Winter Comfort Foods

Just because I've been thinking of how nice and cozy certain foods are, on these cold winter days that seem to linger forever:

Butterscotch oatmeal
Chicken and dumplings
Homemade hot cocoa with cinnamon and carob
Warm fresh tapioca pudding
And of course, soups of all kinds: chowders and minestrones in all their variations, chili and caldo verde and split pea, tomato, carrot.

In related news, we just checked out one of my favorite comfort books, The Cozy Book by Hoberman/Fraser.  It's a delightfully long book, but here's the section on food --

"Scrambled eggs stirred soft and sunny
Melted cheese that's nice and runny
Fresh-baked muffins dripping honey
Chocolate pudding, bread and butter
Fluffy mounds of mashed potatoes
Jelly doughnuts, milk and cookies
Toast and tea when you are sick
Applesauce strained smooth and thick
(Lumpy food is never cozy)
Juicy peaches fat and fuzzy
Sliced bananas, tapioca --
Sliced bananas? Tapioca?
Well, certain people think they're cozy --
You may not
Some don't
Some do
What you like is up to you
(But everyone thinks cocoa's cozy)
Whipped-up frothy orange Jell-O
Chicken soup with spots of yellow
Creamed tomato red and rosy --
Cozy cozy cozy cozy."

And the illustrations are very worthy too.

Pick one of your favorites and eat it soon -- if you can't pick, make this!

2-3 beaten eggs (depending if your taste is to richer or leaner)
4 c. milk
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. oats (quick is better if you're not going to leave them to soak in advance)
Dash of salt, dollop of butter

Cook just until bubbly, no longer.  It warms you and fills you like nothing else, not even cocoa.