Staying Warm In Winter

Winter has once again, made its way to the northeast. Although it won't be official for another week and a half, the days are more cloudy than not and it's been raining for the past few days. Freezing rain and snow are supposed to stop by tomorrow. Ugh!

Winter is not my favorite season. 

I always seem to put on an extra layer of fat as if I were a Kodiak bear living in the frozen tundra. If I could hibernate until spring I certainly would. To keep from freezing up in winter, I eat. This "most wonderful time of the year" is synonymous with sugar-laden cavity-forming goodies. In this festive month, it becomes nearly impossible not to feed at the trough of seasonal comfort foods. New Year's resolutions are intended for tackling weight loss anyway so why not?

Here are a few of my favs:

Candied Strawberries- Essentially, these scrumptious confections are made up of sweetened flake coconut mixed with sweetened condensed milk and strawberry jello powder. You can form them in the shape of a strawberry or you can just roll them into balls, (which is what I do) and then roll them in sugar. If you've never had them, you are missing out. 

Eggnog- This beverage is liquid poundage. For some reason, when I pour a glass of this stuff, I tend to guzzle it in one gulp. Something about the rich flavor coupled with the thick and creamy texture grips me from the moment it touches my lips. Weird fact: I always drink eggnog from a stemmed wine glass. Why? I have no idea. As a child, the only time my parents' wine glasses got any use was when we got (non-alcoholic) eggnog at Christmas. I guess I still associate eggnog with a wine glass. Weird. This year, I discovered a delicious variation of the holiday nog. Pour a shot of Buttershots liquor in and you will be heading towards a caloric coma in approximately 10 minutes. 

Peppermint Ice Cream- It arrives around Thanksgiving and disappears before New Year's. The window for enjoying this flavor is not long enough. This year, my sister Kari sent out an email alert the day she saw it in the freezer section at her local Stop'n'Shop so we could all get the maximum delight. Blue Bell is best brand but Connecticut doesn't seem to carry it. After consuming a couple gallons during the month of December, the hips are happy to see peppermint ice cream go into hiding for another 11 months. 

Since cranky old man winter isn't spreading much cheer, 'tis the season to indulge in merry-making treats. The fat content and calories are sure to keep you toasty till spring.