Seasonal cooking gets harder in these cold winter months. Fresh foods get scarcer and more expensive, while the quality of many goes down (think of those tasteless winter tomatoes).

Previous generations had to make do with root vegetables and other produce that could keep well: cabbage, turnips, carrots, onions, potatoes, and apples were the basics of many winter cellars.

Cooks turned to the pantry for canned goods that they had put up after the harvests, and waited for spring to enjoy anything fresh or green.

We're lucky to have other options. While hot house and imported fresh foods are available, where we are most blessed is in the remarkable variety of frozen and canned foods that fill our groceries. Most of these are quality, nutritious products that maintain a constant price and availability year round.

Many frozen foods are flash frozen within hours of being picked, so that in some cases they have an even higher nutritional value than fresh produce that takes a few days to get to market. Canned food processors have learned to preserve foods with less salt and lower heat, so they too retain more nutrient and a fresh taste.

But while we don't have to labor over canning and preserving, or even keep a root cellar to hold our winter foods, we do tend to turn to our freezers and pantries for many a winter meal.

Winter conditions make it wise to keep more stores on hand so that a heavy snow storm doesn't find us with empty cupboards. No one likes to run out to the grocery more than is necessary when the temperatures hover below freezing, and with darkness falling in early evening, stops after work to pick up something for dinner are less than appealing. With that in mind, here are a few recipes that can be made up with some basic supplies that can be kept on hand.

But first I have a confession to make: I am a recipe snob. I freely admit that I automatically turn my nose up on recipes that call for canned soup! It doesn't bother me if others use them, and I don't even mind eating these foods if others prepare them, I just prefer to make my sauces from scratch.

Having admitted my prejudice, now I have to tell you that two of these recipes call for - canned soup! Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo and Cheesy Chicken pie are the only recipes I make with canned soup, so let that tell you just how good they are!

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Cheesy Chicken Pie

Ravioli Casserole