In the Kitchen—Gearing Up For Cold Season

One sits hoping that in the world outside it is raining or snowing, hoping almost for a catastrophic deluge to add the romance of being in winter quarters to the comfort of a snug retreat.

—Marcel Proust, from Swann's Way

Winter approacheth. I've been thinking about making soups and stocking the freezer with them so that in cold season I'm sure to have something nourishing to eat. Last March when I had the mumps, I had been fortunate enough to make a big pot of borscht just before I got sick. That borscht got me through when I could barely swallow. Though I did start turning purple. I'm also thinking about making pesto—just some basil, garlic, olive oil, and lemon—and sticking that in the freezer too, to drizzle over soups to get a jolt of immune-boosting garlic.

I've stocked the pantry with tea: echinacea tea, but also cinnamon and ginger, wonderfully warming in these cold months. Keep honey and lemon on hand, and you're prepared for sore throats. Check your stock of rum and whiskey—because when you're feeling fit as a fiddle, that honey and lemon and spiced tea can so easily be turned into hot toddies to get you through wet and chilly nights.