DC’s Snowmageddon 2: Chili and Popovers!

I LOVE snow!  Luckily we are having the snowiest winter in years, definitely the snowiest since I moved to DC nearly seven years ago!  There are numerous things I love about snow: it is beautiful, it is an excellent excuse to watch movies and do all things cozy, it creates excitement and anticipation.  But by far, the thing I love most about a good snow is eating comfort food!  That’s right, the cocoa, chili, soups, homemade mac and cheese, hot apple cider, ALL of it!  Often what I often remember most about a good storm is the delicious food that was consumed.

I’m actually going to call this storm Snowmageddon 2 becuase I had already considered the first big snow we had this winter Snowmageddon 1.  It occurred just before Christmas and brought nearly 20 inches of snow.  It is hard to believe this storm will top it, but I fully support the forecast!  Snowmageddon 1 entailed celebrating our friends’ Mai and Guy’s birthdays.  We marked the occasion with a Spanish theme: Shellfish and Chicken Paella with Saffron Rice, Chorizo and Green Peas and about four batches of Sangria!  Our friends were snowed in over night and we took full advantage of the situation with an impromptu sledding party.  It was fantastic!

Paella!

Fast forward to now: Snowmageddon 2!  I’ve decided that I will document my experience with this storm via the food I make! Yes, I just may be the ultimate food nerd:)  So, tonight I made chili and parmesan popovers.

I really have no recipe for my chili.  It is a “non-recipe” recipe that includes, beef, green pepper, onion, kidney beans, corn and lots of spices.  The popover recipe on the other hand was new for me.  It comes from the restaurant BLT Steak and I highly recommend it!  The recipe actually makes Gruyere Popovers, but I only had parmesan on hand, so I used that instead.

• 2 cups milk, warmed
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Popover pan

Place the popover pan in the oven.  Heat the oven and pan to 350 degrees.  Gently warm milk over low heat and set aside (I microwaved it for 1 minute).  Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (so as not to cook the eggs).  Set mixture aside.

Sift the flour with the salt.  Slowly add this dry mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth.  Once combined, remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non-stick vegetable spray.  While the batter is still slightly warm or room temperature, fill each popover cup 3/4 full.  Top each popover with approximately 1 -2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, rotating pan half a turn after 15 minutes of baking.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Parmesan Popovers

Now I’m off to watch the movie Up! with my husband and enjoy some hot cocoa.  More to come later on the “storm of the decade” and all the food that went with it!  What are your favorite cozy comfort foods?