Winter Warmers

This one is a big " help me! " for all you avid home cooks out there. I'm not quite sure that i'm "Masterchef " material, but i do enjoy cooking. I like being able to get in the kitchen and throw some ingredients together that will provide a healthy, hearty meal for my family. Not that it HAS to be this way, but being a good cook helps me to feel like a good mum too - maybe its the old fashioned notion of the mum looking after her family through food, i dont know. All i know is that i feel like a good wife and mother after i've eaten something delicious that i've made in my kitchen ( though it doesnt stop me sometimes eating something delicious thats been made in my local fish shops kitchen ).

Seeing as though we're starting to come into the colder weather, its the time of year i look to eat warm, hearty food. Things like a nice Thai or Indian curry, beef stroganoff, apricot chicken, or a big warm stew with lots of vegies and some crusty French bread. Its even better if i can throw it all in a slow cooker, and let the ingredients work their delicious magic while i do other things that need doing ( like going to work, or playing with Flynn ). And this year i'm hoping to experiement a little by taking some of the lighter recipes i enjoy cooking and " winter - ing " them up. Like turning a tomato pesto chicken recipe into a nice pie or pasty, eaten with a serve of mash.

So here's where you guys come in - whats your favourite hearty, winter meal? You dont need to give me an exact recipe ( unless you want to ), just enough of a name or description that i could Google up something tasty. Think of it like a virtual cookbook for a hungry pregnant lady!