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Upon returning to my house this weekend after a two-week absence, I should have known that there would be nothing in the refrigerator worth cooking. Furthermore, I should have known that neither me nor my husband would feel like getting back in the car and driving to the grocery store.

After poking around in the pantry, I found a bag of soup mix I had bought a few months ago, with just this occasion in mind. No milk needed, nothing besides water and a pot to heat it in. For powdered soup from a bag, the cheddar potato chowder wasn't too bad. Don't get me wrong -- it wasn't the pumpkin soup with cinnamon and sugar croutons I had at the Vintage Kitchen in Norfolk on vacation, but it was a serviceable meal.

Both of those soups, together with the forecast for snow, got me thinking about cold-weather dishes.

Reading Katie Reetz's piece for Wednesday's paper on hot chocolate, I found the following fact:

"Hot cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and three times the amount found in green tea, according to a study conducted by researchers at Cornell University."

That's reason enough for me. Along with the peanut butter hot cocoa recipe she gives. Check it out Wednesday. I'll post a link later.

Does anyone know where education reporter Jen Fernandez can find Solo pastry filling locally? I've tracked it down online, but it'd be a lot easier to make her mama's kolatchkies for Christmas if she could find it locally.

Zug.com is a great site that has some great phone pranks. With the holiday season rolling around, they've taken on FAO Schwartz and a $15,000 miniature pony in their catalog.

Excerpt from the prank call:

"JH: Can you summarize my questions again? I want to make sure the Research Team has all of them.

FAO: You asked: When the horse gets too old, what can you do with it? Then you also wanted to know when the horses would be available again. And you might have axed another question that I didn't get. What's your last question?

JH: Whether they can recommend any good horse recipes.

FAO: OK. [Long pause] OK, sir...

JH: Horse soufflé?

FAO: OK. Is that all, sir?

JH: Um ... horse waffles?"

Not quite. But apparently Coke is getting rid of my beloved Vanilla Coke to make way for ... Cinnabon coffee-flavored drinks?

From the Charlotte Business Journal:

"Most Americans are familiar with the taste and smell of a Cinnabon sweet roll," says Lauren Steele, a spokesman for Coke Consolidated. "That sensory experience you get in airports is now available in three super-premium coffees, Cinnamon Vanilla Latte, Caramel Nut Latte and Espresso & Cream."

It's supposedly available in the Carolinas right now.

I wish I liked lattes, so I could play, too.

Pumpkin roll. Snickerdoodles. Truffles. Cookies. Rice Krispy Treats. Pound cake. And much, much more.

Friday, the copy desk chefs created mouth-watering goodies for a bake sale in the newsroom as part of the Great American Bake Sale.

From the Web site:

"The Great American Bake Sale® is a national campaign that encourages everyone to help end childhood hunger in America by hosting a bake sale in their community October 16th through January 29. "

Jennifer Burton, the copy editor who organized the bake sale, said she was expecting to make about $50 from the bake sale -- but by the end of the day, the bake sale netted more than $200. And I think we could have made more, if we hadn't run out of goodies.

Thanks to all the bakers who contributed goodies and to all of the newsroom staff who opened their wallets for said goodies -- not that you have to twist arms to get journalists to buy homemade treats. :-)

If you want to host your own bake sale, check out the Web site here.

Here are some more photos from the event, along with a recipe for the truffles (pictured above) that I made:

Yesterday, I was starting to feel better coming off some congestion and fun winter coughing, so I started scrounging around the pantry trying to come up with something for dinner -- only to realize I haven't been shopping for basics in weeks. No milk. No tomatoes. Only a couple potatoes. Not much of anything that usually forms the basis for a quick dinner around here. And everything was iced over outside, so a trip to the store was out of the question, in my mind at least.

After digging through the freezer, I found a pot roast hidden beneath all the ice cream. I also managed to find one can of stewed tomatoes in the back of the cupboard, so I decided to try a variation on a recipe I adore.

I stuck the pot roast in the slow cooker and chunked up the few potatoes on top of that. I added half an onion I had in the fridge, diced, along with some spices, steak sauce (no worcestershire to be found!), 1/4-1/2 cup of red wine, the can of stewed tomatoes, and six tablespoons of tapioca. I cooked it on high for about 6 hours, and it came out pretty well. A little soupier than my regular beef stew recipe, but I liked it, and my husband had seconds.

By the way, I'm still looking for a few more cold-weather recipes from the readers. Send 'em my way if you've got 'em!

Here's the original recipe, which is nice if you have the ingredients :)

With ice on the roads and a chill in the air, it's nice to have a
couple of comfort-food recipes in your file that can be made without a
lot of fuss. A couple weeks ago, when I asked you to send in such
recipes, I got some great responses. I've included their recipes at
the end, and I encourage you to keep sending in your favorite recipes,
cold-weather or not!

Janet Wright sent along her moher-in-law's recipe for dumplings, which
she says her kids ask for even in the summer.

"We like very little meat in it. Sometimes I'll add shredded carrots
and/or some frozen peas. Also, I use canned broth. This will keep you
warm for hours. Maybe even days!" Janet says.

Janet even provided a doubled and tripled recipe because she says one
batch is never enough.

Susannah Turner-Harvell of Greensboro passed along some of her
favorite recipes, which were given to her at her wedding shower by her
closest family and friends as their best and favorite recipes. "Mae
Simpkin's Sweet Potato Casserole" is her 89-year-old grandmother's
recipe. "This recipe is to die for!! Never fails! And is easily
varied for people's tastes -- easy to double or split -- I have also
put the mix into ramekins and baked individual ones," Susannah says.
"Children love it and it is super nutritious."

Susannah also passed along "Easy Easy Broccoli Casserole" from her
sister-in-law's mother, Jeanne B. Coffron.

Recipes:

Somehow the copy desk got started talking about snickerdoodles the other day, when one of our editors started wondering how the cookie got its name. "Hey Mel, blog about that, would ya?" Holly, your wish is my command.

Unfortunately, the origins of the snickerdoodle are kind of murky. Some say that the recipe is a New England creation.

"According to the Food Lover’s Companion (Sharon Tyler Herbst, 2001, New York: Barrons), the term Snickerdoodle originates in 19th century New England and its name has no particular meaning or purpose."

Others think they are a creation of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Apparently they are a fairly recent creation; you won't find any recipes for snickerdoodles in 18th- or 19th century cookbooks. In fact, according to FoodTimeline.org, the first recipe for snickerdoodles was printed in a church cookbook printed in the 1920s:

"Snickerdoodles. 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 cup currants. Put into a large square tin and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon before baking."

---Tried and True Recipes, published for the Benefit of the First Congregational Church, Wilmette, ILL. By the East End Circle Woman's Guild [1920s?--no date on the book]

However, there are many recipes for cookies with snickerdoodle-like ingredients dating all the way back to Roman times, many made with currants (like raisins) or sweet spices, nuts and dried fruits.

Conclusion? A cookie with any other name is probably just as sweet.

Recipes
Simple sugar variation
Pa. Dutch variation

After work tonight, I'm on the way to the store to pick up some last-minute supplies for some treats I'm making tomorrow. Most of these ideas are kid-friendly as well, so make it a family activity if you need a way to keep the kids busy. :)

Almond and Peppermint barks: These are two of the easiest things in the world to make. First, line a cookie sheet with wax paper. For the almond bark, melt 1-2 pounds of chocolate on the stove. When melted, add 1/2-1 cup of slivered almonds. Pour mixture onto the cookie sheet, and let it set til firm (about an hour). Break into pieces and keep in a covered container. For the peppermint bark, crush 12 candy canes in a plastic bag with a hammer. Melt 1-2 pounds of white chocolate, and add the crushed candy when melted. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet, and let it set for about an hour. Break into pieces. You can also add different flavorings to the chocolate when it's melted, from peppermint to Kahlua, from Irish Cream to toffee.

Puppy chow:
9 cups Chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put cereal in large bowl. Melt the chips, peanut butter and butter. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over cereal, and mix well. Put it in large plastic bag with sugar and shake to coat. Spread on wax paper to cool. Keep in a covered container.

Chocolate-covered pretzels, cookies: You can use pretzel twists, pretzel rods or cookies such as Nutter Butters and Oreos. Melt chocolate or white chocolate on the stove or in the microwave. (If in the microwave, melt it in small batches, stirring every thirty seconds until smooth.) Using a fork, dip pretzels or cookies into melted chocolate and set on wax paper to dry. Dip just the top three-quarters if you use pretzel rods. You can decorate them while they are still wet, using a spoon to drizzle chocolate of another color or adding colored sugar or sprinkles. Put them in a covered container when set, using wax paper to separate layers.

Other quick holiday favorites:
Microwave French silk fudge
Pumpkin Apple Cake
Cinnamon Pound Cake

... who was the first person to think, "Yum! This looks good enough to eat!"

Inspired by a dinner conversation about one couple's Christmas experience involving an octopus for dinner.

*shudder*

While I was in Norfolk this weekend visiting my husband's family, we had the occasion to eat at one of my new favorite restaurants, the Vintage Kitchen. As we were waiting for our food, I read the table tent in front of me, and I was quickly overcome with jealousy!

Downtown Norfolk is having a Restaurant Week in late January, showcasing many of their local eateries. It's billed as "21 restaurants. 7 nights. 1 price." Each restaurant will serve a three-course meal for either $20.06 or $30.06 all week, letting people sample the best of the city for an affordable price. Two of my favorite restaurants made the list (along with Vintage Kitchen, Freemason Abbey is one you must check out if you are ever in Norfolk).

What a wonderful way to show off your local dining options! So, Greensboro and the Triad: How about it?

My husband and I decided to take our house wireless for Christmas, so now I can sit here in the living room, watching the Food Network, and blogging about what I watch without moving! Which is great because I always get ideas about what to blog about while watching, but I don't write them down, so by the time I sit down at a computer, I've forgotten.

Tonight, I saw an ad for an Emeril that I'll actually watch: Queen Latifah is guest starring on his show on Jan. 7, and I adore her, so I might be able to get past my Hatred of All Things Emeril long enough to watch. Sounds like it's in honor of her new movie, Last Holiday, which I really want to see.