Toronto tends to have rather variable weather. There are hot muggy summers, crystalline cold winters, and just about everything in between. Of all those variations, it’s the dreary dark mid-winter days that I hate the most – the ones when the clouds cling to the city in a leaden mass, smothering any trace of sunshine in a soggy grey flannel blanket.
Days like today, in other words.
Yes, that’s right. It’s mid-January in Toronto, and we’re having an unseasonably warm and disgustingly grey drizzly day. Ugh.
Being the solar-powered creature that I am, my first instinct on days like these is to burrow under the covers in the hopes that I can out-sleep the nasty weather… but since I’ve yet to win the lottery or inherit millions of dollars from a benevolent distant relative, I have to drag my butt out of bed and shuffle miserably to work instead.
While I don’t have the luxury of indulging in a lazy day in bed, at least I can still fall back on Plan B – dashing home as soon as the clock hits 5pm so that I can change into comfy clothes and curl up with a big-ass bowl of piping hot stew with the cheesiest chick flick I can find on OnDemand on the TV and a snuggly kitteh on my lap to keep me company. That combination never fails to cheer me up, no matter how miserable the weather might be.
There’s still hours to go before 5pm, though, so I’ll have to settle for catching up on online gossip sites and trawling Pinterest on my lunch break… it was either that or curling up under my desk to take a nap. :)
(Reminder: Please pin responsibly! If you like a pin, please click the photo and repin it directly in Pinterest so that you’re properly crediting the original blogger (and can visit them directly in the future), rather than repinning this whole roundup.)
West African Chicken Stew (Not Quite Nigella)
Source: notquitenigella.com via Isabelle on Pinterest
Rustic Chickpea Stew with Apricots and Turnips (Simple Bites)
Source: simplebites.net via Isabelle on Pinterest
Mushroom Ragout with Creamy Polenta (Noshing with the Nolands)
Source: noshingwiththenolands.com via Isabelle on Pinterest
Chicken Sausage and Kale Stew (How to Simplify)
Source: howto-simplify.com via Isabelle on Pinterest
Chicken Marsala and Mushroom Stew (Meals in Heels)
Source: jenniferjoyce.co.uk via Isabelle on Pinterest
I think I like those kinds of days best as they give you a reason to do exactly like you said, curl up on the couch with something great to watch, a bowl of hot stew and a kitty. It’s even better on the weekend when you can do it all day :)
what a delicious collection! I have been literally living off soup these days and I am tempted to try everything on this list. thanks for sharing.
Beautiful line up of stews!
I live in a valley and I would have to say we see no sun shine for most of the winter due to the inversion factor, but anyone of these comforting dishes would cheer me up.
Thanks so much for including our polenta with these other lovely dishes!!