Chilly and Rainy

     It's raining.  It's cold.  It's raining and cold.  And repeat.
All I want to eat at this time of year (outside of my year-round ice cream problem) is something warm.  Even the yogurt or shredded wheat I am usually pleased with for breakfast has to be replaced with oatmeal, grits with lots of pepper and butter, or toast and eggs.  I just don't feel satisfied without food that fights the chill.  Braises, roasts, stews, soups... it's the season for rich and hearty bowls of goodness.  A perfect excuse, I might add, for a couple extra pounds of defense against harsh winter winds.
     I want chicken and dumplings.  I want to plug in the slow cooker and just let time and heat work its miracles.  I want to sit in front of a fire with a steaming mug of apple cider.  I want Junior Social Worker's Spaghetti Day spaghetti with every little noodle coated in meaty sauce.  I want spicy chili thats been bubbling all day.  I want to cuddle on the couch late at night with my mom and her tapioca warm off the stove.  I want white beans and ham.  I want French Onion soup in its special crock.  I want hot and gooey sandwiches.  I want to dunk hot, fresh doughnuts in my coffee and soft, crusty bread in my soup.  The list goes on, but warm comfort is clearly the theme.
     All these things were on my mind a few days ago as I considered what I wanted to eat on my weekend.  Well, here's the delight of dating a man who cooks for a living, he was thinking the same thing and I never had to say a word.  Just spotted the beef short ribs at the market, and proceeded to create exactly the meal I was craving.  After searing the ribs, slowly adding layers of vegetables, tomato sauce, seasoning, and beef broth, then simmering everything for many hours,  he had a meltingly tender ragu.  The meat fell into soft shreds in its thick sauce, and even though most of the mirepoix and mushrooms became unidentifiable in the ragu, each flavor came through.  We ate it over creamy polenta cooked with beef broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds, more cheese, and plenty of butter.  Might as well really go for it, right?  We still had our vegetable- crispy roasted brussel sprouts- a vegetable that I didn't know I loved until my adult years, but have since made up for lost time.  I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our meal.  The only bad part was waiting to eat as the house filled with the aroma of what was to come.