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!