Cooking Classes: Winter Comfort Foods

When the weather gets this nasty, I crave soup, hot chocolate and other winter comfort foods. But I also need some culinary inspiration, or I end up eating yet another batch of my fabulous Mr. Noodles raman noodles (bought by the case every time I go to Stratford).

A mid-winter grocery run to Canada is something I'd like to avoid, so here are a few culinary classes I'm considering:

• Frasier's Gourmet Foods has a "Soup & Bread" class series coming up. Taught by chef Joseph Allford, the classes meet on Monday evenings in January and are likely to sell out.


• Clark Appliance is offering a class called "Culinary Foundations: Soups and Stews." The class takes place Friday, Dec. 5, and costs $35. Recipes include basic stocks, wonton soup and Guinness stew.


• The Chef's Academy is offering "Winter Comfort Foods" this coming Saturday, Nov. 22. Cost is $75.


• Looking for something less traditional? Warm up despite the cold weather with a Brazilian cuisine "date night" at Kiss Z Cook this Friday. Cost is $125 per couple.


• Do your comfort foods usually involve chocolate? Sign up for the "Chocolate Centerpieces" class through Lawrence Township Community Education. It meets the evening of Dec. 11 and costs $85.

Of course, if you need some serious cooking instruction -- like how to tell a parsnip from a rutabaga -- you have a few options. One is the "Have Fun Cooking" class, offered by the IUPUI Community Learning Network. Another is the Foundations series at Kiss Z Cook, which focuses on knife skills, soups, starches, meats and other food types. Frasier's also has a great Cooking 101 class series, but no dates are scheduled at the moment.