There's only one thing to do at a time like this . . .

As you may or may not have heard, we've had a little bit of a winter thing going on out here on the East Coast this year.

You know: snow, ice, sleet, icy rain, snow days, roof rakes, blah blah blah.

I'm bored of all the talk of it, frankly. Roof rakes?? As I may have mentioned, it's winter -- the weather is supposed to suck.

Plus, in winter you have an automatic excuse for anything. Want to hole up and drink several bottles of wine and read an entire novel in one sitting? Fine. Want to turn the heat up to 85 and don bathing suits and dance to reggae? Perfect. Want to disappear into the basement and catalogue your entire book collection in one night? You've earned it.

But mostly what many over here on this entirely absurd East Coast like to do when the weather outside gets frightful is cook. (Those stories about storming the grocery stores for milk and bread? Chumps only).

And we have had lots of opportunities this winter to cook up some spectacular vittles . . .

The other week? Let's see. Frozen chicken thawing in chicken broth on the right; broccoli cooking in olive oil and garlic in the middle, and I can only guess pasta on the left. Oh yes! My famous pasta/broccoli/ chicken. That's a yummy dish. That was January 13.

Oh, and who can forget this tasty treat? In the middle, a pork sirloin, rubbed with olive oil, garlic and our homegrown rosemary; red potatoes with loads of garlic and more of that yummy rosemary on the left, and brussel sprouts and onions on the right. They all got roasted in the toasty Vulcan oven.

I never ate brussel sprouts as a kid; my mom hated them from her childhood, so never made them for us. Much as she taught us to never learn how to iron or mop the floor, because those are boys' jobs (thank you, Mom). But Mistah has turned me into a lover of the brussel sprout, especially roasted. I am a believer.

That was January 15.

What's this? Ah, yes, my world-famous crock-pot chicken curry. Every good crock pot dish is a piece of something cooking in liquid for a long time. In this case, it's chicken in tomatoes. With loads of curry spices. And great things like garlic (duh), onion, ginger, yogurt, cilantro and cashews.

Oh man is that good. I brought it to Mom's on January 16.

This? Oh, this is how we live our lives while cooking. We are very civilized around here . . .

Aw, jeez. Turkey soup. With the carcass from Thanksgiving. I made this on January 24.

Look at this batch, wouldja? I wrote that it was enough to feed the army of a small country; my neighbor Ron replied, "Lt. Ron reporting for duty".

I gave Mumsie a small bucket of soup (she did contribute to that lovely turkey) and she called me up with high praises. She said I had everything in there but the kitchen sink. Thankfully.

This cooking-in-winter thing has lots of advantages. Having the Vulcan going keeps the house warm in these frigid, long nights of winter. And when the windows get fogged up and the place smells like a restaurant? Well, then I'm happy.

And what's that you say? What did we have last night, you ask?

Curry chicken crockpot -- from the freezer -- on the left; in the middle: broccoli steamed just soft enough to be combined with the rest of the fresh spinach for a delicious and necessary green salad; and on the right, the last of a delicious eggplant/tofu/broccoli/ garlic/ginger/onion/ricey stirfry from last week.

That's right, kids.

Lefties.