Easy Winter Meals

Winter brings a lot of hard work. There's shoveling the front walk, winterizing the shrubs and  doing whatever else that involves ice and snow. After all that work you need a good dinner but not the work attached with it. There are some easy dinners out there to at fill all a winter's meal requirements.

One of the easiest and most filling dishes is zuppa di montagna. This classic Piedmontese dish is just stale Italian  bread or breadsticks (my favorite) layered in a casserole dish. Swiss cheese slices are layered over them and then hot broth is ladled over the entire dish. . Cook in a 325 degree oven for around half an hour. Microwaving it adds to the simplicity. It can be made in just five to six minutes. for variation add a layer of parboiled (think two minutes in a hot bath ) Savoy cabbage leaves. Another easy dish is spaghetti. I just discovered the ease and tastiness of microwaved spaghetti. This is so simple to make .It's micro boiling pasta for only ten minutes and then serving with a ready made sauce. If you do want a quick primavera, then saute sliced plum tomatoes in olive oil and garlic. You can also add onions, broccoli and cauliflower for a more Spring like taste.Try your microwaved pasta with peas and pine nuts for a lighter dinner.

Even more substantial dishes can be easily made. Nothing beats sliced roast beef or turkey with hot gravy.What you can do is buy the meats already sliced  along with jarred gravy at your local supermarket. Use Stove Top Stuffing as a base  for the two, and you have a hot filling meal. Microwave some green beans, corn and succotash to complete it. Chili is another easy dish, made easier in either a huge stock pot or crock pot. It's just a simple blend of sauteed chop meat and onions along with canned beans and  canned whole tomatoes.The heat is up to you. Add as much pepper as you want to combat that winter chill. Tacos are another easy and fun meal. All you need to do is just cook the meat part. The fixings are usually pre sliced and you can even buy already made guacamole.The same goes for burritos and soft tacos.

Cold weather brings about hard work. Think about making easy meals  that are also filling and hot.It's a nice way to end a day full of snow shoveling.