Comfort Food in (un)Comfortable Weather

I guess it all depends on what you're into, or maybe where you have to go and how you have to get there... but I happen to love a good rainy day.  Yesterday was gloriously rainy, today is cloudy and drizzly, and I feel so very lucky to be able to work from home, and spend a little time just being cozy.  I started off the morning with some of Starbucks' new hot cocoa mix.

This stuff is awesome.  At first, I was all "hell no, I'm not spending $6 on a box of hot chocolate mix..." but realizing it was the only vegan-friendly cocoa on the shelf, I decided I didn't really have a choice.  I am SO glad I tried it!  It's well worth the $6, and if you mix it up with hot Coconut Dream, you have quite the decadent drink in your hands -- warm, creamy, rich & chocolatey -- so comforting.

My other comfort food is soup.  Unfortunately (for me) my boyfriend doesn't share this sentiment.  Unfortunately (for him) I'm going to make soup, anyway.  This one from Post Punk Kitchen looks like it will fit the bill.

Find the recipe here!

I love kale, I love chickpeas, I don't think there's any way this could go wrong.  We always called them garbanzo beans... there isn't a difference, is there?

I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy out there!  We're supposed to get some snow or ice here in Chicago.  It's difficult to really believe that though, going from a 60-degree day to snow... but hey, that's Chicago for you.

What I'm Drinking... Sludge

The name sounds less than appealing, but maybe there's a point to that... like, it sounds so gross, that your friends won't be interested, and you won't have to share it?

What I call "sludge" is just strong coffee made in my coffee press, combined with hot chocolate mix, and a touch of heavy cream.  It's delicious, really delicious.  It's also not too sweet, just kind of thick and bitter and frothy.  I imagine this is what Tom Waits would feed his children.  He would probably take his own with a shot of whiskey (and who can blame him for that, really).

Recipe:

Sludge

(clicking this link will take you to vanessauttaro.com)

Ingredients:

Coffee, dark hot chocolate mix, heavy cream

Decorate, Eat & Repeat

Use strong coffee!  Also, use dark chocolate mix, trust me, it's going to be waaaay better than milk chocolate.  Just a touch of heavy cream -- if you don't have heavy cream, you can of course use milk, or just go without that element entirely, but I think its the thickness of the heavy cream that really makes this delicious

What I'm drinking... Hot Chocolate w/ Marshmallows

Oh, it finally started to snow here in Chicago!  I will celebrate with hot chocolate and marshmallows, in my favorite chicken mug.

Decorate, Eat & Repeat