{"id":25029,"date":"2011-02-20T10:05:59","date_gmt":"2011-02-20T10:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/?p=25029"},"modified":"2018-08-08T12:29:32","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T12:29:32","slug":"winter-recipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/blog\/winter-recipes\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Recipes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As winter approaches it seems like all I want to eat is good, old-fashioned comfort food. Who can resist a big bowl of macaroni and cheese or fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on a cold day? Here are five of my favorite comfort foods.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33337 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/GettyImages-697849334-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Macaroni and Cheese<\/h2>\n<p>I make my macaroni and cheese with leeks and dijon mustard. It adds a little something special to the basic recipe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00bc cup butter<\/li>\n<li>3 \u00bd cups sliced leeks (white and green parts only)<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc cup all purpose flour<\/li>\n<li>3 \u00bd cups milk<\/li>\n<li>16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons dijon mustard<\/li>\n<li>2 eggs<\/li>\n<li>1 pound macaroni<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and stir to coat. Cover the saucepan and cook for 12 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Stir occasionally.<\/p>\n<p>While the leeks cook, boil the pasta in a pot of salted water. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.<\/p>\n<p>Add the flour to the leeks and stir for two minutes. Add the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring to ensure the flour gets mixed in. Add the cheese and mustard. Stir until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat.<\/p>\n<p>Remove one cup of cheese sauce from the saucepan. Whisk the eggs in with the removed cheese sauce. Gradually add the mixture back to the saucepan, whisking the egg mixture in.<\/p>\n<p>Pour the cheese sauce into the pot full of pasta. Pour into a buttered 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Adapted from \u201cBaked Penne with Farmhouse Cheddar and Leeks\u201d in <strong>Bon App\u00e9tit<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33339 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/GettyImages-89341577-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Chocolate Chip Cookies<\/h2>\n<p>If you like your chocolate chip cookies with nuts, try this version with coconut and almond slivers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 cup butter<\/li>\n<li>\u00be cup sugar<\/li>\n<li>\u00be cup brown sugar<\/li>\n<li>2 eggs<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract<\/li>\n<li>1 \u00bc teaspoons almond extract<\/li>\n<li>2 cups flour<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon baking soda<\/li>\n<li>\u00be teaspoon salt<\/li>\n<li>2 cups sweetened coconut flakes<\/li>\n<li>1 package milk chocolate chips (11 \u00bd ounces)<\/li>\n<li>1 \u00bd cups slivered almonds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a large bowl mix the butter and sugars until they are feathery. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extracts. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. After the ingredients are fully mixed, slowly stir in the coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds.<\/p>\n<p>Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Adapted from \u201cCoconut Crunch Cookies\u201d in <strong>Bon App\u00e9tit<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33340 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/GettyImages-89281507-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Apple Cider<\/h2>\n<p>Who doesn\u2019t like apple cider on a cold fall day?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2 quarts of apple juice<\/li>\n<li>4 cinnamon sticks or 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon<\/li>\n<li>2 \u00bd teaspoons whole cloves or 1 \u00bd teaspoons ground cloves<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon ground nutmeg<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc teaspoon ground ginger<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc teaspoon ground cardamom<\/li>\n<li>\u215b teaspoon of allspice<\/li>\n<li>\u00bc cup \u00a0 \u00bd cup brown sugar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Heat the apple juice in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add all the spices and \u00bc cup sugar. Bring the mixture to simmer, then reduce the heat. Taste and add more sugar and spice as desired. Remove from heat, strain, and let the mixture cool.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33341 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/GettyImages-497854133-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce<\/h2>\n<p>This is my favorite comfort food. I always go for seconds!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 pound cooked pasta<\/li>\n<li>1 28-ounce can of tomato sauce<\/li>\n<li>1 6-ounce can of tomato paste<\/li>\n<li>2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped into \u00bd inch cubes<\/li>\n<li>1-2 cups red cooking wine<\/li>\n<li>4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon basil<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons thyme<\/li>\n<li>2 teaspoons dried lavender<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Directions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, cooking wine, garlic, thyme, and lavender in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for 15-30 minutes, until flavors have combined. Serve over cooked pasta.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33342 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/GettyImages-474048190-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Nachos<\/h2>\n<p>Nachos can be a healthy comfort food. Load veggies on top of Spinny Chips and you have a great, low-calorie snack. The great thing about nachos is that you can use any mix of toppings that you want. Here are some of my favorite toppings:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jack cheese<\/li>\n<li>Black olives<\/li>\n<li>Salsa<\/li>\n<li>Guacamole<\/li>\n<li>Sour cream<\/li>\n<li>Refried beans<\/li>\n<li>Shredded Lettuce<\/li>\n<li>Cilantro<\/li>\n<li>Rotisserie Chicken<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As winter approaches it seems like all I want to eat is good, old-fashioned comfort food. Who can resist a big bowl of macaroni and cheese or fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on a cold day? Here are five of my favorite comfort foods. Macaroni and Cheese I make my macaroni and cheese with leeks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":34367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25029"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34352,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25029\/revisions\/34352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/34367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.idrivesafely.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}