It's cold, North Jersey! Warm up with these comforting snacks
The weather in New Jersey this winter has looked like my grandmother's pre-quadruple bypass EKG graph since the second it hit December 21.
It's been all over the map — up and down, hot and cold, windy and wet. At one point, it rained for two weeks, at another the air was so dry I gave myself bronchitis running in it.
But, good news, North Jersey; it's going to get better!
JK, it's going to snow.
Before you cry, though (which you really don't want to do because your tears will freeze and RSV is going around), I urge you to remember that — with every blustery forecast — there's a small silver lining:
You get to spend more time with your kids!
JK, again.
I'm talking steamy, warm snow day foods.
From hot beverages to cheesy sandwiches, here are 10 things I love to eat at home when Mother Nature decides to take a frigid dump on the Garden State.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup might be the most iconic snow day meal of all time, so it's only fitting to start this round up with the classic pairing.
Featuring golden-brown bread around savory slices of melted American (or pepper jack, or swiss, or brie) cheese, the buttery treat has effectively been pulling kids off sleds — and around the dinner table — for decades.
Whether you serve the sandwich with homemade tomato bisque, a takeout crock from the local diner (remember to pick it up before the forecast hits) or a simple can of Campbell's, the crowd-pleasing dish is sure to be a hit amongst diners of all ages.
Recipe/where to get: You already know how to make this, but, if you prefer a recipe, I like this one, as it uses Cooper Sharp American cheese; erinliveswhole.com/easy-creamy-tomato-soup-with-grilled-cheese.
When I think of warm, comforting dishes, chicken pot pie is one of the first meals to come to mind.
In fact, the casserole is so homey, that — in the fall — I challenged a local grandma to make me the most grandma-y dinner of all time, and this is precisely what I was served.
With a gooey dough on the bottom, a flaky crust on the top and a creamy roux and veggie blend in between, however, its hard to think of anything that would defrost the soul quite as successfully.
Recipe/where to get: Marie Callender's makes a bangin' chicken pot pie (available at ShopRite), but, to make it from scratch, use this top-notch recipe from Natasha's Kitchen: natashaskitchen.com/chicken-pot-pie-recipe.
I love a good bowl of ramen on a cold day.
On a frosty, artic, subzero one, though, I need my ramen with extra heat.
I'm not talking temperature-wise, though; I'm talking spice, because nothing gets you sweating like a tablespoon (or two) of hot chili oil.
Recipe/where to get: I feel like Ani Ramen never closes, so you might be able to order takeout from one of its locations. If they do shut, however, Dishing Out Health has you covered: dishingouthealth.com/spicy-miso-ramen.
If grilled cheese and tomato soup is the most iconic snow day meal of all time, then hot chocolate is the most iconic snow day food of all time.
Though, I guess it could be a meal — with a Lactaid pill and some tenacity.
Recipe/where to get: Any brand works. Heck, as kids, we even put Ovaltine in the microwave.
It can be homemade, it can be Campbell's, it can even be the generic ShopRite brand — but soup is a snow day necessity.
And cream of mushroom, in my opinion, is the king of soups.
Recipe/where to get: Make from scratch by following cafedelites.com/creamy-mushroom-soup, or purchase at any grocery store.
When life gives you lemons.
Recipe/where to get: Juice, soda, chocolate syrup, lemonade, etc., etc., etc. + snow.
You'll have to make them over the stove at this time of year, but s'mores are a sticky, gooey cult-favorite as decadent as they are dreamy.
Dripping in Hershey's and exploding with toasted marshmallow, each sugary square will have you counting the days until the next blizzard (or, of course, summer).
Recipe/where to get: Pick up chocolate, marshmallows and grahams at your local grocery store, or elevate your recipe by replacing the plain Hershey's with a Reese's cup, the vanilla mallows with artisan strawberry marshies or the Honeymaid squares for — hear me out — Pop-Tarts.
I've never met a lasagna I didn't like, but, in the winter, I'm a sucker for a hearty white lasagna. Subbing a creamy béchamel sauce for your usual red, the bianca version showcases chicken instead of ground beef (when protein is used), and boasts plenty of winter veggies.
Though the dish is seen on plenty of restaurant menus with mushroom, I'm partial to the white chicken spinach rendition, as it reminds me of the Bertolli Chicken Florentine Skillet Meal my mom used to make straight from the freezer bag.
Recipe/where to get: This is definitely a bake-it-yourself situation. I tried a Creme De La Crumb recipe (lecremedelacrumb.com/easy-white-chicken-lasagna-with-spinach), and loved it.
Your kids are home anyways, so you might as well have some fun.
Recipe/where to get: Stock up on ingredients by visiting the grocery store or purchasing dough at your neighborhood pizzeria. When all else fails, English muffin pizzas exist.
And then there are triple dark chocolate brownies.
Because the watered-down taste of Swiss Miss will never be enough.
Recipe/where to get: A home baker made this recipe in 2014, and it slaps: lovetobeinthekitchen.com/2014/02/13/triple-dark-chocolate-brownies.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Snack ideas to warm you up on a freezing cold day
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