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Experience comfort food from around the world with these 9 recipes

With another cold week ahead, it's time to stay home, cozy up and eat all the comfort food you can.
If you're looking for completely different recipes than what you're used to, this trip around the world might help you achieve that.
Here are nine comfort food recipes eaten around the world:
Poutine (Canadian)
The famous Canadian dish is a preparation made with fries, gravy and cheese curds, proving to be an essential comforting dish in Canada. This delicious dish is the perfect snack to munch on while watching your favorite holiday movie, but make sure to use a fork since it's very messy. This recipe will take about one hour of your time and is guaranteed to warm you up during a chilly night. For any potato lovers, poutine could be your next go-to dish.
You can find the recipe for poutine here.
Polish Pierogi (Polish)
If you've never tried a pierogi, you're missing out. These filled dumplings can be customized with savory or sweet fillings and are a perfect comfort dish for the holiday season. Originally associated with Central and Eastern European Cuisine, pierogi have been adapted in many ways but are a major comfort dish in Poland. You can fill your pierogi with potato, cheese, sauerkraut, cabbage, spiced meats or even fruits for a sweet treat. This recipe will take about 30 minutes to make, and can be frozen for easy snacks throughout the coming weeks.
You can find the recipe for homemade Polish pierogi here.
Chicken congee (Chinese)
The ultimate Chinese comfort dish, ji zhou, or congee is a type of rice porridge. An adaptable and easy dish to make, congee is the perfect snack for curling up and watching a movie. This recipe is simple to make but a little time consuming, as the rice takes about one and a half to two hours to make. This recipe is so good that once you've tried it, there is no going back to plain old grilled cheeses.
You can find the recipe for chicken congee here.
Moussaka (Greek)
If you're looking for a healthy alternative for comfort food, moussaka might be the best meal for you. This Greek lasagna is a comforting and low carb dish that will seriously have you addicted. With eggplant instead of pasta and the usual use of lamb over beef, the Greek dish is a bit more time consuming yet totally worth it. This recipe will take one hour and 10 minutes to make and uses simple ingredients you can find at your local grocery store.
You can find the recipe for Moussaka here.
Hungarian goulash (Hungarian)
Meat lovers will be overfilled with joy when trying this Hungarian goulash. This Hungarian comfort dish is a beef stew with deeply seasoned broth. Perfect for any cold day, this warm comforting meal is guaranteed to warm you up. Pair your goulash with some bread and you'll enjoy your dinner, Hungarian style. This recipe will take up one hour and 30 minutes of your time and will ensure a comforting night in.
You can find the recipe for Hungarian goulash here.
Khichdi (Indian)
Do you love Indian food? This comforting vegetarian dish is made with rice and lentils and could easily become your favorite comfort food. Although it is a common meal for babies in India, if made correctly, it is deliciously protein packed and nourishing. With so many different versions and adaptations, it can be challenging to make the perfect Khichdi. Using one pot, this recipe will take 55 minutes to make and is the perfect Indian comfort dish to try next.
You can find the recipe for Khichdi here.
Matzo ball soup (Ashkenazi Jewish)
A staple dish on the Jewish holiday of Passover, matzo ball soup is a delicious tasty take on chicken noodle soup. With many benefits and a comforting taste, this soup is the next meal you should make. Matzo balls are Ashkenazi Jewish soup dumplings made from matzah meal and other ingredients. The soup itself is simple to make but the recipe is time consuming. Depending on whether you would like your matzo balls to be fluffy or more chewy, this recipe has all the instructions to make this wonderfully comforting soup.
You can find the recipe for matzo ball soup here.
Classic Nigerian jollof rice (Nigerian)
Although most people are used to eating rice as a side dish, this Nigerian jollof rice will be the main star of your dinner. This spicy rice dish is beloved in Nigeria, south of the Sahara and along the coast of West Africa, so much so that Aug. 22 is considered a holiday for jollof rice. With unimaginable flavors and a colorful look, this rice is guaranteed to comfort everyone in your home. This recipe takes one hour and 30 minutes, and the smell alone will overpower your senses. If you're a fan of rice, this is a must-try.
You can find the recipe for Nigerian jollof rice hereHot chocolate with cheese (Colombian)
We know what you're thinking. Chocolate and cheese, together? As strange as it sounds, this comforting snack is a staple in many parts of Colombia. The sweetness of the chocolate with the savory cheese pairs perfectly together for a wonderful evening delight. Easy to make, unique and filled with intense flavor profiles, this take on hot chocolate could become your favorite snack ever. Pair this recipe with a slice of bread for an afternoon snack or curl up on the couch for a tasty way to warm up and get cozy.
Whether you're interested in international cuisine or looking to spice up your cooking skills, these international dishes are perfectly comforting during a cold week in Austin.
Head to @austonianews on Instagram at 6 p.m. Wednesday where Austonia's Isabella Lopes will recreate one of these mouth-watering recipes on IG stories.
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Popular
(Pavement/Instagram)
The cost of living in Austin may be on an upswing but just because you might have less money in your pockets doesn’t mean you have to compromise your lifestyle.
With gas prices rising above $4 per gallon, rents rising 25-40% and reports showing that Austinites pay more in household bills than any other Texas city, you may find yourself with less cheddar than you’re used to this time of year.
Aside from cutting back on spending, thrifting is a great way to stretch your dollar a little bit further. The average American spends $1,700 on clothes annually, of which 85% percent ends up in landfills, making secondhand shopping a greener, more affordable and nearly equally fashionable option.
These local secondhand emporiums sell most daily goods for a fraction of the price if you don’t mind a little wear.
Best antiques: Uncommon Objects, 1602 Fortview Rd.
You won’t find any clothing at Uncommon Objects but you will find oodles of objects from yesteryear to bring into your home. The store has been peddling items from “your eccentric uncle’s attic on steroids” since 1991, connecting Austinites with relics from the past. The items inside start at just a few dollars but range due to the great variety. Many of these items have passed through multiple hands–it doesn’t get greener than that!
Best for finding clothes on a budget: Texas Thrift, 5319 N Interstate Hwy 35
This enormous North Austin warehouse is packed with so many racks of secondhand clothing that it would be nearly impossible to go through them all in one visit. You’re probably not going to find a Gucci tracksuit or Christian Louboutins while you roam the racks but you’re almost certain to leave with at least one new-to-you article of clothing that fits your style for less than $10.
Best for fashionable finds: Uptown Cheapskate, multiple locations
Though it may be a bit more expensive than the run-of-the-mill thrift shop, Uptown Cheapskate is filled with gently used, name-brand clothing for a fraction of the new price. Uptown both buys and sells clothing released in boutiques within the last two years, meaning you’ll find brands like Free People, Zara, Nike and Patagonia in almost mint condition. Austonia reporter Claire Partain scored a pair of Steve Madden's last week for less than $15.
Best variety: Far Out Home Fittings, 1500 W Ben White Blvd.
With a full “Funkyard” out back, antiques, oddities, furniture, jewelry and knick knacks are Far Out Home Fittings’ specialty. This is not the place to come if you’re looking for something specific but if you’re open to a rummaging adventure, you’re likely to find something you didn't know you needed from furniture to jewelry to musical instruments. Our favorite Far Out finds: $5 gold chains, a vintage hand-crank whisk and long-forgotten lettering from signage.
Craft supplies: Austin Creative Reuse, 2005 Wheless Ln.
‘Waste not, want not’ would be a good tagline for Austin Creative Reuse, where you can find partially used art supplies that would have been thrown away otherwise. Looking to make your own clothes? ACR has shelves upon shelves of fabric and yarn for mostly less than a dollar per yard. Accessories? There are beads and thread aplenty. Scrap paper, paint, mosaics, magnets, zippers, glitter, findings in bulk and workshops to teach you how to be your craftiest self.
Furniture: Salvation Army, multiple locations
If you’re a fan of TikTok, you’ve probably wanted to try your hand at upcycling—repurposing objects in a way that makes it just as or more valuable than the original—at least once or twice and Salvation Army is the place to start. This store has everything: clothing, shoes, accessories, electronics, art and pieces of furniture that are begging to be made pretty again through a little TLC.
Vintage and variety fashion: Pavement, multiple locations
Racks on racks of modern and vintage mixed clothing await at Pavement, which is known for its legendary fill-a-bag sales. Meanwhile, its shoe and accessory walls are almost as spacious as its selection of clothing while maintaining a balance between current fashion and styles of yore. Clothing at Pavement isn’t the most affordable, but it will still bring you in lower than most prices at vintage and new clothing stores.
(ATCEMS/Facebook)
An Austin-Travis County ambulance was removed from a Central Austin St. David's Hospital and taken for a joyride until it was recovered in Round Rock.
Ezra Neal, 32, is now in the Travis County jail facing two felony counts for auto theft of $300,000 or more and evading in a motor vehicle, according to the Austin Police Department.
On Thursday morning, ATCEMS tracked down the missing ambulance truck and reported it to APD. An officer found the ambulance with its back door wide open on I-35 in Pflugerville.
(APD)
The police officer followed Neal North for almost 10 miles as four more police vehicles joined the chase. When Neal entered Round Rock, he took the FM 1431 exit toward University Boulevard, police said.
He was able to get past spike strips set up in his path by police but eventually turned into an H-E-B parking lot where he was arrested.
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