Thursday, October 7, 2010

Nostalgia post: Childhood comfort food

Did you have any? That you still crave? Lately, I've been really craving mashed potatoes, a childhood staple (it was fun to shape them into "volcanoes" with melted butter for "lava").

I also loved peanut butter jelly sandwiches, while my (British) significant other enjoyed crisp sandwiches (eh?)

CRISP SANDWICH
A British childhood classic
Take a small pile of slightly-crushed crisps (potato chips) and squish them, with raw sliced onions, between two generously buttered slices of (I quote) "the most unhealthy white bread you can find." Voila!
Note:
For non-Brits, I *totally* understand if this sounds crazy! :)

P.S. Classic crisp sandwich (key to a (British) man's heart?)...

38 comments:

Rowena said...

Okay so the question begs to be asked...how do you like this crisp sandwich? (that is if you've eaten it). It's like another gray day so I'm going to break out the rice pot & frying pan and make me some spam musubi.

K and S said...

I would eat this (except for the raw onions). I like raw onions probably just not in this.

Justine said...

how funny, I read two days ago that they have banned crisp sandwiches from asda!! it is a british staple. My daughter's comfort food is boiled eggs and soldiers, another great british meal!

Unknown said...

oooh a crisp sandwich yum my fave xxxx

Paula said...

That's hilarious! My husband still likes a sneaky crisp sandwich, although he tends to add the crisps from my children's plate as an afterthought into an otherwise healthy and nutritious gourmet sandwich made by yours truly! Why are there crisps on my children's plate in the first place you may ask? Well - I make a good sandwich, but I'm not Superhuman! xxx
p.s. As it gets colder I positively YEARN for Shepherds pie or Cottage pie and peas slathered with butter. Another British staple I think.

Nicki said...

Your classic crisp sandwich recipe is so adorable--the most unhealthy white bread you can find. :]

My comfort food would definitely be pb&j sandwiches. In fact, I'm eating one right now for breakfast!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Childhood fav's for comfort food for me would include mac' n cheese and banana sandwiches.
My mother is British but she never gave us crisp sandwiches. I remember being there one summer and my English cousins eating them - I tasted and liked very much, they didn't put onions on them though.

Brandi said...

Crisp sandwiches don't sound too healthy, but then again, neither is fast food. I loved PB&J growing up and grilled cheeses (which is my go-to dish when I need some comfort food). And my grandmother's pizzelles and pierogies. My mother wasn't such a good cook so I remember my grandmother's cooking much more.

Lisa Gordon said...

I actually liked (ok, still like!) a combination of both. Peanut butter and jelly with chips on it!!

Anonymous said...

My comfort food? Same as yours, mashed potatoes. Although I do like a good bowl if homemade veggie stew/soup.

Signe said...

I love mashed potatoes so much I can eat only that! Yeah really :)

Anonymous said...

Yes! Crisp sandwiches. The boys at my boarding school always used to eat them during the mid-morning break. Salt and vinegar crisps and a huge buttered bap, no onions, though. Yum! Definitely childhood classic!!! hahaha love it!!!

Stacey said...

These look delish and yes, i crave sweet potato pudding:-). I especially love how my grandmother used to make it- yum! XX

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

Hmmm... sounds kinda good.

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

Haha that crisp sandwichs sound horribly unhealthy but oh so delicious! I'd definitely give it a shot minus the raw onions :)

xoxo

Tiffany Kadani said...

This does sounds crazy. Crazy I have never had a crisp sammy before!!! I would totally eat this baby! Beautiful photographs.

Isabel said...

im not british but id be willing to try the crisp sandwich LOL in highschool a girl used to bring a bag of doritos and a white bun for lunch..shed crush the chips and put it in the bun. DELICIOUS. but weird.

Nikki said...

oh my these look like some serious comfort food. Love the pics!


xx
Nikki

Jude said...

Rowena - I've actually tried and to my surprise - loved it! (Mm, craving some spam musubi now)
Kat - yeah, I tried it sans raw onions too, that was the better version :)
Justine - I can't believe that! Why? Boiled eggs & soldiers almost made it here too! So sweet your daughter likes it :)
Kirsty - haha, makes sense you'd like! :)
Mrs. Sutton - mmmm, you are making me so hungry - those all sound d-lish, and hahaha - you'd need eyes behind your head to catch your hubby in the act!
Nicole - it was told it *had* to be unhealthy white bread (none of that healthy stuff would've been "classic" enough! :))
Jeanette - mmm, loved mac n cheese too, and I used to add bananas to the peanut butter sandwiches - so funny you remembered crisp sandwiches from your English cousins!
Brandi - so funny, my mum wasn't a great cook for a long time, so I remembered my dad's cooking more! :) I love grilled sandwiches too, and a good pierogi now & then!
Lisa - OK, that is brilliant! I've never heard and I think I'll *have* to try that with my next PBJ! :)
Ashley - mmmm, a good bowl of veggie soup/stew (any soup/stew, actually) is sounding really good right now :)
Signe - lol, that's so funny! I went through that as a kid, and I still do that now as an adult! :)
Cafe Bellini - yum yum, you've just made me realize I need some salt & vinegar chips as soon as possible! :)
Stacey - that sounds soo good! Mmmm...there's something in Hawaii that I love - we just call it sweet potato pie - but I wonder if there are similarities in the preparation & dish?
Krysten - I was totally skeptical, then I tried it & was pleasantly surprised :)
Dawn - I agree, I cringed even typing the "recipe" up, but I figured oh well, I like my fat & salt sometimes! :)
Tiffany - hahaha, it'll certainly be different! I admit, I actually liked that thing (to my eternal surprise!)
Isabel - that is so funny! I love how kids can be so creative & weird - sounds like a nice Dorito sandwich :)
Nikki - thanks! I think it's this chillier fall weather - always makes me crave comfort food! :)

Annie said...

Such a fun post! I have ALWAYS LOVED chips on sandwiches - it's the best!!!!

Connie @ SogniESorrisi said...

Grilled cheese for sure and Nutella sandwhiches.

Rosie Grey said...

Such a wonderful post, Jude! I've never heard of crisp sandwich before! I would try it :-) And I know I love mashed potatoes! Is there anything typical Hawaiian you would compare with a crisp sandwich? I'd love to hear!

Amber said...

mmm comfort food! For me that means Homemade Mac & Cheese :)

BenchesnChandeliers said...

oh do i! i have so many favorite childhood meals, including the classic mac & cheese and chicken noodle soup!

http://www.benchesandchandeliers.com

Unknown said...

i love your blog...

haha
so many delicious

Isa said...

Comfort food is so fascinating to me, because it's different in different cultures. Mac 'n Cheese for example doesn't mean much to people outside the US. And I'm sure Sauerkraut and Knoedel won't mean much to Americans. :)

Just goes to show how deeply we forge alliances as children, with food, with people, with cultures, with countries.

Style, She Wrote said...

Love the PB&J image. It looks ooey gooey good. Yum!

Punctuation Mark said...

yum!!! that is very comfort food!!!

Collette Osuna said...

Love homemade mashed potatoes and PB&J:)

Enter my Wendy Hammer Designs Purse Giveaway♥
Statements in Fashion Blog

Gabby / Gypsy*Diaries said...

I remember this smell from the kindergarden cafeteria... I dont know what it was but I'm searching for it for some time now :)
Happy Weekend!
xxx

http://gypsy-diaries.blogspot.com/
http://blogcouture.bigcartel.com/

Rose H (UK) said...

My favourite crisp sandwich is white bread, sardine and tomato fish paste and plain salted crisps! Mmmmmm :o)

Rosie leavesnbloom said...

I love crisp sandwiches - I haven't had them for ages. I might have one for supper now lol

Plenty of butter or margarine on them too and if it was cheese and onion flavour then I sometimes used to add grated cheese aswell.

My husband adores toast with marmalade and then slices of cheddar cheese on top and then another piece of toast on top to make a sandwich. I used to think it was disgusting - I tried it not so long ago and he's right it is delicious.

Lee Oliveira said...

OHHHH.. Crisp sandwich.. love love love..
I am going to eat one right now.
you know how much i am obsessed with your inspirations
LOx

Oh, My Darling said...

Oooh, food nostalgia!!! For me, it's a complete chicken dinner, with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, etc. My mom makes it every time I come home, even though it's not really my favorite any more.

RD said...

Someone just told me about crisp sandwiches - I was shocked. It makes a Kraft slice look like health food! I always liked potatoes and spinach as a child, along with raisins, cherries, and strawberries. Still like all of these! I've got steady tastes.... xo bb

molly said...

that is SO weird. it's like, oniony salty in various textures. i wonder if there's a haute crisp sandwich restaurant in england these days...

Anonymous said...

I haven't eaten it in years--but one of my favourite childhood dishes was cooked by my dad: kraft dinner (instant-ish macaroni and cheese) with a can of tuna and cooked peas. Topped off with vast amounts of ketchup, of course. He also had "Dad Burgers" and pancakes in his repertoire :)

thelayeredpancake said...

oh wow i didnt know it was british...i thought it was something i invented in my own kitchen! they are so yum, and it tastes so so good with philadelphia cheese. i never added the onions though...sounds good.
and the first photograph reminds me of another on of my creations, cheese and ketchup sandwiches..i had a huge ketchup phase when i was a kid. i would even eat with plain rice..ick.
i love mashed potatoes...and things potato related..i think i may have mentioned this earlier.

Related Posts with Thumbnails