It’s winter. It’s cold. The small people in your home may or may not be covered from head to toe with the remnants of a snowball fight. The larger people may or may not have just returned from walking the dog in an ice storm. And it’s quite possible you need a cooking project to while away the many long hours indoors.

You, my friend, can be the hero of the snow day. The one who delivers the toasty-warm goods. The one who has the hot chocolate ready when they walk in the door. The one who fills their bellies with a hot breakfast before they head out, and a cozy dinner at the end of the day. The one who warms up the whole house and makes it smell amazing, all at the same time. (You’re the best!)

A Nice Hot Breakfast

This is the day to whip up a batch of pancakes or oatmeal. Oatmeal, whether made from steel-cut or rolled oats, happens to be a whole-grain food, as is the whole wheat flour in these pancakes, which means they’ll stick to your ribs so you can stay on the slopes or sledding hill a little longer.

Warm Drinks to the Rescue

Who’s everyone’s favorite cook? The one who brought that thermos full of hot chocolate or cider, that’s who! (You know who you are.)

Batch Cooking to While Away the Hours

Use this snowy day to stock up the freezer, fridge or pantry for the days and months to come. To help you streamline future baking projects, you can keep this Mexican caramel sauce in the fridge for months, or freeze a double (or triple!) batch of pie crust, pastry cream or cookie dough. You can stash a dozen of these burritos in the freezer for future microwaveable lunches, or freeze a big batch of chicken stock or roasted chiles so you have ingredients for next month’s dinners. A big batch of granola will keep in the pantry for month. Or make a huge batch of this sauce, or this sauce, or these beans, so you have some for dinner tonight and can freeze the rest for dinner next month.

A Cozy End to a Snowy Day

If you’re the one who spent the day on the slopes, you can keep the cooking easy with apricot chicken, pan-braised pork chops or creamy kale pasta bowls. Or if you’re up for a bit more effort, you can make either this or this chicken, this lasagna or this casserole. And no matter what, grilled cheese with tomato soup is always a winner.