What are The Oklahoman's staffers craving for National Comfort Food Day?

Comfort food — it means something different to everyone. It can be something that evokes the warm memories of family time, the staple you reach for in the cabinet after a long day, or just the meal you know will always hit the spot.

Here at The Oklahoman, our staff has pretty diverse backgrounds and upbringings. So what is it that the reporters, columnists, editors and other staff crave when it comes to comfort food? We asked and they shared their answers, and a few recipes.

What says comfort food?

Jana Hayes, city reporter: "My favorite comfort food would have to be my grandmother's — some call her Juanita, to others she is Mawmaw or Mawmaw Nee — biscuits and gravy. Anytime I spent the night at her house, this is what she would make me for breakfast along with sausage, eggs and toast with whatever toppings we might like.

"It’s really a simple recipe, and can be adjusted to your own taste and liking. Sometimes she’ll add bits of sausage, but she knows I prefer to have my sausage patties separate and dip them in my gravy."

Don Mecoy, managing editor and David Dishman, business editor: A pot of beans. More specifically, for Mecoy, beans and cornbread with a side of greens and a touch of vinegar.

Berry Tramel, sports columnist: "When I was a kid, my mom made two kinds of pies we adored, egg custard and Tramel pie. Tramel pie was some concoction she made up, sort of a graham cracker/pecan mix, with real whipped cream on top. She didn't make it often. Truth is, only me and my brothers loved Tramel pie. Nobody else was too crazy about it, which was fine, more for us.

"I always wondered what would happen to Tramel pie after my mom was gone. She died in 2014 and my niece stepped up. She started making Tramel pies every for holiday we get together. This Thanksgiving, we weren't having dinner together, but she knocked on my door at 10 a.m. and presented me with a Tramel pie for the afternoon. I don't know if it tastes as good as my mom's, but I also know I don't care if it doesn't.

"My mom's been gone eight-and-a-half years, but Tramel pie is still filling our stomachs and warming our hearts."

Darla Lindauer, data team manager: "Chips and nacho cheese. I eat some kind of chips and cheese almost every day, even if it is just a couple bites.

"When I was a child, I had a traumatic experience that had me at Children's Hospital for a long time. I got chips and cheese from the cafe, and it was a comfort to me. I can still remember how it tasted 38 years later and I have spent that time looking to match the taste."

Yesenia Jimenez, community engagement specialist: Fettuccini alfredo.

Hallie Hart, high school sports reporter: "I honestly don't even know for sure if there is a set recipe for what I would consider my comfort food. It's my grandma's chocolate chip cookies and I honestly think she kind of just eyeballs the ingredients instead of measuring, which is why no one can make them the exact way she does."

Josh Dulaney, reporter: "A big bowl of cereal, probably something like Raisin Bran."

Cheyenne Derksen, planning editor: "Every culture has some form of stuffed dumpling, and verenika with ham gravy is ours. Growing up, my church (Mennonite Brethren) would serve a heritage meal once a year, and all the grandmothers would work together to make all the verenikas to serve the crowd.

"At Christmas, Grandma Carolee would make these again for the smaller crowd of my immediate family. She and grandpa would always tell how our ancestors traveled by boat from Prussia in the 1860s to the Midwest, and verenika was one recipe they brought with them. She didn't speak English until she had to learn it in school as a child, so she always kept this heritage recipe close and made sure to pass it along to us grandkids.

"It's a comfort food to me because it meets the universal criteria — bread, cheese, gravy — but it's also comforting to me in that it reminds me of keeping those close ties with family.

"My mother is not nearly as enthusiastic as her mother-in-law when it comes to cooking for a crowd. On Christmas, my mom serves French toast that she's prepared the night before and just popped in the oven closer to breakfast. The bread can take its time absorbing the custard, and what's left at the bottom of the pan creates a sweet caramel, so when you scoop up a slice and flip it over, it's almost like a creme brulee toast.  Also, the kitchen stays a little tidier and we can get straight to opening presents on Christmas morning. "

Jeff Patterson, sports editor: Pizza. Patterson even likes to make his own at home complete with dough from scratch.

Nathan Fish, photographer: "My grandmother's potato crescent rolls. Nothing I look forward to more at the holidays, though I can't make them very good."

Clytie Bunyan, senior director for diversity, community engagement and opinion: "Comfort food for me this time of year is Braum's eggnog with Barbados Cockspur Rum and a slice of rum cake. Cozy up with that and a book or a movie and I'm in heaven. "

Mamaw Nee's Biscuits and Gravy

1 can of store-bought biscuits (flaky, buttermilk, or whatever your favorite might be.)

Gravy for 4

• 6 tablespoons of oil

• 6 tablespoons flour

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 3 cups of milk*

Cover bottom of skillet with oil. Let it get hot.

Add flour. Stir and make a paste, also known as a roux. If it’s too thick, add a little more oil. Let it brown but not burn.

Sprinkle salt across top. Add milk. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring from time to time. If you want it thinner, add a little more milk. If it’s too thin, let it cook longer. If you like sausage gravy you can brown and drain sausage and add to it when done.

*Jana's great grandmother Sally, Juanita’s mother-in-law, didn’t grow up having cold milk, so she used a can of evaporated milk and a can of water instead.

Source: Jana Hayes

Overnight French Toast

• 1 loaf French bread

• 8 eggs

• 3 cups milk

• 4 teaspoons sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 2 tablespoons butter (reserved for baking)

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cut bread into 1 inch-thick slices and arrange in one layer in the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour mixture over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight. To bake, remove foil and dot with butter. Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes. Serve with syrup.

Source: Cheyenne Derksen

Verenika with Ham Gravy

Filling

• 3 pounds dry cottage cheese (you can use farmer's cheese or just drain and dry regular cottage cheese)

• 4 or 5 eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix together all ingredients and set aside while making the dough.

Dough

• 6 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 cup milk

• 1/3 cup Crisco or butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 6-9 cups flour

• 2 tablespoons baking powder

Combine eggs, milk, Crisco, oil and salt.

Mix 1 cup of flour with baking soda, then mix it in with wet mixture. Continue to add flour until dough forms — you want a soft, yet semi-stiff dough, similar to pasta dough.

Roll dough out as thin as pie dough. You can use a pasta roller for this or roll out by hand. Cut out 4 1/2-inch circles (a mason jar lid works for this). Spoon in a heaping teaspoon of filling, close to a half circle and seal.

Once you've made all the verenika, you can place them on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet without overlapping and freeze them. (Put into plastic bags to store.)

Cook each verenika in boiling water, very slowly and gently for 10 minutes. Lift each from water gently, drain, then fry in skillet on both sides until golden.

If there are any small pieces of dough leftover after cutting out the circles. You can boil these too and treat them like egg noodles.

Gravy

• 2 cups ham, chopped

• 1 cup onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 2 cups cream

• Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ham and onions in skillet. Add flour and mix. Whisk in cream. Pour gravy over verenika and serve.

Source: Cheyenne Derksen

Grandma Brown's Potato Crescent Rolls

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2/3 cup shortening

• 1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes

• 2 tablespoons yeast

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 2 eggs

• 7-8 cups flour

• 1/2 cup butter, plus enough to coat crescents once formed, (melted and reserved)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let rise.

Mix in all other ingredients, adding flour last. Mix until easy to handle. Cover and let rise for a few hours.

Roll out into a large circle. Melt butter and spread over circle. Cut into 16 wedges. Roll up and coat with melted butter. Let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes.

Source: Nathan Fish

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoman staff shares recipes, stories for National Comfort Food Day