• Comfort food and drink are mainstays of a successful sleepover.samedi matin image by aline caldwell from Fotolia.com
  
  There's nothing like a sleepover. Whether it is your daughter and her friends in her bedroom, or the whole family in a backyard "campsite," the warmth and camaraderie that surface provide for true intimacy, genuine bonding and lasting memories. Comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, sloppy joes, and potato salad can help invite confidences, enable new friendships, and encourage giggling into the wee hours--or right up to sunrise.
  
  

Macaroni and Cheese

• Macaroni and cheese can encourage furtive whispering until sunrise.macaroni and cheese image by JJAVA from Fotolia.com
  
  Mmmm...What could be better than a glass dish full of bubbling macaroni and cheese for your next sleepover occasion? Cooked elbow macaroni (white or whole-grain) nestles in flavorful white sauce infused with the cheese(s) of your choice. A generous blanket of more melted cheese tops off the dish, inviting hungry young diners, no matter how sleepy, to indulge. If you are hosting a group of younger girls, certainly, it is best to serve the dish for them. But for teens, a buffet-style presentation is ideal, catering as it does to their burgeoning sense of independence--and need for privacy. Be sure to retrieve the baking dish as soon as it's empty--which likely won't be long.
  
  

Sloppy Joes

• The tomato-and-beef sloppy joe served on a bun may not be gourmet chic--but it's still one of the most effective comfort foods around. Its very sloppiness of presentation--and consumption--will have kids and teens giggling at the sight of each other's tomato-red cheeks and chins. Be sure not to serve these sandwiches too hot, especially to younger children. Paper plates may be your best bet, along with plenty of napkins. You might also want to ensure kids eat sloppy joes in a space where the floor or carpeting can be protected from hard-to-clean tomato sauce stains--or even outdoors, if weather is warm. For a healthy twist, add pureed vegetables to the sauce and serve on whole-grain buns.
  
  

Potato Salad

• Potato salad is an American comfort food.potato salad image by Reika from Fotolia.com
  
  Creamy, rich potato salad, made with mayonnaise, diced boiled eggs, celery, and pickle relish, has all the elements of a good comfort food. Carbs slathered in creamy dressing with at least a hint of sweetness. It also carries a fairly high glycemic load, when made with white potatoes. If you and your kids' moms are wary of high-glycemic foods, don't fret. Consider a recipe made with sweet potatoes instead. Kids will love the change: Though their sugars are more slowly absorbed, sweet potatoes taste sweeter than white potatoes. Recipes may include fruits, such as apples, raisins, or cranberries, along with nuts, homemade dressings, or bacon bits. Comfort food is meant to convey love, and nothing is more loving than safeguarding children's health.