It's November... the trees are bare... the flowers are gone... the skies are gray... the winds are blustery... and.... it's COLD!

It's time to turn our hearts toward hearth and home. Family dinners together warm the soul as well as the body. Time well spent sipping cocoa in front of the fire and telling tales of your childhood... weaving memories... creating traditions... subtlely knitting your family's past and future together to create a coverlet of love and affection.

Time is always at a premium. You want to spend your time interacting with your loved ones, not spending hours in the kitchen creating that family dinner. Here are some quick and delicious "comfort food" meals that will draw your family to the table and allow you to spend your time with them instead of in the kitchen.

The following recipe for Pork Chop Casserole was one my mother found in a newspaper over 40 years ago. It has always been one of my favorites and I make it often for my own family. My children are now grown and both of them still enjoy this dish. I expect this recipe will be served in my family for many more years.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless loin porkchops
  
• 1 cup raw white rice (do not use instant)
  
• 1 can Cambell's beef consomme (this is the only soup that gives the distinct flavor that sets this casserole apart from the ordinary)
  
• 1 soupcan of water
  
• 1 can of stewed tomatoes
  
• 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
  

Spray a 4 qt. casserole with vegetable spray. Put the raw rice in the casserole dish.

Brown the porkchops in a saute pan then place them on the rice.

Deglaze the saute pan with the consomme and water. (Just a fancy way of saying... heat the consomme and water in the saute pan, getting all brown bits and flavor from browning the chops.) Add this mixture to the casserole, then arrange the onion quarters in the casserole, and pour the stewed tomatoes over all.

Cover the casserole and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 and 1/2 hrs. Serves 4. Note: This casserole can be easily be doubled to feed a crowd, using a larger casserole dish.

Tater Tot Casserole is a quick, easy version of another of my mother's old standbys, Shepherd's Pie. This is another of my family's favorites, easy, delicious, and warming on a cold winter evening.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef, browned
  
• 1 medium onion, diced, cooked a bit with the ground beef
  
• 2 cans of green peas, drained
  
• 2 cans of any cream soup (my favorite is creamy onion, but cream of mushroom or cream of chicken will work just as well.)
  
• 1 bag of frozen Tater Tots
  

This is a layered a casserole and goes together quickly once the ground beef and onion mixture is browned.

(TIME SAVING HINT: We buy 3 or 4 lbs. of ground beef, saute it all with two or three diced onion, when it is cool freeze it in meal sized portions. You then are one step ahead when it is time to prepare dinner.)

In a 4 qt. casserole coated with vegetable oil spray layer the following:

Ground beef and onion mixture, drained green peas, and cream soup. Arrange the Tater Tots on top.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours, until the middle of the casserole is bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6

This version of the Italian, chili-like soup, Pasta Fagioli is a real no-brainer and completely adaptable to your individual taste.

The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd or to freeze for future use.

You can easily make this soup vegetarian by omitting the ground beef and substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. (Note: The children will love the Italian pronunciation "pasta fazuuuule" especially when exaggerated.)

Ingredients:
In a 4 qt. Saucepan, saute:

• Chopped onion,
  
• chopped celery, and
  
• thin carrot strips until crisp tender (Use as much of each of these ingredients as you like. I like a lot of veggies in my soup.)
  

Add:

• 2 cans Canellini or Great Northern beans, drained
  
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
  
• 2 cans clear chicken broth
  
• 1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
  
• 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned

Simmer together approx. 1/2 hour.

Cook 2 cups pasta until al dente (slightly undercooked) and add 5 minutes before serving.

If you desire a little zing in your soup you may also add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed.

Serves 6-8 generously.

"Sterling Moon is my favorite specialty coffee!" David E. Brown,
[Billy Joel's former lead guitarist for 11 years] Gloucester, MA

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