frequently greeted you as you entered a Maritime kitchen. It was often served on Saturday evening with a pot of homebaked beans."

Each book contains between 32 and 38 triple-tested recipes, cooking tips, both alphabetical and food category indexes and a recipe card to pass along to a friend.

"As the Comfort Food books evolved, we came to understand and appreciate the extent to which we are nourished and nurtured by both food itself and our experiences with it," said the authors.

"We hope that it will be the same for people using these recipes and reading these stories."

In Vernon, the books are available at Bookland or visit the website.