Fall and winter are great times of year for cozy foods: fresh baked breads, saucy braises, and slow cooked soups are just some of the stars of the season. Why not try to make something warm and nourishing yourself? Here are five hearty meals (and one bonus cookie) from cookbooks across the culinary spectrum. Every cookbook included in this post is available fully online, meaning you can skip a chilly trip to the library and get cooking.
Breakfast or Brunch
Biscuits and gravy are a southern classic. You probably already know that Snoop Dogg has added chef to his resume, but have you made any of his recipes? Snoop’s version of biscuits and gravy (“Biscuits with tha Thickness Gravy“) can be found on page 62 of his 2018 cookbook, From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen.
Soups and Stews
Next are two soups from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, located in the country’s south. Find Caldo de Fandango del Valle (Oaxacan Chicken Soup) on page 150 in the 2019 cookbook Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico, or take your time and make Caldo de Res con Guajillo Chile (Beef soup with Guajillo Chile) on page 160.
If the mountains are calling you, try your hand at Appalachian cooking. A recipe for hearty, indulgent-sounding Bacon and Potato soup (that only uses seven ingredients!) can be found on page 204 of Appalachian Home Cooking: History, Culture, and Recipes.
Dinner
A classic, Hawai’i style. Try making Mochiko Fried Chicken on page 113 of Cook Real Hawai’i: A Cookbook. The authors write that this recipe is influenced by Japanese karaage, Korean dak kang jung, and even good old southern-style fried chicken.
Sweets
To close this out, here’s a recipe from the open web: Soft Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies and Royal Icing by Sally McKenny of Sally’s Baking Addiction.
These cookies are one of my go-to recipes for fall and winter baking. The sweet, spiced dough cut out beautifully and bakes up without getting all wonky looking, and the cookies stay soft and chewy. Even if you think you hate royal icing, give this one a try. It’s the only one I use. First, it skips egg whites. Just as amazing, the icing dries fully but doesn’t get as enamel-hard as some royal icings.
