Last week I was sick. It was one of those things that came out of nowhere. One day I was fine, but the next day I woke up with my nose dripping like a faucet and major sinus pressure. Fortunately, the day before I had just received a copy of Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs. Feeling rotten was as good an excuse as any I could think of to devote some time to dig into this book. I spent most of the morning curled up on the couch with my book while Kyle watched TV. I can’t think of a better remedy. The only problem with my self-prescribed cure occurred two days into this weeklong affliction when my eyes were too itchy to read.
I was familiar with Kate Jacobs’ first novel The Friday Night Knitting Club. I had certainly heard about the blockbuster best-seller that Julia Roberts has signed on to produce and star in, but I hadn’t read it (after enjoying Comfort Food so much, it’s definitely on my to be read list). Knowing that Comfort Food offers a peek into the life of fictional celebrity cooking host Augusta “Gus” Simpson, I was immediately drawn to it. A book–about food and the life of a foodie?–for a bookworm like me who reads cookbooks like novels and also indulges in reality food TV programming, this was an irresistible combination.
The novel lived up to my expectations. I was quickly drawn into Gus’s life. The book opens with her contemplating her favorite 
comfort food–birthday cake–as she’s about to turn 50. Gus was featured on the Cooking Channel due to the success of the small luncheonette that she opened after her husband died suddenly, leaving her with two young children to support. She immediately achieved success and stardom being the hostess that everyone wanted to be, but it came at the expense of her relationship with her daughters. Now they are adults dealing with their own problems, and perfect Gus suddenly has some problems of her own. When the Cooking Channel begins to falter, the one thing that Gus has been good at–her career–is in jeopardy. When she is forced to team up with a hot young chef, Carmen Vega, to see if they can create a successful new show, sparks fly–between siblings, mother and daughters, members of the opposite sex, and jealous co-stars.
Kate Jacobs describes the characters this way. “They have to tackle what’s on their already-full plates and learn to accept the different flavors in each bite of life: Some are bitter, some are sweet, and some are a combination. Together, all the different flavors make up a perfect meal.”
I could apply the same recipe to Comfort Food : The eclectic cast in this delicious novel comes together after a quick pan-searing. The flavors meld, with nothing too spicy (language or adult situations), and a plot that lingers long after your first bite. After indulging the reader will be left satisfied, yet hungry for more.
Check out Kate Jacobs’ website for more info on Comfort Food, including a reading guide and an excerpt. She also has created a site for the fictional Cooking Channel, complete with recipes.
Would you like to win one of 5 copies of this novel? Share your recipe for success when you need comfort. Is it a favorite food or beverage? Perhaps an activity? I think that for me it’s gotta be books.
The winners of last week’s book, Roadmap to Holland, are
#134 Michelle Rosborough
#69 Sara Alvaro
#138 Kathy Pease
An ice cold Dr Pepper when it’s hot outside and a roast chicken and garlic mashed potatoes when it’s cold!
A bubble bath and a long sleep!
dansan826 at yahoo
I like watching TV or movies to relax usually. Sometimes I read or draw as well.
I call Papa John’s and bury my sorrows in a pepperoni and mushroom pizza. No, I don’t work there, but they deliver.
Prayer is the answer for me.
A chocolate brownie with nuts and frosting about an inch or 2 thick.
Coffee and books give me confort. I also find comfort in the Lord.
For me “comfort food” is my mom’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes while wearing my favorite pj’s & reading travel guides to places I like to dream about going one day.
Give me some chocolate!
I find comfort just sitting outside enjoying the sounds of nature.
Lately its been regular full calorie soda. Especially root beer.
Whenever I need comfort, I go run/walk 2 miles at Forsythe Park. The fresh air and lake breeze does the trick, along with the solitude.
jceko77@yahoo.com
homemade soup!
cup of tea and a good book
Hands down it’s books! The perfectr escape.
Mashed potatoes and soups.
Pasta is my comfort food!
usually pepperidge farm cookies help me feel better 🙂
Soft relaxing music
I like to hide away in my room and just daydream for a few minutes. If I have a moment for me then life is good! Oh and a piece or two of dark chocolate can help from time, to time!
For me comfort is a Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappacino, my laptop reading blogs and a quiet house while the kids are at school! Great giveaway! Thanks for offering this!
~Tanya
the4moyers(at)msn(dot)com
I watch movies, order pizza and eat a ton of ice cream. So unhealthy for the body but it does help the spirit – just a little.
Ingredients for 100% inner-peace:
1 warm blanket
2 young children
An infinite number of stars
First, disable all ringers and turn off porch lights. Preheat some snuggles, and wait until the oven that is your yard this time of year has cooled to a comfortable, but crisp, temperature. Spread fuzzy blanket on grass, and count stars, wish on the shooting ones, and keep an eye out for satellites. Press 1 child to your side, repeat with other. May additionally need to add bug spray (optional). Your recipe is done when 1, or all of you, starts snoring. 😉
I talk to my mom or my best friends when I need comfort.
Thanks!
In any kind of weather, I enjoy my mug of hot cocoa.
It’s my special low calorie recipe, but gives me the comfort of that good old chocolate taste. I use real dutch unsweetened coca, skim milk and sweet’n’low. A real treat with my little cat curled up on my lap, at any time.
Iced mochas, good quality chocolate, and sourdough bread with butter are some of my favorite comfort foods.
get away from whatever/go for a walk
my comfort food is pizza nad a good movie
Chocolate & chick flicks- need I say more? 🙂
When I need comfort, I make me some iced tea, curl up in a blanket, and put on reruns of the Golden Girls. A little humor is very comforting.
when i get a migraine, my 2 1/2 year old will tell me “it’s ok mommy, where does it hurt, i’ll kiss it” and then he goes and gets me an ice pack and tells his father to get me brownies and a magazine, after all of that i can’t help but smile!
fresh hot Chebe tapoica cheese balls with lots of butter!
Chocolate!!
Each year 96 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S.
Going running helps to clear my mind.
Just like you, I like to snuggle up in my warm bed with a good book and an ice cold pepsi. And if my DH wants to stop by with a nice sandwich, I wouldn’t argue.
Mashed potatoes and gravy, just like my Grandma used to make. Yum!
Eating Hershey”s Kisses and watching a chick flick with my daughters!
watching Seinfeld while eating spicy spaghetti, it always works!
Movie theater butter microwave popcorn.
my comfort food is always chocolate
Just give me a bowl of creamy mashed potatos!
Yummy!
Baked goods are my comfort foods. Especially cake or cookies.
quiet time
I play on internet or read.
In the winter I take a long, steamy, aromatic bubble bath in candlelight. Then wrap myself in a fluffy, cozy bath rub and curl up with a mug of cocoa or tea and read a firey romance novel.
When I’m having a bad day, I have to sit down & have my coffee.
I pick up my knitting needles. I can’t wait for Friday Night Knitting Club movie to come out.
Ice cream and pretzel thins is my latest comfort food.
TV and laptop is comfort for me, thanks for the giveaway
just to cool
Win, Win, Win!!!
Playing Scrabulous with my friends online
Reading does it for me. Nothing relaxes me and takes my mind off stressful things like a good book does.
I put on my old favorite comforting sweatshirt.
A good ole pint of Blue Bell ice cream is all I need…oh, and a spoon, of course!
Baking … especially brownies!
I am a happy man as long as I have my meat.
I always go back to a favorite comfort food that takes me back to my childhood, especially if it was one that I remember watching my greatgrandmother cook 🙂
I enjoy riding my bike
home shows
hot chocolate and a book
First take a shower then Get yourself relaxed and put some lilac lotion on to relax. Then turn off your phone and get one of your favorite book and just stay in bed and read! Thanks
Comfort? Would have to be a good movie or good book or a big ol’ bowl of mashed potatoes.
Snuggling up in bed with a cup of tea and a good book is always comforting.
I love to relax with a good movie, or take my kids to the park to get out our energy and have fun as a family!
Sipping a cup of coco with marhmellows.LOL
For me, it’s cuddling up with hubby and a great cup of coffee and watching a wonderful movie. Thank you!
Sadly it could be food (baked goods). Also can be hiding in my bed reading or sleeping. Thanks,
Maureen (jnomaxx at hotmail dot com)
For me it’s some cuddle time with my husband. Nothing like a big hug to make things seem better.
It depends on the time/day/stressor. I would first try a long walk on the trail with my dogs and my Higher Power; talking to my partner or my mother, both give me solace. Reading is my favorite indoor escape ~ this looks like a GREAT read!
Thanks for the contests!
HOMEMADE HOT FUDGE:
running hot and thick over a big bowl of ice cream
—–or straight up, spoon to mouth!
this is a love of mine, cooking
I just love buffets!
A big hot pasty from the U.P. of Michigan.
cherry coke
THANK YOU GOD BLESS
A cup of hot tea for sure. thank you
CHOCOLATE IS MY COMFORT FOOD 🙂
What a great site…..Keep up the EXCELLENT work!!!!!!!!!
Please enter me & Thank you 🙂
I am comforted by putting on a pair of jammies, snuggling under a favorite blanket and sipping hot cocoa. Good grief – have I entered my 2nd childhood already?
Thank you for having this contest. I really appreciate it.I like to go fishing!
I like putting on my favorite pajamas, unplugging the phone and reading in bed
Thank you for having this contest. I really appreciate it.
Taking a hot bath with a good book and my cat lying on the bath rug next to the tub.
Mojito with mint from my garden.
I jump on my trampoline in the backyard. It makes me feel like a kid again and lightens my mood.
Italian food I was raised in Italy
Cuddling on the couch with my hubby comforts me. A cup of chamomile ginger tea relaxes and sooths me.
I make a cup of coffee and listen to my ipod
When I used to need to unwind during stressful times, my husband would take me to Pzza Hut for their pizza sticks and a soda. We got a change of scenery, had some time to relax and talk about things, and it didn’t cost a lot to have a bit of a mid-evening snack, before going home, hopefully ready to take on things anew in the morning. That used to work great before kids, but come to think of it, we haven’t done that in a very, very long time now…too long, in fact. Perhaps we should try revisiting that kind of date night again sometime.
I instantly feel better when I talk to my husband because he loves me unconditionally no matter how rediculous I may be. He’s always supportive and loving and gives a great pep talk!
MY COMFORT FOOD IS PIZZA AND DR PEPPER
Curling up with a cup of tea and a large chocolate bar always cheers me up.
Pringles Sour Cream and Onion Chips, Orange Soda and the Red Sox…!!! 🙂
It has to be a cup of earl grey tea for me when I’m feeling blue. It’s magic. Please enter me.thanks,Anne
My Mom’s quiche always makes me feel better.
Hello! What a marvelous sounding book! I love a book with quirky/eclectic characters. My “comfort food” is working in and looking at my flower bed. It is full of color and variety. I love it. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks, Cindi
My “comfort food” is definitely reading. Whether it’s a novel that I’ve been dying to dive into or a magazine, there is nothing like curling up on the couch or in bed to relax me!
Red wine or my mom’s chocolate chip cookies.
Kinda counterintuitive, but either a bowl of warm pasta with great sauce or a walk through the neighborhood for some fresh air.
When I need comfort I cuddle up under my soft microfiber blankie and watch a DVD with a bowl of microwave popcorn. I love cold winter nights so I can do this!
CHOCOLATE anything!
Praying 🙂
brownies
eating ice cream loaded with hot fudge. the hot fudge brings extra comfort.
I love ice cream!! If it is nice out I may go swimming. When I go under water I imagine blocking out the whole world.
A hot cup of tea and a good novel.
A trashy tabloid magazine and some junk food make me feel better.
Iced coffee with Dove chocolates!
Chocolate, Coca-Cola, a salty snack and then curling up with “Little Women”, “100 Years of Solitude”, “Love in the Time of Cholera” or any of the Harry Potter books. If I can’t read then give me Mary Poppins, Little Mermaid or Cinderella and I’m a happy camper…but gotta have the chocolate!
When it’s time for comfort, I call my mum and have a good moaning session. Then, I wait until my little one is napping; I leave the dirty dishes stacked up in the sink, I leave the laundry where it’s been strewn and I block out the world for a bit by immersing myself in a good book and snacking on chocolate raisins:)
A steaming mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and a good book.
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!
When I need comfrot I bake a large bowl of homemade mac & cheese. Then I call my mom. Doing this always makes me feel better.
I always like good old macaroni and cheese.
I take a bath and have some chocolate.
When I need comfort I grab some chocolate and call my sister.
I hate to admit it, but Velveeta Shells and Cheese always makes me feel better.
When I need comfort, I call my sister to go grab a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. She does the same with me. Heck, I love doing that even when I don’t need comfort!
I’d love to win this for my best friend, a foodie!
Bubble bath, chocolate covered cherries, and champagne. Always hits the spot!
for me comfort food is spelled Mac & cheese. gooey, fat filled, mac & cheese. for dessert chocolate ice cream (can we say ben & jerry?) i curl up in bed, wrap the covers around me and hug my pillow
What a wonderful prize!
A hug, a note, or just the sound of my husband’s always calm voice.
Books, blankets, my big red chair, and a cup of coffee.
I go swimming. I am a water sign and to be surrounded by the water makes all the stress melt away and allows me quiet time to think things through.
My favorite activity for comfort has to be going onto the deck and watching the sailboats and fishing boats out on the water. They always look so nice out there! Thanks for a great giveaway!
Being alone with a good novel is definitely a sure thing for me! I really enjoyed The Friday Night Knitting Club, as well.
Book are my source of comfort.
My favorite comfort is spending time with my daughter. When my daughter was five my parents took her from me due to my alcoholism. I moved to florida April 4 2007, the day my daughter turned 19, with 10 1/2 years sobriety, my car payed off and money saved for the move after years of working two and three jobs.
mothers day 2008 I saw her get her associates degree with 3.8 GPA. Even though she lives five minutes from me, she sent me a card saying thanks for being at my college graduation, standing beside me and cheering me on.
What comforts me the most is CHOCOLATE, most specifically peanut M & M’s.
A cup of hot tea and a good book
Comfort happens for me when I spend time with my kids doing something we all enjoy together!
in the winter time: music (like “Lakeside Retreat” instrumentals), hot tea, a book…and chocolate!
in the summer: iced tea, an actual lakeside, and a book
For me it’s a big cup of sweet tea, a good book, and a couple of kitties to cuddle with. Ahhh. Hope I win the good book. 😉
Chinese takeout
Baked good are my comfort food. And coffee.
They go well together don’t they!? They would be even better with a book in hand.
donuts
My favorite comfort is sitting with my laptop and my favorite blog, or a can’t-put-it-down book.
I love to get into some comfy clothes and curl up with a good book.
Hmm. Depending on the time of day I need comfort, it is found in a latte, baking, making Bacon Leek and Tomato macaroni and cheese and eating it, or a hot bath with either hot or cold tea depending on the season, and a really good book to read while in the tub~! And essential oils.
Lalycairn at gmail.com
My very favorite comfort food is my husband’s cooking!!! Whenever we are ill, or just down, my husband makes a huge pot of his chicken pauperkosh!! Just it’s smell comforts me!!! My kids love it too!!! My 2 youngest kids had the flu last week, and my husband and I were sleep deprived because for 3 nights my sick little 18 month old wouldn’t sleep! So we were all comforted by this food!!
Relaxing = hot bath, candles, glass of wine, and a good book.
Sounds like a great book! I’d love to win!
Friday Night Knitting Club was a fantastic read! That’s exciting that they are making it into a movie. I definately want to read this one. My newest “comfort food” has been sewing. And when I don’t have time for that peanut butter out of the jar is an excellent stand-by!
A good movie (usually You’ve Got Mail), a blanket, and laying on the couch!
I like to get a good book, a diet coke and climb into the bathtub and soak. Or if there’s time, head to the bookstore to spend a couple of hours.
Books (an easy read), a cozy blanket, and a bag of chips (or carrots if I’m on a diet).
Pad Thai. Something about that dish makes me happy.
If I’m sick it’s cream of mushroom soup!
My comfort food is homemade potato soup-appeals to the Irish side of me!
There is nothing more comforting than southern comfort and lemonade!
My husband.
Chocolate
A good book and a hot bubble bath always works — followed by a new coat of paint on my toenails. :0)
Thanks for the giveaway!
Megret
My comfort food IS food…either that or Pliates or finding comfort in my husband. But usually I go straight to a heaping bowl of pasta, unfortunately!
I go for a nice slow drive out in the country.
My recipe for success is taking time for myself to read, shop, or just watch tv and gather my thoughts together.
My recipe for success when I need comfort is to find a cozy place (bed or couch) and knit or read.
A cup of iced coffee with whipped cream while sitting on my swing in my backyard.
One word – CHOCOLATE… enough said 😉
This book looks like a great read!
definitely books. we’re four days away from moving, and i can sure tell you that i escape into books periodically for respite! although potato chips, buttery air-popped popcorn or warm chocolate chip cookies are also really good!!
I know its bad for me, But it always a cigarette and coffee to comfort me.
My comfort food is food! lol I love to eat. But maybe I would pick my favorite to be candy…chocolate candy…yum.
Ice cream!
Sending the kids off in the in-laws, snuggling DaHubby on the couch while we both enjoy bowls of ice cream! LOL
When I need comfort . . . well, that depends on WHY I need comfort. If I am sad, I turn to my husband for a hug. If I am upset with my husband, I eat macaroni and cheese. If I am angry, I workout. And, if I am generally stressed, I hop in a hot bath and read for about two hours.
a massage from the hubby
I am a book nerd! I would chose sitting down with a good book to taking a jog or eating ice cream any day! I’ve never heard of this book, thanks for the recommendation!
Chocolate ice cream comforts me.
Comfort for me? a quiet house and a magazine!
It’s books for me, too. I’m an escapist.
My favorite comfort is going to pick up my mom and going for a ride or doing a little retail therapy!
Yep, I go right for food when I need comforting – usually a pot of soup or a big pot of meatballs/sauce or something involving mashed potatoes!
Soup is definitely my preferred comfort food. And being an avid reader and a bit of a foodie myself, this book sounds perfect!
I enjoyed snuggling up with a good book especially a book that focus on a new hobby or such
Comfort for me is definitely snuggling on the couch with my hubby & watching a movie – that ALWAYS makes me feel better! Thanks for having such a great giveaway; I love books!!
Sewing therapy! I just dug out my sewing machine a few months ago, after YEARS in storage, and I can’t believe how much happier I feel to have that creative release! I’m trying to lose ten pounds, so I’m trying to stay away from emotional eating, and I find that sewing can be very therapeutic. Plus, you end up with a cool finished product! 🙂
My comfort food is chocolate cake, and to relax every night I knit.
http://lifeislikechampagne.blogspot.com/
Comfort is relaxing in a hot bath with a book and a drink.
I loved Friday Night Knitting Club, so I really hope I win this!
I adored the Friday Night Knitting Club. I devoured it in one sitting. I’m such a foodie and a complete bibliophile. I must have this book!! I hope I win it, it sounds wonderful!!
Comfort is wrapped up in the down comforter with a good book and a quiet house. Not that it happens often, but it’s still comfort. A piece of Dove Dark doesn’t hurt either 😉
My comfort food would have to be hot chocolate!
strolling through a bookstore without my kids is a comfort especially after a mentally taxing day.
monica
I make myself a cup of Chai Tea, sit in my comfy chair, and call my cat to sit with me…and she comes. Totally relaxing.
Journaling while listening to music does comfort me, but in times of trouble I am most comforted when I sit in an empty church and meditate.
One huge comfort to me is reading!!
when i was a little girl and my parents were having financial and relationship problems i learned to find comfort in books and stories!!
My dream day is still to stay in bed and read. It doesn’t happen to much with four kiddos, but every now and then…
Nice review!
The quickest path to comfort for me is a cup of tea.
I clip on my iPod Shuffle and take off for a twenty minute walk. Music inspires and energizes me. I think I’m most comforted by music.
Books give me space to process what’s going on in my head, clearing the clutter while expanding my horizons.
It is definitely snuggling with my two little maltese. They love me unconditionally! (But I love to read too).
ICE CREAM!!! It always makes me feel better anyway:)
Has to be calling my mom. Sometimes I just need to hear her voice.