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Recipe Sun Jan 03 2010
Meals to Keep You Warm
It's wintertime and you know what that means. Comfort food. There's something about warm, hearty meals and rich drinks on a cold night that just feels right. After spending a week with my family in Minnesota, I was in comfort-food mode and went on a bit of a cooking spree. Here are some of my favorite recipes to curl up with on a cold winter night, I hope you'll share yours, too.
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup: I just made this tonight and it turned out so much better than I expected. I found the recipe on the Food Network website and will definitely be transferring this one to my cookbook. I doubled the crushed red pepper and my hot-sauce loving boyfriend added a generous portion of hot sauce. Also, I don't own a food mill so I put the soup through by Cuisinart - quite messy, but it got the job done.
I didn't have any popcorn at home, but if I did I would have topped it off with a few pieces. The soup is really hearty and fresh - I dipped a grilled cheese sandwich in it and it was the perfect meal for a cold Sunday night.
Beef Stew: My mom made this when I was home for Christmas and I like this meal more every time I eat it. Serve with biscuits and a glass of red wine. Perfection.
- 2 1/2 lbs. chuck roast, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 lb. carrots
- 6 potatoes
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 1 large can of tomatoes
- 1/2 c. water
- 3 T. sugar
- 1 T. salt
- 3 T. minute tapioca
Mix all ingredients together, raw. Cover and bake at 300 for five hours.
Hot Cocoa: My dad used to make this for us when I was little and it is still my favorite hot cocoa recipe. Sometimes I'll add a dash of cinnamon or vanilla, but I usually drink it as it is with marshmallows on top. I apologize for the lack of concrete directions on this one.
Mix two spoonfuls of cocoa with 4-5 spoonfuls of sugar (depending on how sweet you like it, I usually stick to four spoonfuls) in a saucepan and stir to combine. Add just enough water to dissolve the cocoa and sugar and mix well. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Add milk (I usually add it until it's the richness that I like) and heat until hot. Top with marshmallows and a peppermint stick.
