The Best Recipes For Cold Weather

Weather reports are buzzing with winter systems and polar vortexes, so we're not even going to think about preparing any cold salads this week. Any mention of sorbet might get you a smack in the face, and gazpacho is off limits. Put on your kitchen slippers and dive into these 13 cold-weather-friendly recipes, which are best eaten from inside a blanket cocoon.

Spiced chai tea meets a warm cocktail to give you double the warmth. Since you likely have have all the ingredients on hand, there's no need to (ever) step outside your house.

There are plenty of ways to booze up your hot cocoa, but our current love interest is this bittersweet orange version. Pairs well with a fireplace and your chunkiest sweater.

The British were on to something when they first poured thick cheddar cheese sauce onto toasted bread 300+ years ago. Save the mashed avocado for when March rolls around and go with this beer- and Worcestershire-laden topping for your next breakfast.

The Bar Tartine chefs' traditional soup is concrete proof that the fermented cabbage can do more than top a hot dog. The chiles are optional, but we highly suggest them—a bit of capsaicin-induced sweat can't hurt.

There's nothing soup can't do, especially bowls that count as full meals. Take a hard pass on caprese salad and get the Italian taste of fresh basil via prosciutto-boosted broth instead.

The name of Jonathan Wu's cook-as-you-go meal says it all. If you can convince your friends to brave the cold and join you for dinner, it's the tastiest bonding activity you could do.

In this hearty bowl of soup, pork and hominy come together in perfect harmony, brightened by fresh tomatillos and spicy jalapeño. It's a bowl so addictive you won't be able to put it down.

Our authentic Sunday sauce recipe requires you to stand over your stove a few points along the way, but when that's the main heat source in your home, you probably won't complain.

Salads (and all other things cold) are out, so take your greens in Italian dumpling form. The cheese, spinach and bread pasta dough would have been enough, but a surprise-inside scoop of soft Robiola cheese seals the deal.

New hot Friday-night plans: Netflix and lentil with this hearty one-pot dish. The whole meal (eight servings' worth) clocks in at under $25, so you can save your holiday bonus for your heating bill this month.

Think of it like garlicky mac 'n' cheese, where you swap in potato rounds for the pasta. If all gluten-free meals were this cheesy, it could be a food trend we get behind.

Nigella Lawson made this cake with the goal of baking "the idea of spices and apples and a log fire." What else could you possibly want in subzero temperatures?

Eat these sugary swirls for dessert; pass out in a happy cinnamon-scented coma; wake up and eat the rest for breakfast. Repeat at will until you see the first signs of spring.