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      Everybody understands the stuggle of getting dinner on the table after a long day. If you're looking for a simple recipe to simplify your weeknight, you've come to the right place--easy dinners are our specialty.Ā For an easy supper that you can depend on, we picked out some of our tried-and-true favorites that have gotten us through even the busiest of days. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a family, these easy dinners are sure to leave everyone satisfied and stress-free. Read More Next
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  3. Comfort Wines for Comfort Foods

Comfort Wines for Comfort Foods

Updated October 09, 2009
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Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

These 10 warming food and wine pairs will take the chill off.

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Warming Wines for Winter

Credit: Ā© Melanie Acevedo

Bare branches and bare gardens are in; bare legs are out. 'Tis the season for cozy blankets, thick novels, blazing fireplaces, and comfort foods that feed your body and soul. This winter, pair stick-to-your-ribs dishes with bigger, bolder wines that match the food and the weather. Try one of these pairings to warm up your next meal.

Recipe:Ā Tortellini with Garlic Sage Butter Sauce

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Shepherd's Pie

Credit: William Dickey; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey

A rustic, beef-based dish like Shepherd's Pie, filled with savory herbs and spices, is a natural match for Cabernet Sauvignon with its own classic flavors of black fruits, black pepper, and hints of leather and earth. Try the 2006 Ancient Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon ($16) from Paso Robles.

Recipe:Ā Shepherd's Pie

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Chicken Pot Pie

Credit: Maria Robledo; Styling: Anna Last

Originally a quick and easy way to use up leftover chicken, the pot pie has become a comfort food classic with its creamy chicken and vegetable filling and rich, flaky crust. A full-bodied floral Viognier that smells hauntingly sweet but tastes dry is a great match. Try the 2007 J. Vidal Fleury Cotes du Rhone Blanc ($16), a rich and fruity Viognier from France.

Recipe:Ā Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie

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Noodles and Cheese

Credit: William Meppem

Possibly America's best-loved comfort food, Mac and Cheese or its Italian counterpart, Fettuccine Alfredo, is the ultimate winter indulgence. Hot, creamy, cheesy, buttery noodles need a wine like Chardonnay, which has a complementary creaminess to match as well as vibrant acidity to cleanse your palate. Look for a Chardonnay that's been oak aged (rather than one fermented in stainless steel) for that creamy, heavyweight mouthfeel. Try the 2008 Gordon Brothers Chardonnay from Washington ($16).

Recipe:Ā Baked Macaroni and Cheese

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Pot Roast

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Full of flavor, easy to make, and able to fill the house with mouthwatering aromas, pot roast is a classic weeknight winter feast. An equally humble yet complex wine like Cotes du Rhone, a blend of red grapes from southern France, will round off the meal. Try the 2007 Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone ($13), a ripe and fruity wine with dark plums and a hint of spice.

Recipe:Ā Classic Beef Pot Roast

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Corned Beef and Cabbage

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

Salty beef and tender cabbage is the ultimate boiled supper for New Englanders and Irish lovers alike. This salty beef dish is best with a fruity white wine like Riesling from Alsace, a French region where whites are generally full-bodied, rich, and spicy. Try the 2006 Trimbach Riesling ($16).

Recipe:Ā Corned Beef and Cabbage

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Beef Stroganoff

Credit: Kana Okada

A traditional Russian dish, Beef Stroganoff is a favorite of cooks around the world for its savory sauce that's a cinch to make. In the fall, the mushrooms in the sauce make beef stroganoff a good match with earthy Pinot Noir, but in the winter, choose a more robust red wine like Tempranillo, a Spanish red that tastes of ripe strawberries, wild berries, herbs, and spice. Try the 2004 Legaris Crianza from Ribero del Duero ($27).

Recipe:Ā Quick Beef Stroganoff

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Lasagna

For Italiophiles, a list of comfort foods isn't complete without a mention of lasagna, an ingenious layering of savory meat, creamy cheese, and sweet-and-pungent tomato sauce sandwiched between layers of wide noodles. A medium-bodied Italian red like Chianti or Barbera is a natural match for lasagna. Try the 2007 Cecchi Natio Chianti ($16), made from organically-grown grapes.

Recipe:Ā Classic Lasagna

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Chili

Credit: Rob Howard; Styling: Marcus Hay

Chili is a great go-to dish for Sunday football or chilly winter weekends. Spicy, hearty, brash and brawny, chili meets its match in Malbec, the Argentine wonder-grape with dark fruits, hints of chocolate, smoke, and spice that complement the slightly bitter tinge of the beer-based chili. Try the 2007 Kaiken Reserve Malbec ($14).

Recipe:Ā Chili for a Crowd

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Meatloaf

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Hearty, filling, and a cinch to whip up even on a busy weeknight, meatloaf is a classic comfort food staple. With its layer of fruity ketchup on top, meatloaf needs an equally bold, fruity wine. Zinfandel is a luscious, rich, jammy red whose fruitiness will pair well with that fruity ketchup layer, yet stand up to the meaty interior with its full body. Try the 2006 Maryhill Zinfandel ($22), a rich, spicy, fruity and warm winter wine.

Recipe:Ā Classic Meatloaf

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Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

A soft, gooey, cookie straight from the oven oozing with chocolate can cure even the worst of winter blahs. An inexpensive tawny Port like the NV Sandeman Tawny Port ($14) will make that cookie taste even sweeter and bring out its caramely, chocolaty flavors.

Recipe:Ā All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

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1 of 11 Warming Wines for Winter
2 of 11 Shepherd's Pie
3 of 11 Chicken Pot Pie
4 of 11 Noodles and Cheese
5 of 11 Pot Roast
6 of 11 Corned Beef and Cabbage
7 of 11 Beef Stroganoff
8 of 11 Lasagna
9 of 11 Chili
10 of 11 Meatloaf
11 of 11 Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie

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