Winter time comfort food

We don't have all that much of a winter in NC, but I grew up in upstate NY, so I'm familiar with the concept and carried a few favorites with me.

Chief among the cold weather favorites: steel cut oats, made in a mini-crock pot. I prefer to cook mine with just a bit of salt and then incorporate the add-ins near finish. If it is a bit runny, add some dried fruit to soak up the water, never add more steel cut oats. You could add more instant oatmeal, if you're desperate, I guess. Throw in a splash of cold milk or (better yet) half-and-half when done cooking and we're talking delicious, warming and filling. Favorite add-ins include cinnamon-raisin, apple/grains-of-paradise, and mixed nut.

A traditional breakfast with sausage, eggs sunny side up, toast, homefries (with gravy), a glass of spicy V8 and a steaming hot black coffee.

I'm not sure if that is comforting for anyone else... but if I wouldn't need to clean my arteries with a coathanger I'd eat it every day.

Smoked pork shoulder with apple and cherry wood, but then opposed to shredding it, braise it in a blend of cider and amber ale. The same method also works fantastic with pork belly.

For beef, take an eye or chuck roast and smoke it in a blend of cherry and chestnut. Then braise it in a blend of black coffee and porter with vanilla bean added (never liquid vanilla extract).

Looking forward to white chicken chili tonight.

Etoufee will be made Thursday after the child goes back to her mom's.

Beef barley, Turkey, and duck stew will all be made this weekend cause it's finally getting cold enough I can leave the stock pots outside over night to skim the fat.

Dropping temperatures mean more crock pot and roaster cooking for me, and being as far behind on the website as I am, this may turn into a productive cooking winter so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for some ideas.

Lasagna. I could eat that stuff with a shovel.

Goetta.

I think I may whip up a batch this week.

Beer.

Egg nog. Non-alcoholic. Gallons.

Lasagna is pretty high on my list of favorite comfort foods as well. I discovered that you can make it with cheese ravioli for faster assembly and shovelability. Another favorite this time of year: Roast And Rice and Gravy. Mmmmmmmmm, warms the soul.

Poutine with pulled pork.

Beef roast with onions/potatoes/carrots in the slow cooker.

Pork tenderloin with roasted parsnips/carrots/onions with some fresh garlic/herbs/olive oil and balsalmic.

Breakfast-for-dinner Hash:

All ingredient amounts are per person

• 1 medium potato, washed and cubed
• 1-1.5 slices of bread, cubed
• 3-4 oz kielbasa, in pennies or cubes
• 1 egg
• Onion, diced (amount to taste - I like a bunch)

Saute the onions in butter until soft but not brown, and remove. Saute potatoes until softening and starting to brown, then add more butter and bread cubes. Saute until potatoes are cooked and bread is starting to brown. Stir and keep adding butter as required - as much as your conscience will allow. Add kielbasa and continue sauteing until brown. Add onions and eggs, reduce heat to low, and stir until eggs are cooked. Serve and eat.

Chilli, biscuits and gravy with fried potatoes and meatloaf with baked mac n cheese. Any of those are great for me on a nice cold day.

Haluski. Make a giant batch of it every winter.

Also Perogis, I could eat my weight in them.

Chilli is mine.

I was about to say pizza, but that's not true. Pizza is always good. All of the time.

In reply to Appleseed:

This is also true of wings, though sometimes if you want comfort wings you can smoke or roast them as opposed to frying them.

Soup.

Taco Soup is my favorite, really just spicy chili served with Fritos. Close second is lasagna.

Appleseed wrote: Egg nog. Non-alcoholic. Gallons.

Three strikes in one, impressive!

Chili is my winter-time go-to.

As soon as football season starts, out comes the ceramic soup pot and in goes the chili.

I also like to make enchiladas in the winter. I cheat a little when I make them. I go to the grocery store and get a rotisserie chicken, pull all the meat off and toss it into a bowl with sour cream, shredded cheese, and salsa. I use that mix to stuff the tortillas, and put them in a baking dish. Then, I cover it all with jalapeno beans and more cheese and toss it in the oven for like 20 minutes. Takes around 35 minutes total, and it's so damn awesome.

Great now I can't decide what I want for dinner.

Like the others have said. Chili is probably at the top or damn near it for winter comfort foods. A good French Onion soup with a buttery, toasty grilled cheese on the side is also way up there on my list.

Here lately I've been making grilled turkey melts, marble rye, swiss cheese, and some deli turkey, topped off with some Thousand Island dressing. Nom Nom!

Big pot of chili this week. Big pot of borscht next week. Probably some other homemade soup the week after.

She takes good care of me.