In my part of the world, winter just kicked into gear again. It’s cold, and I mean it’s “you have to start brushing with sensitive toothpaste because the air will make your teeth hurt” cold*. In case you’re in need of a little comfort, I made my favourite winter comfort food recipes available to download.

I give you:

–  Easy French onion soup (veg or beef based, your choice)
– Low maintenance yam fries, complete with awesome, not very good for you, sauce

Easy French Onion Soup

3 white onions
Approx. 4 – 6 cups of broth
1-2 Tbps Butter
1 tbsp flour
1 slice of bread and some cheese for each serving

1. Slice onions finely and brown in a heavy sauce pan with butter (approx 15 mins.)
2. When the onions turn golden, add flour and brown again (add a little of the stock if you need to, this thickens things up a little)
3. Add the broth and bring to a low simmer.
4. When heated through & you can’t handle it any more because wow does it smell good, cut the crusts off your bread and pop it in the toaster (1 slice for each bowl).
5. Portion soup into oven safe bowls, put the toast on top of the soup & sprinkle with cheese. Put the bowls onto a baking sheet and put under the broiler until the cheese is melty & lovely.

Crazy Tasty Yam Fries

2 medium yams
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp fine cayenne pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 425 F and cover two cookie sheets in parchment paper
2. Peel and slice yams into 2-3″ sections, half the width of a french fry. They don’t crisp up like potatoes so thin slices are your friend here.
3. Mix olive oil, maple syrup, and cayenne in a bowl, whisk to combine. Toss yams in mixture.
4. Spread on your prepped cookie sheets and place in the middle of your oven.
5. Roast 15 mins, then toss and rotate pans (top one goes to the bottom & vice versa). Roast another 12-15 mins until yams start to caramelize. Watch the smaller pieces, when they start to blacken you’re done.

Dipping Sauce

2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
a splash of hot sauce
a splash of lemon juice
a tiny bit of ketchup
a shake or two fine cayenne pepper flakes

Mix together, adding cayenne and hot sauce sparingly, and adjust to taste.

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*I actually have to do this, because I am a wimp. True story.