Hot Foods For Cold Days

 The temps are freezing in most parts of the country and the world right now.There's nothing like a spicy Mexican hot chocolate or a Berber spiced laced Ethiopian stew to warm the blood right now. These drinks and food are perfect for starving off that chill feeling.

Here s the question - what fiery foods or drinks do you like to heat up? Is it Szechuan cuisine, rifw with zingy pink peppercorns? A five alarm chili? Jalapeno poppers? To me nothing says fire and spice than a chili (a two alarm in my case. I can't handle a five a alarm spice fire). Of course ti has to have a good bed of rice or crumbled cornbread underneath to absorb some of that zest.

What is your body warmer? Let us know . 

Warming Spices

 How to make a dish even hotter? Add some heat. It could be sliced jalapenos or a heaping teaspoon of red pepper. This makes for a blood warming meal that will get you through the cold days ahead.

Of course chili is one of the hottest dishes to make. Many make it with just a one alarm rating yet it can be made to be super hot. A five alarm is a fiery change.This means adding more spices and peppers to your already established recipe. Jalapeno is added a long with teaspoons of chili powder ,cayenne pepper and red pepper. if it's too eye watering it can be cooled down with individual dollops of sour cream or guacamole. Another Mexican favorite mole sauce can also be spiked up another levelIt a dark chocolate sauce made with such cocoa .Usually made with cumin and tomatoes. it can be varied with a good kick of ground red pepper. It's usually serve with chicken or beef but can be good with vegetables too. if you want to add more heat then thick about jalapeno cornbread to any of these dishes. Add half a cup of fresh sliced one for an extreme bite or pickled ones for a lesser zing.

Pasta can be fiery too. Arrabiata sauce can bring in blood warming fire. It's a red sauce, rich with tomatoes and the extra kick of red pepper flakes. A teaspoon o them  toasted in butter should bring out the flavor and give the sauce the appropriate taste. If you want you can add any protein too to give it more oomph. Think chicken beef or shrimp. Keep in mind that pizza sauce can also be made arribiata. Add some spicy pepperoni too or ventricina ,a spicy Italian salami as topping.  for a really elegant hot dish , make lobster arrabiata . This is made with two three pound lobsters and four dry red Chiles. The lobsters do have to be roasted first and the meat and juice added to the creamy sauce. It's usually served with spaghetti but also works with any of the "long" pastas like fettucini and linguini.Indian food is also full of heat. Try a chicken curry that combines ginger - another biting spice and chili flakes to create a blood warming dish.Again ,if it's too spicy then serve with Indian flatbread like naan or roti.

If you want to be toasty hot during these cold days, then cook with heat. These dishes will keep you warm .They're not only not but also delicious.

Your Blizzard Menu

 The first of the big blizzards is coming to the new York area and  that means staying home. We are used to it by now and it's a good time to make hearty meals.A hot steamy dish or pasta or chili can get your through a day of shoveling or just having fun. 

A crock pot is your best friend in this weather.  It's great for making rib sticking chilis and pastas. A good chili is one loaded with beans and ground beef. You can vary the beans, using pintos and kidney  along with black beans for extra flavor. If you want heat , then add a good tablespoon of hot pepper flakes. For a five alarm one, think about sliced jalapenos, chipotle, adobe and ancho. If you want a more veggie based, then add more onions and sliced green peppers. What to serve with it? rice is always a good choice but polenta is another hearty side.It is a cooling factor for spicy ones along with being great at sopping up the sauce. Of course you could also have a bed of saltines or tortilla chips. A different spin is white chili which is a blend of chicken or pork,mild Anaheim peppers and green or red peppers.It's topped with sour cream or guacamole. Your crockpot can be used for that second classic winter dish tomato sauce for pasta. A basic sauce is combining olive oil with tomato paste and sauce along with chopped onion and garlic. a dollop of honey gives it a mellow sweetness and balances out the tomatoes tang. The most obvious choice of pasta is spaghetti but penne and farfalle work well too.

If you don't want to use your crock pot, there 's the oven. Casseroles are a great winter dish and flavorful. Lasagna is the most famous and loved of all of the dishes. It's tasty layers of whatever you want, You can go with homemade sauce from your crock pot or jarred. Cheese can be ricotta or even cottage cheese. The meat can be sausage or ground beef or you can try a vegan version. Vegetables can be subbed in for meat. Try bell peppers and squash along with zucchini and broccoli. Another tasty casserole is baked mac and cheese .The traditional version is a deep dish layered affair, with a roux of flour butter and milk. Sharp cheddar  gives mac and cheese its' famed bite and tang. You can add a layer of bacon strips or bits for more flavor . Tuna casserole is one of the most famous dishes , going back to the 1950s. It's actually a simple mix of tuna, egg noodles and green peas.Cream of mushroom soup is the liquid used to moisten and flavor it while a topping of breadcrumbs give it crunch. For a different  spin on a hearty meal, think chowders. These chunky soups are perfect for a cold day. They can be made either in a crockpot, stove top pot or slow cooker. A tasty treat would be a lobster or shrimp chowder but you can also have a corn one or one laden with chicken.

Blizzard weather is here and with it comes the need for hearty meals. Create something that's rib sticking and satsifying. It'll get you and your family through the  blustery days ahead