Warm the soul with hearty winter dishes!

Cold weather is the perfect excuse to gather friends and family together around the table for catch-up conversation and memorable meals. And since those winter chores and activities can seem harder than their summer counterparts, your best bet is to load up on hearty dishes that will keep you going all day long.

Start the day off right
A solid breakfast helps make sure you’re ready to face the day. Get going with this cheesy egg scrambler or some taste bud teasing cheddar and mushroom breakfast squares. Want to take a step away from the ordinary? Not a problem when you’re eating these baked pears with vanilla yogurt and granola. It’s a delicious way to help fill your daily fix of dairy foods, and you’ll love how the honey and mint complement the pear’s naturally sweet taste.

Time to get serious
You’ve no doubt heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But without a solid lunch and dinner, that hearty breakfast can quickly lose its oomph. For a nice mid-day pick-me-up, take a trip to the Southwest with a zesty chicken enchilada soup. If you prefer those comfort foods that take you back to your younger days, try basking in the glory of some cheesy broccoli potato soup or creamy vegetable barley soup.

But as filling as soup can be, sometimes you just crave a little more, especially if you’re physically spent from shoveling your driveway or spending a day on the slopes. In these instances, we recommend this Italian vegetable pasta bake. It’s a perfect blend of mozzarella cheese, fresh vegetables, and Italian spices that will enliven your palette. And for a unique combination of old favorites, serve up a cheeseburger macaroni casserole. Everyone who tries it will be impressed with your ingenuity.

The fuel you need to face the day
Winter activities are fun, but things like ice skating, sledding, and building snowmen in the cold can take a lot out of you. With a hearty meal on your side, however, you’ll have the energy to face whatever the outdoors throws at you.

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