Alie & Georgia's Most-Vital Comfort Food
Jeremiah Alley, Â 2013, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
More than anything else, people will ask us, “Alie and Georgia — which one is which, and does it matter?”
But the second most-common question we get is, “How did you get your job, and what does it have to do with chicken nuggets?”
It’s a great question, and one we ask ourselves often. See, we started our entire hosting-cocktail-entertaining expert career semi-accidentally. We made a farcical video for a fictitious drink called a McNuggetini and it went viral. When we were offered jobs to create more cocktails, we dove in like harried med students and learned everything we could about actual, palatable drinks, distilled spirits and the history of Prohibition-era beverages. And we got good at it, thank god.
But we dreamed up the McNugg long ago because we were tired and hungry. After long days at soul-draining desk jobs, we wanted a postwork salve that was dinner, dessert and a cocktail all in “one chalice of multitasking.”
So what do you do when you need comfort food? How far is too far? (Don’t think we’ve never made architectural sketches for a papasan chair made of pizza.)
Well, here are our three most-vital comfort food recipes that are just enough of a treat to help you unwind, bond with a friend and maaaaaybe inspire your own Cooking Channel career. No promises.
The cornerstone of comfort food is lasagna. Nothing says “I don’t CARE if you fit me, pants!” like a trough of carbs nestled in layers of cheese blankets. The hero of bad-mood curmudgeonry, Garfield himself, relies on lasagna almost like a vital pharmaceutical, and with good reason. Carbs can deliver a serotonin rush that will make your bad day or ogre of a boss seem to dissolve into thin air. However, it’s a belly bomb. So if you’re in need of a lasagna fix, perhaps opt for our girl Giada’s individual veggie lasagnas, which are meatless and ever so much healthier. They’re also portioned out in ramekins, which prevents you from eating an acre of casserole in one sad sitting.
You need chocolate. Like someone on the battlefield needs triage. We get it. When the blues strike, chocolate can save your life — or at least your day. After all, compounds in chocolate can create a rise in dopamine, the very same neurochemical that makes us feel like we’re in love. So make a batch of our chocolate espresso cuppa-cakes (pictured above), which are again in individual portions. They feature a happy dollop of whipped cream and the added uplifter of caffeine, which will keep you smiling and feeling blissful, even if you’re just on the couch with your cat.
With the right number of drinks (like one; maaaaaybe two), you can create a little bit of euphoria. However, have more than that and your brain chemistry turns on you and slides into dysphoria. So, as with lasagna and dessert and street drugs and horseracing and anything else that requires common sense to be involved in, use some moderation, buddy. One of our favorite feel-good drink recipes is our own Pump Up the Jams cocktail because it’s easy, versatile and doesn’t require too much effort, or putting on pants to go to a bar. Just a few quick measurements and a spoonful of your favorite fruit preserves and you’re good to go. Oh and while you’re at it — pump up some jams and dance around a little. There are very few things that singing aloud to Beyonce cannot fix. Trust.
And if you still don’t feel better, we’ll come over and hug you. And steal a bite of your lasagna.