Banishing the winter blues

Groundhog, schmoundhog.

Despite global warming, that fat, fuzzy critter in Pennsylvania says we've still got a long stretch of winter in front of us. (On Tuesday, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow; Li'l Bit, a potbellied pig in Lexington, did not.) Snow and ice fell last weekend. Christmas has come and gone, but early, dark evenings are still here.

Is it a coincidence that the acronym for seasonal affective disorder is SAD?

Granted, it would be worrisome if spring arrived about now. But how are we going to get through these next few weeks of dreary?

We decided to take a different approach. Rather than hibernate several months away in our Christmas Snuggies, why not embrace all things - food, drink, movies, music and activities - winter?

Here's to the winter doldrums! And, hey, spring? We wouldn't mind if you hurried up and got here.

Edibles... can we be any more obvious than soup?
Stews.
Braised everything ... lamb, beef short ribs, chicken, cabbage (try Molly Stevens' great cookbook, All About Braising).
Pho.
Really hot, really spicy curry.
Bright citrus salads ... sliced oranges and grapefruit with raw, thinly sliced red onion and a touch of oil and vinegar.
Oatmeal with real maple syrup.
Key-lime pie.
Lemon curd.
Pomegranates.
Blood oranges.
Chili.
Snow cream (a seasonal treat, but choose your clean snow carefully).

Julia Child's French Onion Soup
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1.
Like a fireplace in a bowl, this soup will keep you cozy during the long days of winter. The bulk of its flavor comes from caramelizing the onions - they're cooked long and slowly in butter and oil, growing sweet, brown and deeply delicious. Count on at least 21/2 hours to get it right. Brewing a batch takes patience, but the results are worth it.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

11/2 pounds or about 5 cups of thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts beef stock
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons cognac
Hard-toasted baguette slices

1 to 2 cups grated gruyere

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed, 4-quart lidded saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil. Add the onions, cover the pan and cook slowly for 15 minutes. Uncover the pan, raise the heat to medium and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions have turned an even, deep golden brown. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for three minutes.

Take off heat, blend in the stock. Add the wine. Simmer partially coved for 30 to 40 minutes or more. Season to taste.

Just before serving, stir in the cognac. Turn on the broiler to low. Pour soup into individual, oven-proof bowls. Float a baguette slice or two in each bowl, and sprinkle with cheese. Put the bowls under the broiler and heat until the cheese is melted. Take out carefully - the bowls will be very hot.

Drinks ... something stronger than coffee and tea, please, to get us through 'til spring:

Hot toddies
Hot buttered rum (see recipe below).
Mulled wine.
Hot cider laced with cinnamon and cloves.
Hot chocolate (add something new, like peppermint extract or chai).
Tom and Jerrys (hot, homemade egg nog).
Irish coffee.

Hot Buttered Rum
Adapted from Gourmet.
In lieu of a weekend jaunt to Jamaica, try warming up with this old-fashioned winter cocktail.
Makes 4 drinks.
Boiling water.
1/2 stick softened unsalted butter.
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar.
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg.
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel.
1/8 teaspoon salt.

2/3 cup dark rum (We used Sailor Jerry, not just because we like it, but because that's what we had collecting dust in the ol' liquor cabinet.)

Rinse four mugs with boiling water. Pour out and divide the sugar, lemon peel, spices and salt among the mugs. Divide rum, and then top off with boiling water. Stir to melt sugar. Divide butter among the mugs and stir to barely blend.

Clothing ... coats are just the beginning.
Leg warmers.
Long underwear.
Earmuffs.
Tights.
Bunny slippers.
Wool socks.
Boots.
Skiing goggles.
Footed pajamas.
Ugly Christmas sweaters (out of season, but they will keep you warm).
Ushankas (Russian fur hats).

Hot flicks ....

no, not that kind of "hot" movies, we're talking ones with fiery themes, toasty settings and/or lots of sweating ... no, not that kind of sweating. Get your mind out of the gutter.

The Towering Inferno (1974): Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, O.J. Simpson, Robert Wagner, Faye Dunaway, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn, Susan Blakely and more star in this corny but breathtaking movie about a tower that, well, becomes an inferno. A new 138-story skyscraper becomes a deathtrap in one of Irwin Allen's best disaster flicks.

Backdraft (1991): Some of us think that this epic about a team of Chicago firefighters belongs on the list because of the pyrotechnics and fantastic stunts. Some think it belongs on the list because of the hunky firefighters.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): The climax of this film takes place in a steel mill, and the bad guy gets literally boiled away. (We'd have given you a spoiler warning, but you've had 19 years to see for yourself).

Little Nicky (2000): Is this Adam Sandler comedy in here because it's such a flaming pile of ... er ... badness? No, it's because Sandler plays the incompetent son of Satan (Harvey Keitel), and part of the wackiness takes place down in ol' H-E-Double-Hockeysticks.

Hot tunes ... hit the dance floor and work up a sweat.

"Hot in Herre" (2002): One of Nelly's biggest hit, this song is not just hot, it's scorching. And if you're not too careful, you may find yourself obeying Nelly's command to take off all your clothes. Just make sure you do it in the privacy of your home with the blinds drawn (actor/bongo drummer Matthew McConaughey learned that lesson the hard way).

"Hot Music" (1990): This dance track is unrelenting, with rapid-fire house beats, loud horns and funky keyboards. This was a minor hit for SoHo, a pop trio from England that had a brief moment in the limelight with its song "Hippychick." But "Hot Music" lives up to its name, and anyone who can't move their hips and pelvis and whatever body parts to this should just give up on moving altogether.

"Bombs Over Baghdad" (2000): This OutKast hit kicks off with hyper-speed rhyming by Andre 3000 over a kinetic beat that never stops, an explosion of sounds so all over the place it doesn't fit into any category. But who cares? This no-holds-barred track is the norm for a group known to break down boundaries and still get you to bob your ragtop head.

"Hell" (1996): This tune, one of the highlights of N.C. swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers' second album, Hot, warned of the dangers of a life of sin, though after the week that we have just had, being "fitted for a suit of flame" sounds kind of cozy.

"Hot Hot Hot" (1982): This song was originally performed by the musician Arrow, but you're probably more familiar with the infectious 1987 cover version by Buster Poindexter. Now that we've mentioned it, we challenge you to get it out of your head.

Warming up in the great outdoors ... it's not counter-intuitive.

Soaking in the mineral waters at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa is like taking a bath in the woods. Hot Springs is one of those blissed-out hiking towns where people in Birkenstocks and Carharts mingle with ease.

There's plenty to do here - hike the Appalachian Trail, paddle the French Broad - but in the dead of winter, the big attractions are the hot springs, which flow into Jacuzzi-style tubs that sit along the French Broad and Spring Creek. The tubs are built into wooden decks and surrounded by lattice work for privacy. Bubbles not included.

Check out www.nchotsprings.com/ for more information.

Tim Clodfelter, Laura Giovanelli, Michael Hewlett and Lisa O'Donnell write for the Winston-Salem Journal.