Tuesday, February 03, 2009

To take the chill out

Since we are in the middle of the winter, I get to the point where 6 weeks seems like an eternity and the cold stays in my bones.

So I have been on a slow-cooking-take-the-chill-out- thon. Last week the BF made chili because I love his chili. I have never had chili before I moved out here. I had it only once before I met the BF. His is the best and I love it Cincinnati style with extra cheese.

On Sunday, I made a beef stew and had that over egg noodles. It was ok, I could not find my regular recipe so I tried another one and it was missing something but now I know what I can mix into it next time, canned diced tomatoes. The upside is that beef stew leftovers are so yummy.

Last night I made fresh onion soup. I love onion soup and it is so easy to make. I make it ever few months because it is one of my favs but seriously it is so comforting and it makes me happy. Again the cheese may be the reason.

I want to try this garlic soup that I have had at the chopping block that is SO good but am running out of tupperwear.

Of course the most fav get the chill out thing for me to make is hot chocolate with milk and Munster cheese. When I grew up we did not have instant, my mom is from Colombia so we had these special chocolate bars that you would slowly melt with milk. It was always served with metlty cheese and as kids we would put our cheese in the chocolate and it is bliss. I can't drink instant hot chocolate mix it tastes fake to me.

What are your warm day comfort foods? Any ones that I should try?

(If you want any recipes, let me know)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's in the onion soup? I love onions. Sometimes I crave them :)

I've just been eating lots of soup at Corner Bakery and places like that - not as satisfying as homemade!

Christina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Christina said...

It is so easy it has:

2 tbs butter
3-4 medium to large yellow onions
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Thyme
1/2 cup dry sherry (don't use cookinc sherry)
5 cups beef stock
1/2 cup guyere cheese
4-5 slices of french bread

Cut up the onions so that they are in slices.

Melt the butter in a large pot, when they are melted, add the onions and cook for 20-25 minutes until they carmelize and become transparent. Be sure to stir the pot a few times.

Add the salt, pepper and thyme and stir. Then add the sherry to deglaze the pot. when most of the sherry is evaporated, add the beef stock.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Grate the cheese and put it aside.

When the soup is ready, ladle into oven proof bowls, top wtih the sliced bread and add the cheese and put it in the broiler for 2 minutes.

Enjoy. It is even better the next day.

I love onions too, I have been craving onion bagels!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, I keep getting stuck: cheese? With hot chocolate? Does not compute. Is the muenster mild enough that it just lends creaminess, or are you actually aiming for a cheesy flavor?

Christina said...

P-It is odd, I totally admit that. Apparently it is a Latian American thing, Diana (the Chicago blogger) grew up with this as well but her aunt used guida.

Munster is mild enough that it does not alter the taste of the chocolate and it does not melt away, so when you are done you have this blob of cheese with hot chocolate flavoring and it is squeaky and yummy.

I know it is hard to fathom.

The Chicago Blogger said...

Oh yeah! Abuelita brand chocolate + hunk o gouda = HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

If we were out of gouda, we used whatever hard cheese was in the fridge.

The gouda definitely altered the cocoa flavor, but only slightly. You're surely not going for a cheesy flavor, nor a cheese that melts super fast.

You let it melt, drink a little cocoa, then start digging for the squeaky cheese (lol) with a spoon. The combo of sweet and salty is awesome.

My comfort food is my beef stew, pot roast...or pretty much anything I can put in the crockpot.

YUM.