ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME By Christy Rost   All these government advisories, changes from security code yellow to orange, and talk of war can leave a person feeling uncertain and vulnerable. As the world situation spins out of our personal control, and yet affects our daily lives, we may find ourselves and our families feeling tense and irritable. In times of stress and uncertainty, establishing and maintaining a sense of warmth and security at home is of utmost importance, particularly when the household includes children. Making the home a safe haven where love, support, and a sense of normalcy are readily available helps everyone cope with the tension of our current times. One way of providing this sense of comfort starts around the family table. Meals centered around comfort foods, and served in a relaxed, nurturing atmosphere, can go a long way toward making everyone feel better. Serve your family’s favorites – casseroles, soups, enchiladas, fried chicken, soul food, or whatever foods you grew up with. Supplement these meals with fun foods such as vegetable crudités and dip, fruit salads arranged to resemble funny faces, cornbread, muffins, and homemade brownies or cookies for dessert. Dine by candlelight – lots of it. Turn off the television, lower the lights, put on some relaxing background music, and light a grouping of candles of all shapes and sizes. Or, if the weather is chilly, serve dinner around the coffee table or a card table set up near the hearth. As simple as it sounds, serving dinner by candlelight or by firelight will relieve tension and inject an air of assurance and family fun into the evening. During these next weeks and months, nurture yourself and your family with all the comforts of home through fun and soothing meals around your family table. Break out the old favorite family recipes, add a new one or two, and celebrate the loving assurance we find in our homes. Deluxe Chicken Noodle Bake Ingredients: 1 12-ounce package wide egg noodles 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter or margarine ½ cup diced onion 2 to 3 stalks celery, sliced ½ cup diced carrot 1 10 ¾-ounce can cream of chicken condensed soup 1 ½ cups milk ¾ cup sour cream 3 tablespoons sherry 3 cups cubed cooked chicken ½ cup green peas Salt and pepper to taste ½ cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese Cook egg noodles according to package directions until al dente; drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium-low heat; add olive oil and butter. Sauté onion, celery, and carrot in hot oil until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in chicken soup, milk, sour cream, and sherry, stirring until sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in reserved noodles, chicken, and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a large oven-proof casserole, garnish with grated cheese, and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Bake in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly. Recipe serves 6. Apple Streusel Muffins Ingredients: Muffins 2 cups flour ¾ cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter 1 cup milk 2 eggs 1 cup peeled chopped apple 1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries Streusel Topping ¾ cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons slivered almonds 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons melted butter Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk, and eggs. Pour egg mixture all at once into dry ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Add chopped apple and dried cranberries; stir to mix. Spoon batter into lined muffin cups, filling each cup three-fourths full; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, almonds, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Spoon streusel mixture on top of muffins. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a tester comes out clean when inserted into center of muffins. Serve muffins hot from the oven, or cool to room temperature. Leftover muffins may be placed in a plastic zipper bag for later use, or freeze up to 1 month. Get more of Christy Rost's recipes in her archives. Click here. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com