Apr 6, 2016

In need of chocolate – Kandy Shepherd

Deep in the writer's cave, locked away in a desperate attempt to meet a deadline for my next novel, can you imagine my joy in finding at the very back of the fridge a bar of chocolate I didn’t know existed.

Milk chocolate with almonds—perfect food to fuel a deadline frenzy. I found it quite by chance, hunting for the remains of a chocolate Easter bunny—I’d thought I had at least one chocolate ear left.

The toothsome treat was, no doubt, hidden by someone in my family. So sorry, family. I’ll replace it when the manuscript is delivered to my endlessly patient editor and I emerge from that dark cave. The replacement bar will be safe then, as I will certainly be on a healthy eating and exercise regime to make up for those weeks sitting in that cave. (Or attempting to, anyway.)


What I found hidden in my fridge - sadly, not much left!


You get hungry and lonely in depths of the writer’s cave. There is only the company of imaginary friends. The need for comfort food is real. Of course, writers cannot live on chocolate alone. When I have turned away those who would mess with my muse, ie, my family, (which means I have no one to cook for me in my time of need) I have a few staples I turn to. One is a big pot of chicken and vegetable soup I cook up and live off for days.

It’s a soup very much like the one my mother used to make for me in times of stress—so there is most likely some psychological element to its nourishment. There is no recipe to share with you. It's a matter of just throwing everything into the saucepan.

I was a sickly child who suffered from recurring sinus and chest infections. When I was too unwell for even the soup, my mother would tempt my appetite (which never needs tempting these days, it's more in need of taming) with fresh white bread-and-butter with honey, cut into tiny triangles. When I would accept that, she’d know I was on the mend. Sadly, it never tasted the same when anyone but my mother made it…

I've run out of chicken soup and it's a long way to the shops from my mountain retreat. So tonight, to power the many words I need still to write, I made a pumpkin soup—a favourite of many of us Down Under. I stirred through it the very last of the zucchini from my garden, picked at that tender, fingerling stage. Then served it with brown rice (pre-cooked in a packet) and a blob of home-made pesto. It gave me the energy to write this post. And the good thing is there’s enough left for tomorrow and maybe even the next day.


My quick-fix pumpkin soup


Another somewhat decadent comfort food is something our family simply calls "The Slice". Indulging in it is reserved for special occasions, such as birthdays, as it is disgracefully rich in butter and condensed milk. But I am refusing to give in to the temptation to make a batch. I would have to crawl out of my cave for too long to make it. Just another reason I was so delighted to find that bar of chocolate.

My dietitian-in-training daughter does not approve of sugar hits for desperate writers nearing deadline. She does, however, tell me that the creative process of writing uses up a lot of energy and I need carbohydrate to fuel me. That does not mean chocolate. She approves of the almonds because they are a good source of protein and other nutrients. So I’m doing something right.

Now I’m craving baked beans on toast with fried tomatoes and bacon—something I only ever eat in the cave. Trouble is I don’t have any bacon. Or, for that matter, any baked beans. Only chocolate and pumpkin soup.

Do you have a favourite comfort food you turn to in times of deadlines and stress? I'd love to hear about it!





31 comments:

  1. Oh Kandy

    I love the sound of your comfort foods :) for me in winter yes a bowl of soup vegie or pumpkin is my favourite and seeing as how the pumpkins have been cheap at the moment I have made roasted pumpkin and carrot soup a couple of time this week and might make some more today although it is going to be really hot today and for me a bowl of ice-cream has always been a comfort food for me as well vanilla is fine and totally enjoyable but of course I am staying away from ice-cream at the moment :).

    I hope you get done soon and are out of the cave I do love your stories.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  2. Thank you Helen, for your encouragement. Oh, yes, there is something very comforting about ice cream, isn't there! Good for you, though, sticking to your healthy eating. You looked wonderful at the ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) awards. It's worth it!

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  3. Sadly, Kandy, if I ate what I wanted to eat while I was writing I'd be three times my size so I exist on healthy snacks like cherry tomatoes and macadamia nuts and have just found some fabulous sliced coconut which is a nice sweet treat without being high in carbs.

    My all round comfort food though - even though I rarely eat it nowadays but it used to get a working out on night duty let me tell you!! - is vegemite toast, lots of butter and vegemite. There's just something so damn comforting about toast!

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    1. Ooh, more details on the sliced coconut please, AA. Sounds like that could hit the spot when I'm looking for a hit of sweet.

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    2. It does sound good, doesn't it Michelle!

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    3. Oh yes. Its an organic brand from Woolies. Its in the section with all the Quinoa and Chia seeds etc. And its only about $4.50 for quite a big packet - lasts me 1-2 weeks.

      Love it!

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    4. Excellent! Shall check it out when I run to the shops later. Thanks!

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  4. It's a writer's hazard, isn't it Amy! My daughter has got me onto snacking on nuts too, mixed nuts are the current favourite (but no peanuts),
    Toast is a yummy snack and so easy as well. Vegemite is a favourite of mine too. In fact you've made me want some...

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  5. Kandy, good luck with the deadline. The upside is we get another wonderful story from you!

    Soup, huh? I NEVER make soup. Probably should. When I was sick - I always had a delicate stomach - my mother used to make plain scrambled eggs with a couple of slices of fresh tomato on the side when I was starting to return to normal. And toast. Like you, I've never tasted scrambled eggs since that can compare. Nice memories - thank you!

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    1. Thank you for those kind words, Anna. I hope you'll enjoy this one!
      I love soup, make it quite often even in summer.
      I'm sure mother's love was the secret ingredient that made those childhood comfort foods so special.
      My daughter loves me to make cauliflower au gratin as her favourite.

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  6. I am sure your daughter approves of that lovely and nutritious homemade soup, Kandy, and will forgive you the chocolate. Unless of course it was hers, in which case, good luck!

    Like Helen, I'm all about the ice-cream. And just like the movies (and romance novels) eating a whole tub straight from the freezer is best in times of stress. It has to be an exotic brand and flavour, though, or it doesn't work near as well.

    I'm trying my best to remain stress-free so I can stay away from the stress-eating. Deadline time will be a big test.

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    1. You know Bron, when I look at what I wrote some of those comfort foods aren't too bad in terms of nourishment! Not the chocolate of course, it's dark chocolate that's meant to be good for you. I don't dare have the yummy kind of ice-cream in the freezer because it doesn't even take a stressful situation for it to go! Good luck with your deadline.

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  7. PS: All the best with slaying your deadline, Kandy.

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  8. Ultimate comfort food -- butterscotch self-saucing pudding.:-)

    Does wine count? LOL. Only joking. It's funny but the thing I always turn to when my resistance and willpower are down is Smiths Original Crisps. I can eat an entire family sized bag of them on my own. They're my Kryptonite. I try not to buy them too often because if they're in the house...

    Good luck with the deadline, Kandy...and eating healthily while you finish the book!

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    1. Hmm, yes, Michelle those Smiths Crisps are particularly enticing -something to do with the crunch factor I think. I used to be quite partial to the chicken flavoured ones!

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    2. OMG Michelle!!! I love butterscotch self saucing pudding! With lashings and lashings of hot custard!

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    3. It's obviously a twin thing. ;-)

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  9. Comfort food? Kraft Dinner. I used to be able to eat a whole box with 3 wieners for supper. Now, at almost 57, I can barely eat half a box but usually have one-quarter of a box instead. So sad, so sad....

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    1. I looked this up - Kraft Dinner in Canada is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese here Down Under, Laney. A favourite of mine when I was a student - I very much doubt I could get through a box now either!

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  10. I love pumpkin soup or any kind of soup, must be my German side. As for comfort food, definitely chocolate - preferably dark or with a yummy filling.

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    1. I really like soup, too, Devika winter or summer - and tend to favour vegetable soups. Oh, chocolate! Wish I liked dark chocolate better than milk as it is meant to actually be good for you!

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  11. I love chocolate too. I am eating trail mix this week when I am stressed at work

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    1. Trail mix is an excellent snack for stressed out times, isn't it Tammy Y! Thank you for reminding me!

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  12. Oooh, yum Kandy! You've got me hungry now! Love the look of your soup. Rice pudding is my comfort food. Hot warm, cold, eaten straight from the pot or out of the can even. Sometimes if I'm really naughty I'll stir through a swirl of cream or icecream and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top. Oooh, think I might take a visit to the fridge right now....

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    1. Barbara, I haven't had rice pudding for years! It's so delicious. I love bread and butter pudding too.

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  13. Kandy, it sounds like that chocolate was a lucky find! Just the boost for getting your words done. Go you!

    That soup looks great! We're real soup fans and my all time favourite is chicken noodle! But pumpkin is a close second. And I love any soup with toast soldiers.

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    1. All the chocolate gone now, Sharon. Just as well there isn't any more in the house! Chicken noodle soup is a favourite with me too, Sharon. Toast soldiers? Excellent idea.

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  14. Chocolate all the way, Kandy. Have just devoured a block too because like you I'm pushing to get a book finished.

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  15. When I actually stopped to think about it, I don't tend to crave specific foods when I'm on deadlines.
    However, I do still love comfort food... I would have said chocolate was the main one, but I think in general anything sweet tends to fit for me.

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  16. I'm such a sweet tooth, especially when I'm stressed. Chocolate, cookies, ice cream, slices...all so tempting. I'm trying really hard to be healthy at the moment so my go-to writing snack is apple slices with peanut butter - hits the craving for both salty and sweet. I have it with a coffee and then I've got all my energy bases covered :)

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