Last month, I related the story of being downtown Waynesville NC on a frigid, snowy night. Most restaurants had closed early, but one pub had a sign out front offering the perfect cold weather meal—a bowl of chili and a toasted cheese sandwich.

I wondered if you agreed with my choice. Or perhaps you’d prefer a steaming bowl of soup or a hearty stew?

Many of you must have been suffering through the cold January, because the answers flooded in. Chili was a hearty favorite.

Prepare to hear your stomach rumble, because your comments were quite tasty. Here are some of my favorites.

Chili

If it is freezing cold outside, and you don’t eat chili, are you even human??

It needs to have onions, cheese on it with tortilla chips and some Tabasco Sauce for some extra heat. Yum, yum.

In the midst of winter, a nice bowl of chili (with some shredded cheese on top) is perfection!

It’s a requirement for living in Texas. Don’t forget the lime tortilla chips and quesadillas.

Love eating other people’s chili!

My mother began adding cabbage to her chili in her later years. We thought she was losing it but it is actually quite good. I still add it along with a little shreaded cheese and Frito scoops. A cheese sandwhich makes it that much better but I do have to make an extra grilled cheese to share with the husky and chow.

No beans! Spicy! All the accoutrements!

Chili is the only choice…

Definitely need a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it and a big glass of milk.

Regular chilli with crackers or chilli with shredded cheddar cheese on top.. so yummy.

I only like my mom’s chili. I don’t like too hot and spicy, and my mom’s is just right. Taco soup is a close second. Other than that, I only want soup when it’s cold outside and, if I’m sick, I only want Campbell’s soup.

Chili, not too spicy, with loads of shredded cheese and sweet cornbread (not the crumbly kind you eat with beans, this needs to be the sweeter cakier kind).

My husband makes the best chili! 10-12 quarts at a time. It goes so quickly, sometimes, that I wish we had a larger vat, uh, pot to cook it in. Great with crackers, cheese, baked potatoes & broccoli, sour cream, or any mixture of the above!

Plus grilled cheese. Cannot beat that

With loads of cheese and onions! So good.

White chili is the BOMB!

Chili + cornbread!

Just don’t think you can beat chili on a cold day. Love it with grilled cheese, too.

Don’t forget the cornbread loaded with butter and honey to go with the chili!

Chili and grilled cheese sandwiches is my favorite meal any time of the year!

Chili, yes, but also cornbread with butter and honey.

Soup

While I love a good bowl of chili, with soup there are just so many more options.

Especially creamy soups like cream of mushroom, crab bisque, etc. We get take out by the quart from a fav restaurant if we don’t have time to make soup from scratch.

Nothing beats the age old tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich on a good cold day! A definite childhood favorite!

Nothing like a bowl of hot soup on a cold day or night, especially if it is my home-made soup!

If I’m out & about, then definitely soup & grilled cheese. If I’m at home, then stew or chili would be my choice. I actually make chili for Monday Night Football & have gathered many chili recipes over the years. Yum.

Hot bowl of soup and fresh, homemade bread is comfort food at its finest!

I have a taco soup recipe that is thick and similar to chili that I love in winter.

Tomato soup…trip to old Quebec City..walking around in frigid temps .. we stopped into a cafe and had the most memorable tomato soup and crepes… as our food was served we were blessed with a window seat as snow started falling (October)

I love a bowl of chicken and noodles or potato soup on a cold night

Potato soup with cornbread

Soup is so easy to make. You can have a very simple broth or veggie soup, or get creative+ invent new bowls of healthy combos. In my childhood days it was always tomato soup with alphabets + a peanut butter sandwich! Of course, if not feeling well – chicken soup!!!

Mmmmm. Homemade potato and cheese soup with some sort of yummy bread for dipping

With the soup, I always enjoy eating cornbread made in a cast iron pan with some butter and honey!

Canned soup as I am too old and have no interest/energy to make “from scratch”.

Cream chicken and wild rice

Call me crazy, but I enjoy being out in the cold or snow and coming in for some Campbells Vegetarian Vegetable soup. No other soup does it for me.

Tomato soup and that grilled cheese sandwich!

Stew

My mom’s stew was so good it was my dinner request for my 10th birthday.

As a child I learned to cook for my 3 brothers and parents as both parents worked ! I frequently made stew not necessarily to my brothers delight !! I still laugh to myself when I remember my brothers groaning “again ? “

Hot roast Beef Stew !

The stew has to be vegetable, I’m veggie, with dumplings and eaten with mash potato. It’s a close call on them all though. Favourite soup is butternut squash with fresh ginger and quinoa and fresh homemade bread. I’m going to stop now or I won’t!

We have to pick one?

Actually, any one of the 3 is good

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