On a cold day, waiting for an even colder night

Well, it looks like North Texas is going to get hit with freezing rain and snow tonite and tomorrow.  Since this area does not get much snow, I will be staying of the roads.  My observation has pretty much been that men in pick-up trucks in north Texas have a tendency to drive like they are invincible......and they are in their big ass Ford 950's (or whatever number it is) trucks.  It is us poor, helpless little runts in our PT Cruisers, Rav4's and Mitsubishis that are in trouble.  We putt-putt carefully and (I might add) blissfully along so that we don't slip and slide and crash into anyone else.  And then, all of a sudden - there is a HUGE truck driving so close to the rear ends of our cars that they may as well be a hemorrhoid.  Anyway, all that to say that I went shopping and filled the cupboard and I couldn't be happier to be home and ready for the impending weather.  

Back to cooking -  I picked up my dad and we fortified the larder for the impending weather.  This is the kind of thing that we used to do when I was growing up just outside of Boston, Mass....a storm would be forecasted and we would rush to the grocery store like all hades was going to break loose.  Since I could not in good conscience break the well established tradition, that is what I did today.

So, with larder full and fridge bursting at the seams, I am spending the afternoon and evening cooking.  Right now, I have pea soup with kielbasa and a Canadian pancake cooking (family recipe that I will post later). on the stove for my dad.  I am also making chicken tortilla soup (easy and fast), Mexican lasagna (recipe has previously been posted), roasted tomato basil soup (Barefoot Contessa's recipe) and getting the fixin's ready for grilled cheese sandwiches.

For the grilled cheese sandwiches, I use ciabatta bread and layer in cheddar, pepper jack and asiago cheeses and then cook them in my George Foreman grille.  They get really toasty and crunchy without adding extra fat.  However, when I am feeling very decadent, I use a cast iron pan, olive oil and toast the sandwiches that way......total YUMMNESS!!!

I'll post the soup recipes a bit later...gotta get back to the kitchen, stir the soup and flip the rather massive pancake.

Have a great afternoon!!!
Susan