Dreaming of comfort food... and warmer weather!

The past few weeks in Europe have been extremely cold! Over 300 people have died as a result of the freezing temperatures, and it even snowed in Rome and parts of northern Africa! These below freezing temps are very unusual for Milan at this time of year. The average temp in mid-February is in the mid-40's F. Even before the cold snap hit, it was in the mid 50's here. As you can imagine, the cold feels even worse since we were used to the warmth before it hit. Now I know what a lot of you must be thinking... "You're from Minnesota, and you can't handle below freezing temperatures?" Well, I have admittedly gotten soft.

Since the cold hit I've been craving some serious winter comfort foods and wish I could find the right ingredients here in Milan to make something good. Many of those recipes call for cream of mushroom soup, or something similar. They don't have those soups here... So, I have to find other ways to make those yummy comfort foods but it’s just not the same. Can anyone in Minneapolis just send me a pot of chili from Allie's Deli? If so, I would greatly appreciate it!! Hot peppers are hard to find here too, and the peppers you do find taste more sweet than hot. And they don't sell cheddar cheese here which is sooo disappointing- how am I supposed to make a good mac and cheese?? Ok, that's all for now. I'm just sitting in Milan, dreaming of my mom's comfort foods back home... not to mention warmer weather! Maybe my mom will be nice enough to cook me something in April when we go home??

It's so strange to see snow at the colosseum!
Photo courtesy: http://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2012/02/does-it-snow-in-rome/