Chili Weather is Here!

We sure enjoyed autumn in St Louis, but it seems that old man winter had no problem blowing the mild weather right outta town lately! During the winter months, we do a lot of crock pot cooking, especially soups and chili. I typically don't follow recipes, but instead follow the Nike philosophy of "Just Do It". Most times the soup or chili tastes great, so it works for our family. And if the rest of the family doesn't particularly like what I make, they are only forced to eat it at one meal. (We have a rule in our house that you eat what the pot makes. There are no other meals prepared for picky eaters, and they can choose to eat or not to eat! Guess what? They always eat it!)

What are your favorite meals, family recipes or food traditions that are specific to winter time (not necessarily the holidays, but those traditions and recipes would be great too!)?
Please share!