Cold, Dreary Weather food!

[yummfood]

Cold, rainy/snowy weather season is here! What foods do chowhounds like to comfort themselves with when the weather is wet and cold outside?

I love when its raining outside and I'm able to wrap myself around in an over-sized blanket with large mug of good hot chocolate and warm cookies to munch on. yummm :)
(even better if I have a good book to go along with it...)

[givemecarbs]

Used to always make nice hot soups but lately it's all about PIE! Chicken pot pie, beef pot pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and apple pie! One day I had three kinds of pie, but one was pizza. I did have some soul warming potato soup with ham last night at my favorite diner though. And I dusted off my bread machine to make some white bread just to make the house smell heavenly, but I used King Arthur bread flour and what a pretty loaf it made. The fridge was kind of bare but I found a packet of dried beef and make creamed chipped beef over thick slices of that bread.

[Uncle Bob]

A big pot of Vegetable/Beef Soup on the stove.... A big skillet of cornbread just out of the oven....I'm happy.

[Michelly]

Everything Cherylptw said, along with several cups of hot buttered rum.

[Popkin]

beef stew with a nice thick "broth" which boarders on gravy, with lots of potatoes
chicken soup of course
garlic soup
salisbury steak (oh, that onion and mushroom gravy....)
pot roast (plenty of potatoes of course)
turkey pot pie
"girl scout cookies" hot chocolate with a hit of peppermint schnapps
chicken and dumplings
beef stroganoff
porcupines (beef rice and oregano meatballs cooked in tomato sauce, water, more rice, garlic, and oregano)

oh, just realized I haven't had porcupines in awhile, I must make some soon! they're good hot or cold IMO, and often better the next day. It's probably the only rice dish I like cold.

[swamp]

Rainy and cool here yesterday. I made some roast beef hash out of the leftovers from a chuck roast I cooked in my pressure cooker. That was some darn good comfort food.

[RetiredChef]

We would be ecstatic if it was raining outside. Current temp is 2 F or -17 C.

There is a definite trend at our house towards hearty food, soups and stews. Typical summer fare is decreased.

Protein that we eat more of during winter

Venison
Elk
Beef
Goose
Duck
Lamb
Rabbit

Cooking Styles that we use more of during the winter

Roast
Braise

We move away from equatorial regions and styles and into more northern regions for our cooking styles. Beads become denser, vegetables from the root cellar are more common place and cheese courses become popular.

For example just the other day I made a roasted beet soup, entrée was a duck cassoulet served with wheat berry bread and then a selection of cheeses and a chocolate bread pudding with frangelico crème anglaise.

[kubasd]

ummmmm so when am i invited to dinner? lol. Retiredchef, that example sounds delicious! I can wing the roasted beet soup and duck cassoulet, but do you have a recipe for the wheat berry bread? i'm intrigued!

[gryphonskeeper]

A steaming hot bowl of PHO, Or any good homemade soup. I swear nothing warms you from the inside like soup.

[shanagain]

Seems like a fairly short list, with similarities to everyone else's
Vegetable beef soup (the best part, the broth after cooking short ribs for hours and hours)
Chili
Our versions of hot toddies - either a hot tea toddy, or my 'pretty whiskey baby' - essentially hot pink lemonade, honey & whiskey with a floated lemon slice studded with a clove.

[shanagain]

Oh.. and this (posted in a "your best soup" thread earlier this year):

Hot & Sour Soup (before you pick the recipe apart, I urge you to just TRY it, then pick it apart - this is kind of the "basic pantry" version - perk it up with whatever you're used to seeing in "your" hot & sour - tiger lily buds, shitakes, woodear mushrooms, bean sprouts, etc.)

4 cups chicken broth (boxed low sodium is fine)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, whatever you prefer
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots, drained & julienned
4 slices fresh ginger root, roughly quarter size, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed/chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 - 1 1/2 T chili garlic paste (good old Huy Fong)
leftover chicken or roast pork, to taste (optional)
tofu - about a 1/4 cup, maybe? large julienne
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, chopped

Heat broth, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, bamboo shoots & soy sauce to a boil, reduce heat, simmer while prepping tofu (I use extra firm) and whatever meat, if any, you're putting into the soup.

Bring back to a boil & stir pot to get a good "swirl" going. Drizzle in fine stream of beaten egg. Stir together vinegar and corn starch, stir into pot. Bring back to a gentle boil to thicken, adding tofu and whatever meats you prefer just long enough to warm. Garnish with green onions.
Depending upon your vinegar, you may need to tinker a bit at the end to get the "sour" right for your tastes, ditto for the chili paste and soy. So, as always, adjust as necessary.

ETA: This is a gentle riff on a recipe found here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hot-and-...

[Cherylptw]

Stews, chowders, baked pasta dishes, a big bowl of toasted oatmeal with heavy cream, sauteed apples, cinnamon and toasted nuts..warm gooey brownie with ice cream and a blanket

[spellweaver16]

Had bean soup using our Thanksgiving ham bone last night. It was perfect for a snowy evening.

[mcf]

Pot roast, meat loaf, butterflied chicken cooked high temp over a bed of veggies (makes the house smell cozy and tastes great), osso buco, braised short ribs, etc. Stuff I'd never think of making in summer.

[JungMann]

Creamy and/or spicy stews usually do the trick for me. Goulasch, paprikash, chili con carne, mechado, haleem all say winter to me.

[hazelhurst]

Grits and grillades

[brilynn79]

Chili, vegetable soup, hot cocoa, mulled wine, wassail, or hot apple cider...We got our frist snow today...I'm thinking chili for tonight.

[mrbigshotno.1]

Chile Verde w/ quesadillas
Fireplace roaring
Various music stylings
Seagrams VO

[century]

definately any type of soups I prefer split pea with ham, or bacon and bean soup lentil soup or miso is also good.

[bdachow]

Soup noodles of any kind and any warm baked goodie from my oven, hence my love of Christmas baking!

[fmcoxe6188]

Mmm hearty soups (split pea soup, lentil soup), beef stew with dumplings (mmmmm) or pasta in red sauce with fresh mozzarella cheese are my go to's for cold weather cheer me ups.

Warm cookies will always do the trick as well tough :-)

[enbell]

Lentil soup today for me :)