Warm Meals on a Cold Winter Night

In the summer my husband and I typically grill outside three to four nights a week, but in the winter I like to experiment in the kitchen. Over the weekend I scoured the Internet for new recipes. I set aside nine or ten to try over the next two weeks. I searched for recipes with only a handful of ingredients. I checked the cupboards to make certain we had all of the necessary spices on hand and then I headed out to the grocery store to load up on ingredients.

I went a little wild shopping for groceries. I planned on getting only a handful of items, but I walked out with an overflowing cart. I purchased a ton of staples like pasta, chicken stock, tomato sauce, baked beans and stuffing. I’m not a big fan of the cold, winter season, so I wanted to make certain I had ingredients on hand when the temperature begins to fall. I know myself, and I know I will not leave the comforts of my warm home to drive to the store on a cold night. I decided to fill up the pantry while the weather is still relatively pleasant.

It wasn’t my most frugal of moments. I spent a lot more money on staples than I would have if I had checked the circular and waited for bigger sales. Nonetheless the dread of going out in the cold outweighed my desire to save money, so I filled the cart with reasonably priced items. I also filled the cart with an assortment of beautiful fruits and vegetables.

Tonight I experimented with the first warm winter recipe: chicken pot-pie without the crust. My husband called on his way home from work and we started cooking the minute he got home. The best thing about cooking at home, is cooking with my husband. We get a chance to catch up on the day while we’re chopping and stirring in front of the stove. Since the first recipe was such a success I’m even more excited about trying out the other eight.