Thursday, January 7, 2010

Winter Comfort Food


Why is it that we pick January to start eating lighter? Okay, don’t answer that. I know I know. But salads don’t seem to work all that well when the temperatures are in the single digits for weeks at a time – like it is here in St. Louis and with no end in sight.

Last night we were blessed with a 4-6 inch blanket of fresh, fluffy snow slowing things down and driving people indoors to play with their Christmas toys, watch some great movies, and cook comforting foods. Well, that’s what we’re doing at our house anyway and with the mercury headed south to BELOW zero temps over the next couple of days, I am doing what any self respecting girl does and took a bubble bath! Then I drove to the cabinet and grabbed my little friend Mr. the Le Creuset (my big ol’ heavy cast iron pot) to create bubbly things that will make the house smell welcoming when Dave walks in the door.

If you’re in the mood for cozy comfort, here are a few ideas to consider:

Beef stew
Chicken Pot Pie
Chili and home made cornbread (I like Ina Garten’s jalapeno cheddar recipe)
Baked stuffed pork chops with home made applesauce and mashed potatoes
REAL baked mac and cheese (with a toasty crumb topping)
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Creamy Potato Cheese soup with bacon and chives


CHECK OUT ALLRECIPES.COM, COOKSILLUSTRATED.COM (my personal fav), and FOODNETWORK.COM for the best recipes or email me for one of my favs.
or   try one of my most requested comfort recipes that’s kid friendly, feeds a crowd, simple with no measuring required, travels well, is easy to clean up, and takes no time to make:

POLISH GOULASH

Hardware Needs:
You’ll need a big, heavy bottomed pot
as well as the pot you use to boil your pasta
A wooden spoon
Strainer for the pasta
Grocery List:
Half stick of butter
1 Large Onion
1 Head Cabbage
1 Ring of Kielbasa smoked sausage (you can use lite or turkey if you wish)
1 Bag of Egg Noodles (wide-ish)
1 Tbsp Caraway seeds (optional, but I really like it)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the butter in the heavy pot over med- hi heat.
2. Chop the cabbage (quarter it and remove the core on each piece)
and slice or chop the onions.
3. Add veggies to melted butter, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt, caraway (if using,) and a few grinds of fresh pepper.
4. Cook for about 20 minutes slowly, stirring occasionally until the veggies are translucent and most of the water has evaporated from the bottom of the pot.
5. Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles according to the package, BUT STOP cooking about 2-3 minutes before it’s done. Drain.
6. Dice kielbasa into fork friendly sized chunks. Add to the pot along with the drained egg noodles.
7. Mix well, taste for seasoning and serve.
You don’t need another thing on the table! So easy, reheats well, and warms the cockles of your cockles! You could even use your electric fry pan if you’re lucky enough to have one – allows you to keep it warm if you’ve got people coming and going.

If you’re shaking your head, please know that I worked out on the day I made this AND had a salad for lunch, but a cold winter’s night calls for drastic measures. Just don't eat the whole freaking pot okay???  Hey, at least I didn’t make something with Cheez Whiz, but if you really need some of that I’ve got a killer comfort recipe using that too…







2 comments:

  1. BIG fan of the goulash, but you already knew that. I think I'll make this for dinner Sunday and finally get that giant head of cabbage out of my freezer.
    BTW - glad to see you blogging away again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds yum. How did your move go? Are you all settled in?

    ReplyDelete