From New York to the Midwest it's freezing. Even here in Florida temperatures are dipping down into the 30s, which makes people freak out.
Cold weather like this makes me want to scurry into my kitchen and bake something warm and gooey, or cuddle up with a hot cup of soup. But some people go into kitchen hibernation when the weather gets cold; when you're dragging in after a slushy walk home Chinese takeout can seem a mighty fine way to go.
What about you? What do you crave when the weather gets this cold and unfriendly? Do you want to spend all your time in the kitchen, and if so, what do you want to eat? Good cold weather recipe below...
I like to make a big pot of hearty soup, that just sits on the stove for hours, and fresh french bread. That's if I'm home all day. If I am not, then anything warm will suit me fine.
Cold weather cooking is actually my favorite--hearty, robust foods with big flavors. Wet food, as my wife calls it: Things with sauces and broths. I particularly like a pot roast I make using purchased Biryani Curry Paste from markets in Chicago's Indian/Pakistani neighborhood along Devon Avenue. The end result doesn't taste Indian, just complex and mysterious.
chili chili chili.
i serve it cincinnati-style: over pasta, with cheese and raw onions (my cincinnati grandma made hers with cinnamon, but i prefer allspice).
Lovely soup, like a Tom Yom Goong. My favorite cold-weather comfort food is jambalaya, the spicier the better.
I make a lot of shepherd's pies and pureed soups. I've recently recreated a fantastic african peanut tomato soup that we had in a lovely restaurant near Banff, Alberta.
When it is cold, I can never get enough of the Pho at the local Vietnamese pho parlor...if I am brave enough to venture out to the burbs. If I'm staying in: lemon/rosemary roasted chicken which also infuses the house with that great home cooking smell. Another plus is that the bones can be used to make broth for future use.
shepherd's pie...yum, that sounds delicious. think i will make that sometime next week. i agree with s in dc, i can't get enough of those big bowls of noodles, veggies, and broth.
in this weather i like to cook soups, stews, spicy pasta dishes with cheese, warm veggies, and lots of red wine!!! tonight we are having something a bit lighter: basil stuffed scallops (found the recipe from how to cook everything), rice pilaf, and sauteed spinach.
oh, and i also bought some ground turkey sausage at the farmer's market today and am planning to make turkey meatballs for our sunday night dinner.
have a great weekend!
I have a 3month old daughter and it is FREEZing in Boston so, Thai or Indian- delivery style. yum!
We have just moved near Chicago near the lake and a couple weeks back the full force of winter hit us. My husband said now he understands why people up north drink so much this time of year. So his new year's resolution to cut back on microbrews has been broken. Me? I am all about our family's favorite chocolate chip cookies, as well as soups and crusty bread. Mmmmm...
I'm trying to get more into cooking again, so I decided to start by making a few simple recipes. I'm buried under tons of snow and currently it's 10 degrees and very windy. I like to make rosemary baked chicken with rice on days like this. So simple:
White meat chicken, boneless - 2 breasts, cubed
lots of fresh rosemary
one large butternut squash, cubed
rock salt
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
mushrooms, I slice them thick
1 med. size onion, sliced thick
Mix everything together in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and mix the oil in, and bake for 45 minutes at around 425. It's so easy, it's delish, I love it over rice, but you can also eat as is. Makes the whole house smell wonderful.
I also love to eat tapioca pudding with homemade whipped cream and nutmeg on top.
Those are a few of my current cravings...
Holly
I second the pho parlor up here in MN.
We have some fab joints that serve up a HUGE cauldron of what we like to call "beef juice" and a giant side plate of fresh garnishes for five BUCKS!
We filled up on that last night, came home, split a bottle of Veltliner and crashed out hard.
That's northern winter living.
I get way into game meats. Boar, venison, game birds... don't know why. I guess because they feel rustic? They're hard to come by, but, if you'll excuse the pun, well worth the hunt. (sorry, couldn't resist)
I don't like cold weather, but I love cold weather food! I make chili (the recipe from the old Joy of Cooking) all winter long, although I stopped eating red meat, pork and chicken over the past few months, so I started making it with Quorn fake ground beef. It's not as bad as you'd think. I also make Nigella's thai curry, usually with squash, chick peas, tofu and sometimes shrimp. I ate some great veggie chili w/butternut squash last night at a restaurant so now I'm going to try to hunt down a recipe...
After 18 years of living in Texas I moved to northern Michigan. I am FREEZING. When it gets cold and icky outside, I make a huge pot of chili-spicy-lots of meat-NO beans. Then, I use part of it for enchilada sauce- corn tortillas filled with 3 kinds of cheese and onions, smothered with the chili (if you run the chili through the food processor first it comes out all nice and smooth) then with the left over chili I make frito pie- a big old layer of fritos- then cover it with chili, cheese and onions. YUM!
Roasted root veggies. I could live on them in blustery weather like this! I roasted up a huge batch of butternut and cabocha squashes, thick slabs of onion, whole garlic cloves, and sweet potatoes yesterday - it's bonus to eat them with eggs for breakfast the next day.
I've gotten into the habit of picking up a whole rotisserie chicken or turkey at my local Whole Foods on the way home from work. Someone else roasts it all day while I'm at work! That's my idea of a stress free winter meal.