Food Cold Weather Cravings

I am making hella soups this winter. Did a kickass Eastern European soup last week, with beef short ribs, marrow bones, a little beef bacon, spelt, kasha, cabbage, onion and garlic, carrot, celery root, potato, white beans, some spices, and a mess of fresh herbs, cooked in a mix of beef stock and ale. But I cooked down the veggies a little first, in the bacon fat, and added a little anchovy paste and tomato paste before deglazing with sliwowicz (Polish plum brandy-- strong as fuck). It was amazing, total umami goodness.

 

It's cold, rainy, and nasty today. A big bowl of macaroni and cheese sounds perfect...and maybe some tomato soup, with a little red pepper thrown in. Nom.

 

I crave most of the same stuff when it's cold as I do on a regular basis throughout the year, the bulk of which involves lots of sugar and starch and is generally bad for my health. When it's cold, I just tend to crave more of it.

But in particular this week, I could go for a nice, steaming mug of hot cocoa with a generous helping of whipped cream on top... that is, until the thermometer hits 60°F this weekend.

That's just plain bullshit in January, I don't care what you say.

 

Well, this was appropriately timed...behind the spoiler tag, because, while the picture is perfectly tame, the language is NSFW.

(courtesy of Thug Kitchen!)

 

I had some hot cocoa this morning because I wanted to. It's not cold at all here in Oregon, just raining. (Fucking Oregon drizzle..I hate it.)

It was delicious with my oatmeal. Another thing I crave when it's cold. Still, It's not cold at all here, but it's what was in the cabinets.

 

Soup, stew, chili, hot tea, just about anything hot that includes plenty of liquid. If we get some more cold weather I'm going find some recipes for homemade tomato soup, and have it with a fancy grilled cheese sandwiches done with really nice bread.

 

Every once in a while, I crave cold weather.

 

A hearty beef stew with mashed potatoes. A good braise with some root vegetables.

Maybe som hot chocolate.