On a cold winter day, is there anything more beautiful and tasty than a spicy bowl of homemade chili? This Classic Chili Con Carne is one of our favorite recipes for “chili” weather!  Incredibly flavorful, packed with protein and perfectly hearty, saucy and spicy.  Cooking it in a slow cooker is my favorite way to make this classic – the flavor is rich and robust, the meat stays tender, and you can customize with your favorite chili beans.  Served with sour cream, chopped onion, shredded cheese and homemade Corn Muffins, this is a cold weather dinner everyone can agree on!

​Everyone has their favorite recipe - beef or turkey, or even vegan.  This one works either way!  Fresh onions and celery, a generous dose of spices, and we are on our way.  I use layers of tomato flavor - tomato sauce, diced tiny tomatoes and tomato paste or puree.  Beans - pick your favorite!  Light kidney beans, dark kidney beans, chili beans, or my favorite - a combo of all three!

For as many years as I've been making this traditional French recipe, I'm still excited at how wildly popular it is!  I still have memories of ordering this at the "Cafe de Paris" at the Lexington Hotel in Minneapolis during a fun French Club event - you can only imagine all of us pre-teens being dressed up and dropped off at a fancy downtown hotel, and required to order and speak only in French during the five-course meal.  We started off with a wonderful French Onion Soup, and I ordered Boeuf Bourguignon (or "Beef Burgandy").  Each course was more wonderful than the last, and this savory beef dish and the menu from that night remain a personal favorite to this day!

​Beef Bourguignon is a classic French beef stew, rich with onions, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, all cooked together low and slow in red wine from the French Burgundy region.  It's best made the day before you plan on serving, so that all of the flavors mingle.  But even with a fancy name, there's nothing fussy about this recipe.  Just layer upon layer of wonderful flavor that slowly develops over time!

Once upon a time there were two sisters that loved to stop for a late dinner after choir practice, share stories and laughter, and all was good with the world.  And their absolute favorite dinner was Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup at a wonderful little pie shop that unfortunately is no longer around.  And pie, always a piece of fresh pie after that wonderful soup!

This is not a creamy chicken soup to be guzzled on a cold day, but a rich and silky, and oh-so-wonderful Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, meant to be savored one single spoonful at a time.  Rich, creamy, fresh ingredients and a secret ingredient take this soup to a whole new level of fabulous!  You certainly don't have to tell anyone about our secret - they will just think you are a soup goddess!

It seems like every January my family gets excited for homemade soups, but if a recipe calls for wine in a cozy, hearty soup with some crusty bread on the side, who is going to complain?  I'm trying to include more fresh vegies in our meals this year, and hearty soups, stews and chowders just seem to be where it's at! 

It's cold and snowing like crazy today, so it seemed like the perfect time to make a double batch of Beef & Barley Stew - some for today, and some to freeze and enjoy later.  This recipe is so wonderful - tender beef, nutty barley and all kinds of hearty colorful veggies in a rich and flavorful broth.

Oh Winter...we're ready for you now!  Every year you creep up, but with ten favorite homemade soup and stew recipes just waiting to simmer low and slow on the stove or in your slow cooker, we're ready to face the challenge and keep your tummy warm and happy!

I'll be sharing something old, something new, and even something borrowed over the first weeks of January - you'll be sure to find several soups and stews that you and your family will love!  Let's kick it off with some of our favorites!