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I can't believe it's the end of the month already!

There are so many other delectable comfort food dishes to sample. Don't worry. We'll serve up more comfort sometime soon. But for now, I'd like to add some cozy thoughts and a few chuckles to your bowl. Nosh, nourish, pass it on. Offer someone a little comfort today as you go about your business (a smile or hug works wonders).

"From morning till night, sounds drift from the kitchen, most of them familiar and comforting....On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it; it dries the wet sock, it cools the hot little brain.”  ~ E.B.White 

"Some sensible person once remarked that you spend the whole of your life either in your bed or in your shoes. Having done the best you can by shoes and bed, devote all the time and resources at your disposal to the building up of a fine kitchen. It will be, as it should be, the most comforting and comfortable room in the house." ~ Elizabeth David, French Country Cooking

"On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally's cellar." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"I love to cook comfort food. I'll make fish and vegetables or meat and vegetables and potatoes or rice. The ritual of it is fun for me, and the creativity of it." ~ Reese Witherspoon

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch." ~ Orson Welles

"That would be cool if you could eat a good food with a bad food and the good food would cover for the bad food when it got to your stomach. Like you could eat a carrot with an onion ring and they would travel down to your stomach, then they would get there, and the carrot would say, 'It's cool, he's with me.'" ~ Mitch Hedberg

A little somethin' to go with your soup:


Did you miss any of the Comfort Food Month posts? Check here.

Slip, sloop, slurp. Twirl, wrap, spin. Open up wide, shove the pasta in!

Oh, hello. I didn't see you there at first.

Only one more day to celebrate National Noodle Month. Have you had your share of spaghetti, ramen, lo mein, kugel, udon, chap chae, and kuksoo? And while we're at it, what about yakisoba, pancit and pad thai?

Sigh. So many noodles. So little time.

What to do? Boil some linguini, read some pasta picture books, and declare every month, noodle month!

Here, twirl these around on your fork: *smacks lips*



Everybody Brings Noodles by Norah Dooley, pictures by Peter J. Thornton (Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 2002). It's the Fourth of July, and everyone in Carrie's neighborhood is getting ready for a block party. It was her idea, and while she's excited that so many people are bringing noodle dishes (her favorite), she's disappointed that all the preparations have kept her so busy, she won't be able to participate in the talent show. The story mainly serves as a vehicle for introducing the multiethnic characters in the neighborhood, who bring tantalizing batches of pasta pesto, orzo, zaru soba, sesame noodles, and kugel. Thornton's pastel illos capture the busyness and anticipation of a friendly holiday celebration, while seven yummy noodle recipes will definitely extend the enjoyment of this book. (ages 5+)



Noodle Man: The Pasta Superhero by April Pulley Sayre, pictures by Stephen Castanza (Orchard Books, 2002). If you like your pasta exuberant, zany, and pun-wonderful, this is the book for you. Al Dente's family is in the pasta making business. But it seems the neighbors in Durum have stopped eating fresh pasta in favor of pizza delivery. Al does not want their business to fail, so he invents a portable fresh pasta making machine. Though he doesn't do very well peddling pasta door to door, his wondrous noodles come in handy when it comes to catching thieves, rescuing people from a burning building, and helping people sproing across a flooded street. Kids will giggle over Noodle Man's exploits and love Castanza's frantic, eye popping watercolor illustrations. Wouldn't you love a grandma who knits sweaters from spaghetti? (ages 4-8)

On Top of Spaghetti, written and illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson, with lyrics by Tom Glazer (Scholastic Press, 2006). A hilarious adaptation of the original song/parody, that has Yodeler Jones, a hound who owns the Spaghetti Emporium and Musicale, eager to upgrade his menu by creating "the most dee-licious meatball this side of Sicily." It's all because a fried fritter fricassee parlor has opened next door, stealing all his business, which consists of a motley but endearing crew of animal friends. Of course there are a couple of big sneezes that send Jones' meatball a-flying, with side-splitting results. Johnson's illos captivate and engage with grand explosions of action and color. Includes full lyrics and a recipe for Yodeler's Spaghetti and Meatballs. (ages 4-8)



The Story of Noodles by Ying Chang Compestine, pictures by YongSheng Xuan (Holiday House, 2002). A lively, fetching tale of the three Kang brothers, who inadvertently "invent" mian tiao (flour strips), while they're supposed to be making dumplings for an annual cooking contest. Kids will love how a trio of mischievous boys manages to turn a misadventure into a winning dish. Xuan's papercut illos with bold outlines resemble stained glass, and presents interesting details about ancient Chinese village life. An Author's Note discusses the origin of noodles, and a tempting recipe for Long-Life Noodles will make kids want to "eat a drumstick," "suck a worm," and "cut the grass," just like the Kang brothers. (ages 4-8)

  

Siggy's Spaghetti Works by Peggy Thomson (Tambourine Books, 1993). Tag along as Siggy takes seven eager kids on a tour of his spaghetti factory, to see how dried pasta is made and packaged. The engaging narrative describes all the machinery used in the process, from the gigantic flour silos to the pasta cutters and dryers. The kids in the book react via speech balloons, and there are numerous sidebars full of interesting facts and tidbits.

Also included: types of pasta and some of the dies used to cut the different shapes, some pasta history, a Chinese noodle-making demonstration via step-by-step diagrams, a talking dog and pig, and a non-gratuitous mention of alphabet pasta. Kamen's ink and watercolor illos and diagrams are wonderfully detailed, with each page turn offering a delightful blend of fun and fact. Love the final double page spread where everyone eats their homework, and Siggy's pasta-themed wallpaper! (age 5+)

                    
                               Molto delicioso!
 

    

photo by red-head-bed-head


Go ahead, take a bite.

Yeah, I know. They're so not good for you. They're deep-fried balls of dough coated with an obscene amount of sugar, averaging at least 300 calories each. And that's not counting colored sprinkles or a dip into a luscious, velvety chocolate bath, or being shot in the middle with custard, cream, or jam.

But, OH! Who can resist a friendly doughnut? What's that? You'd prefer a honey glaze?

Okay, here then:

photo by PinkCupcake

And if you like yours filled, here's one with strawberry:

photo by GeeIJane

Oh, what the heck. Just pick what you want from the menu!



There's nothing like a warm, fresh doughnut with a cup of coffee. As soon as you bite into that soft, moist piece of heaven, it melts in your mouth, and your taste buds go into overdrive. Surely, whatever else has been troubling you disappears. There is only you, at that moment, and the delicious depth of sweet, I wanna-marry-you dough. Don't you envy policemen?

Though I've dallied with the likes of apple cinnamon, lemon-filled, and chocolate, my strongest emotional connections are with the simple, glazed doughnut. They're what I first had as a child. Whenever company came to our house, they brought along a box of yummy doughnuts with their lively talk and laughter, so I've always associated them with safe, happy times. I think the best glazed doughnuts I've ever eaten in my life were the ones from a busy little mall kiosk near my former workplace in Honolulu. They only made that one variety, but they were very large, always fresh and absolutely scrumptious.

Since living on the mainland, it's been mostly Dunkin' Donuts. Who doesn't love going into a shop on a Sunday morning and picking out a dozen favorites? Visiting in-laws in New Hampshire usually involves doughnuts, too. In fact, the very first munchkins I ever had came from a DD in Bedford. I had to grab one quick before my niece and nephews devoured them all. Those little doughnut holes are just so dang cute. Did you know they're called timbits in Canada?

But now, I need your advice. (Brace yourselves.) Though I'm a jam tart king and soup gourmand, I have never eaten a Krispy Kreme doughnut (gasp). I only first heard of them after seeing John Travolta go into that shop in "Primary Colors." It's not my fault. No Krispy Kreme shops anywhere near where I've lived. I think some of the grocery stores around here might carry them, but I want my first KK to come from a real shop -- I've been told there is something called the "Krispy Kreme experience," where you get to watch them baking those suckers, and I don't want to miss that.

       

So, are they that good? Are they worth driving a ways to the nearest shop? Or do you think Dunkin' Donuts are better, so I should be satisfied with them? Doughnut lovers, weigh in!

Dunkin' Donuts,

photo by QFamily

or Krispy Kreme?

photo by Jana Mills

This inquiring mind really wants to know.

And while we're at it, what's your favorite kind of doughnut? 

                                
Oh, and for delicious, calorie-free doughnuts, check out these picture books:

1. The Donut Chef by Bob Staake (Golden Books, 2008). A battle of the bakers is finally resolved when a little girl asks for a simple glazed doughnut. Retro/art deco illos featuring a rotund baker serve up tasty nibbles with every page turn. See Jen Robinson's review here.

   

2. The Great Doughnut Parade by Rebecca Bond (Houghton Mifflin, 2007). Truly marvelous things can happen when a doughnut is tied with a string. All the fun and cacaphony of an ever expanding parade is depicted in vibrant ink and watercolor illos, reminding us that a small thing can grow into something really big and amazing.



3. Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller (Henry Holt, 2003). Delve into the depths of doughnutty-ness in this zany frenzy of a book. Hilarious asides, captions, and irresistible talking pastries rendered in trademark Keller style will make you think twice about eating your next doughnut. (Cool interview with Laurie at 7-Imp is here.)



**Hey, why not make someone's day, and surprise them with a doughnut?

TONY AND THE PIZZA CHAMPIONS by Tony Gemignani,
(Chronicle Books, 2009), PB ages 4-8, 40 pp.


Holy Pepperoni!

Have you ever seen Tony Gemignani toss pizza dough?

He's a veritable legend and superstar, a master of pizza acrobatics that will make your jaw drop as he flips, twirls, whirls, rolls and spins pizza dough. Flying high with no fewer than nine World Pizza Championships, Tony first gained fame as a tosser, but later earned serious chops for creating the winning Neopolitan pizza at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy. This made him the first non-Italian citizen to win this highly prestigious prize in the city where pizza originated.

In Tony and the Pizza Champions (fresh from the Chronicle Books oven this month), Tony tells the story of how he and his friend, Ken, who works with him at Pyzano Pizzeria in Northern California, assembled a team of the finest tossers from around the country to compete in the World Pizza Championships in Italy. In their Pizzamobile, they first drive to Ohio, where they pick up Strong Sean and Mighty Mike. Then, it's off to South Carolina to meet up with Silly Siler, and finally, to New York City for Famous Joe.


Some of Tony's best moves.

Each member of the team has perfected a special trick -- the Sky-High, Rapid Fire, Whip, Whirlwind, and Double Trouble. With a lot of hard work and practice, they combine these in an incredible Top Secret routine that eventually astonishes the judges and earns them perfect scores. Bravo!

The lively narrative captures all the excitement of this fascinating sport, with a nod to the importance of determination, teamwork, and a healthy spirit of competition.Young readers will marvel at all the amazing tossing techniques, while nibbling on tantalizing tidbits about pizza variations in different parts of the U.S. and the world. Who knew that in some parts of Italy, people put french fries on their pizza? Or that in Japan, you can order a pie with mayonnaise, squid ink, and fish eggs? And do people in Philadelphia really wrap pizza slices around cheesesteak sandwiches?


Factoids about pizza around the world.

There's more fun at the end of the book, too, where Tony shares his recipe for the perfect pizza dough, as well as step-by-step instructions on tossing. There are also some tasty suggestions for making Pizza Faces, with links to the publisher's website for recipes and must-see videos of Tony in action.

Matthew Trueman's zany, eye-popping mixed media illustrations pulse with action, energy, and totally engaging comic exaggeration. I love Ken's flying hands as he performs the Whirlwind, the giant pizza dough that is so large one can only see Sean's big boots beneath it, and Silly Siler spinning dough with both hands while riding on a unicycle.
 
All of this frenzy explodes in a gatefold spread of the team's winning routine, the Pizza Pyramid. There's nary a dull moment sandwiched between the red and white checkered endpapers, which feature crave-worthy bell peppers and tomatoes. And it's loads of fun comparing the real photo of the team members with Trueman's caricatures of them. You gotta love all those dark, wiry eyebrows!


Brazil created a pizza tornado, while Italy did headstands and back flips.

Tony and the Pizza Champions will delight young pizza lovers, since it serves up a new spin on a favorite food. Cooking is an art, and some aspects of preparation can sometimes turn into a marvelous, awe-inspiring sport. A savory, satisfying read, topped with just the right blend of fun and facts.


The champs (l-r): Mike, Ken, Sean, Tony, Joe, and Siler.
(photo source)

Check out the Official World Pizza Champions website here.

Recipes for Tony's Pizza Sauce and Sweet Cherry Pizza are here.

Flip out over Tossing Tony's pizza dough tricks here.

Mangia, Mangia!

Tasty Tid:

Tony is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the Biggest Pizza in 2 Minutes Continuously Spinning (crust measuring 36.5 inches), and Most Consecutive Rolls Across the Shoulders in 30 Seconds (37 rolls).

*Interior spreads posted by permission, text copyright © 2009 Tony Gemignani, illustrations copyright © 2009 Matthew Trueman, published by Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.
 

"I believe 100% in the power and importance of music . . . I don't know much about God. But if everything does originate with God, then certainly songs do as well." ~ James Taylor


          

So, it's all about comfort here at alphabet soup this month, and whenever I want to lick my wounds, find my center, or just kick back and reflect, James Taylor, who turned 61 yesterday, is my man.

Not too long ago, a fan forum on Facebook asked us to name our top five James Taylor songs. Immediately, these came to mind:

Carolina in My Mind
Sweet Baby James
Close Your Eyes
Long Ago and Far Away
You've Got a Friend.

All but the last are Taylor's own compositions. Each is gorgeously lyrical, calming and reassuring. His unmistakable, warm baritone voice has been described as the equivalent of a photogenic face. Some things just come to this world whole and perfect.

But, like some things of immeasurable beauty, JT's music was born of a painful, turbulent past -- depression, mental institutions, heroin addiction, and later, the untimely death of his older brother, Alex, from alcoholism. I imagine music was Taylor's saving grace. For many of us who have been fans for decades, his songs are more than soothing exercises in introspection. They have the power to heal. As one reviewer noted, "Taylor didn't break your heart; he understood that it was already broken, as was his own, and he offered comfort."



I still remember when Taylor's breakthrough album, Sweet Baby James, first came out in 1970. What a balm it was after the turbulent 60's -- non-political, understated, ushering in a new decade of singer/songwriters, to include Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Cat Stevens. The title tune, which is Taylor's signature song and has been performed at every live concert since its release, still works for me on every level, and is probably my #1 comfort song. The purity of acoustic guitar and voice is absolute and forever.

You probably know "Sweet Baby James" was written in honor of Taylor's nephew. He was on the way to see him for the first time when the idea for a cowboy lullaby, in the tradition of old-time country singers like Roy Rogers, came to him.

Taylor admits the lyrics have the most complicated rhyme scheme in any song of his entire career. Two stanzas scan as abba, one with ababb, and then there's that one glorious, climactic stanza without end rhyme, that echoes the 3/4 waltz tempo with repetition of the word, "song," in three lines, bolstered by an alliterative "s":

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway,
A song that they sing when they take to the sea,
A song that they sing of their home in the sky --
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep,
But singing works just fine for me . . .

I also love the "Boston"/"frosting" assonance, and the whole lingering image of snow on the Berkshires, something I still dream about seeing someday:

Now the first of December was covered with snow,
And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston,
Lord, the Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting,
With ten miles behind me
And ten thousand more to go . . .

Sort of like "miles to go before I sleep"? All I know is, I'm always there with him on the open prairie in front of the campfire under a starlit sky. The cowboy may be alone with his thoughts, but his song travels to the sea, the sky, and finally to the land of dreams. And those moonlight ladies are so dang fine.

By now, you must want to hear JT sing it for you.

Here's the original version, and a more recent one, live with Taylor and the Dixie Chicks -- they bring the song home with beautiful harmonies, and Natalie's voice just aches with human longing.

Full lyrics can be found here.

Today's Poetry Friday Roundup (complete with little dogies), is at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Tip your cowboy hat to Tricia while you're ridin' the range.

If you tell me your favorite James Taylor song, you can have this piece of cowboy cake in honor of his birthday:

photo by cupcakeenvy

Tasty Tids: 

Prior to Sweet Baby James, Taylor recorded a self-titled album for Apple Records. When Paul McCartney first heard the demo, he said, "I just heard his voice and his guitar and I thought he was great . . . and he came and played live, and so it was just like, "Wow, he's great."

McCartney and Harrison guested on "Carolina in My Mind."

Taylor has been asked which of his songs means the most to him, and he admits it's "Carolina in My Mind." 

When I wrote it, I knew I had something. It was very early on and it did a job on me. It did some work for me. Internal work for me. Well, there's no better feeling when one comes through and it falls into place like that. And somehow solves a puzzle for you. In a way that comes from inside of you, but it's outside.

"Hello? Shanghai Garden? I'd like to place a take-out order, please."

"What you like?"

"One order beef chow fun, one order kung pao chicken, and a double order of moo shu pork."

"Name and phone numbah, please?"

"Jama Obama. 555-8888."

"Okay, pick up in 15 minutes."

I can hardly wait! You know how it goes. Sometimes you just gotta have those thin pancakes full of fried pork, scrambled eggs, tree ears, and lily buds. Oh, have I mentioned my life-long passion for chow fun?


photo by bionicgrrrl

Wide, flat noodles are my friend. As are those white cartons and wooden chopsticks! Those little packets of soy sauce. Everything all warm and cozy in a nice brown bag. Yay! I don't have to cook dinner tonight! Chinese take-out, you're more than just comfort food. After seducing my taste buds with all your fine flavors, you spell out my life in fortune cookies.

Prophecies, proverbs, advice, great one-liners -- so concise and far reaching -- just the right crack of poetry after plum sauce. I think it would be a fine thing to write fortunes for a living. Imagine the lives I could touch with just a few words! They would carry the weight of hopes, dreams, the future, maybe even change.

What's that? You're hungry?

Well then, here's a very cool take-out poem for you, full of crisp, heady fortunes you're going to want to bite into more than once (some of them appear in that first photo up there):

LINES FOR THE FORTUNE COOKIE
by Frank O'Hara


photo by inediblejewelry

I think you're wonderful and so does everyone else.

Just as Jackie Kennedy had a baby boy, so will you -- even bigger.

You will meet a tall beautiful blonde stranger, and you will not say hello. 

You will take a long trip and you will be very happy, though alone.

You will marry the first person who tells you your eyes are like scrambled eggs.

(Rest the rest here.)

Oh, I've written some fortunes just for you:


The lovely Anastasia Suen is hosting the Roundup today at Picture Book of the Day. When you see her, ask her if she'd like some kung pao.

Tasty tids:

The modern-day fortune cookie was actually invented by Japanese immigrants in California.

They are practically unheard of in Mainland China and Taiwan.

Frank O'Hara (1926-1966), once roomed with Edward Gorey at Harvard.

He was a music major, poet, playwright, art critic, and associate museum curator at MOMA, who died tragically at the age of 40 from injuries sustained in a car accident.

                               

Oop! Gotta go. My order's ready!

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them comfortable."
                                                                                  ~ Ina Garten

      

March winds are howling outside, everyone's worried about the economy, and writing is hard, hard, hard.

We all need some serious comfort, if you ask me.

I could be quite happy with some of this:

Homemade chicken noodle soup.
(photo by mooshee85)

or this:

Datsa one spicy meatball!
(photo by chocolatemonster)

or even this:

There's nothing like homemade mac and cheese!

Okay, twist my arm, and I'll make short work of this:

Marry me, warm, moist fudgy brownie.
(photo by jazzijava)

It's all good. Whatever gets you through the day, gives you pleasure, fills a void, cures the blues, or rewards you for a job well done. Comfort food always hits the spot. It's easy to make, inexpensive, and, in this day and age of techno chi chi poo everything, uncomplicated. 

We all have our favorites. According to University of Illinois-Urbana marketing professor, Brian Wansink (you may remember Brian from the soup personality survey I posted last January) -- the choice of comfort food is gender specific. Men seem to prefer hearty meals like their mamas used to cook, while women like snacks requiring little or no preparation (amen to that).

But whether it's meat loaf or dark chocolate, our comfort food preferences were formed in childhood, so this particular pleasure is a conditioned response. So true. Butter me some toast and slather it with guava jelly, and I'm back in Grandma Kim's kitchen. When I'm under the weather, spoon feed me some chicken noodle soup like my mommy did. What about some soul soothing fried chicken, a little crisp on the outside, so very moist on the inside? Or the best creamed tuna on the planet? I received my fair share of both, courtesy of Aunty Ellen.

The psychological implications are fascinating. Ask a man what his favorite comfort food is, and you'll learn not only about his childhood, but about regional, ethnic, or socio-economic factors still influencing his eating habits today.

Take me (please). I'm all for organic, heart-healthy stuff -- but when Len's traveling for business and I need to feel less alone, I crave this:

    
A "zip pack" from Zippy's, a chain restaurant in Hawai'i.
(photo by newyork808)   

Or maybe this, which reminds me of the time, at age 3, I sang "The Unchained Melody" in a saimin restaurant, and received hearty applause from all the customers.

Saimin is unique to Hawai'i.
(photo by James Rubio)

In this time of uncertainty, my free and easy childhood days in Hawai'i beckon, in the form of food that feels safe and familiar.

Typical Hawaiian meal: laulau, kalua pig, poke, poi, lomi lomi salmon, and haupia.


You haven't lived unless you've eaten hot malasadas from Leonard's Bakery.
(photo by newyork808)


Favorite snacks from Hawai'i, compliments of my family.

I've saved a place at my table for you all month long, so I hope you drop by often. There'll be a little pasta, a little pizza, a couple of doughnuts, a special guest -- and a bottomless bowl of mama-huggin', I love-you-as-you-are comfort.

So, tell me: What's your favorite comfort food?