One reason I like colder weather....

[Kogarashi]

I'm not an overly huge fan of really cold weather, though at least it beats very hot weather in that you can always put on another blanket. But one thing about cold weather I do like is that it's hearty soup season.

Meaning I can make Frankensoup and get compliments from my husband by faking being domestic.

For the curious, Frankensoup is something I made up a couple years ago to go through some of our canned foods. You basically empty a few cans of beans and veggies into a crock pot, add broth/water, seasonings, and pre-cooked meats as desired, and heat it up during the day.

Yesterday's batch:

1 15-oz. can carrots
1 15-oz. can each black beans, red beans, and great northern beans
1 28-oz. can whole kernel corn
2 15-oz. cans chicken broth
a double handful of dried onions (would've used fresh, but we were out)
half a cheddarwurst polish sausage cut into smaller chunks
enough water to almost top off the crock pot (large one)
rosemary, basil, salt, and pepper to taste

I set the crock pot to high for two hours, then low for two more, and it was ready to go. Very savory, and quite appreciated in this cold weather. Plus, being a crock pot dish, it was done when Hubby got home from work rather than an hour or two afterward (which is when dinner's usually ready), and I didn't have to stand around in the kitchen babysitting the stove.

[houdini]

That sounds good! We do veggie soup quite often (throw potatoes, swede, carrots, parsnips, squash and anything else in pan, add chicken stock, boil until it smells good) or pea & ham, which is equally awesome. Plus it's amazing with homemade bread.

Winter food is probably the best part of winter.

[AccountingDrone]

I have a specialty woodstove, it has a baking oven under the firebox. In the winter we do a lot of our heating with the woodstove, so suppers tend to be fresh baked bread and a soup or stew that was cooked on top of the woodstove during the day =)