It’s a little comical to me that every time I seem to get to posting about cold weather comfort foods, it actually ends up being unseasonably warm outside. Not that I’m complaining or anything – I’d welcome a continuation of such mild weather well into December! Anyway – should the temperatures start to drop again, I’ll likely be drawn again to dishes similar to the two below.
Potato and Leek Soup
A recipe for Molly Katzen’s potato and leek soup was a recent recommendation from Marilyn, and easily incorporated mostly local produce – leeks from Kuhlmann’s, potatoes from Greens, Eggs and Ham, carrots from Sundog Organic, and, well, celery from Superstore.
Pureed soups look so much nicer in the pre-blender stage
I loved the consistency of the soup, achieved from the addition of milk instead of cream, and the ratio of the liquid to puree in this recipe. Sometimes I crave the stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup, but not on that night.
Potato and leek soup
Chic Macaroni and Cheese
Though our favourite macaroni and cheese recipe is courtesy of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I was curious about a recipe for chic macaroni and cheese that was printed in the Journal a few weeks ago – not only did it call for eggs, but evaporated milk instead of cream. The only modification I made was doubling the amount of pasta – it seemed a little absurd to use just 1.5 cups of macaroni to 6 cups of cheese.
Chic macaroni and cheese (I’ve got to get a new brand of panko – it never seems to brown for me)
The addition of eggs meant the macaroni and cheese resembled a casserole. It was cheesy, but not in the creamy, saucy way that I prefer (I realize it may also have had something to do with my cheese-to-pasta shift). It was all right, but next time the mac and cheese craving hits, you better believe I’ll be “Triple D”-ing it up again!
Only Here for the Food 
Great recipes, Sharon!! I’ll definitely be trying them out – I love homemade soups!
Btw, I’ve been a long-time fan of your blog and I just wanted to let you know you inspired me to start my own 🙂
Thanks for reading, Stephanie – I love soups also! Keep up the great work on your blog :).
I’m so glad you liked the soup! I’m trying out a roasted veggie soup next with my winter market purchases (acorn squash, carrots, & parsnips from Khulmann’s & some other things from Safeway & Save-On). I’m sort of making it up, so wish me luck.
What did you think of the market @ Churchill? I was there kinda early and it felt dead in the square itself…but Twitter made it seem much livelier close to the tree lighting. The closed white tents on that light-coloured stonework made it seem a little sensory-deprivation to me. I wish we could have a real Christmas market like in Germany.
tricotmiss – good luck with your soup – with good produce, you can’t go wrong :).
I’m going to write about the market this week – but I agree with you, I’m not a huge fan of the closed tents. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t want to be a vendor standing outside for 8 hours in the Edmonton winter either! Mack and I both thought all of the vendors would have easily fit inside City Hall though (even if it isn’t the ideal venue).