12 Foods Michiganders Eat When It’s Cold Outside

With colder temperatures and falling snow arriving in Michigan there's no better feeling than the aroma of your favorite dish freshly pulled from the oven wafting throughout the house. The warm glow and scent from the stove brings back memories of warmth and comfort. "Comfort food" as we've been known to call it, always brings back the memories of how Mom use to make the dishes you loved as a kid and even still do as an adult.

With that said, Michiganders do have a few favorite comfort foods we can explore. For the sake of this list we went by main course dishes. For instance mashed potatoes and gravy could be defined as a comfort food but could hardly be considered a main dish.

So, all things considered, here are our Top 12 foods that Michiganders eat when it gets cold outside:

12) Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese. Nothing says mmm....mmmm good like a cheesy grilled cheese sandwich next to a bowl of piping hot Tomato soup.

11) Chili: No matter how many times you make Chili, it does the best job of making your home smell warm and comfortable. Best when done in a crock pot.

10) Goulash: The perfect blend of pasta and meat Goulash is of Hungarian origin and predominate in central Europe but all I can say is...so glad it made its way to America.

9) Baked Macaroni and Cheese.  Like Goulash is the perfect blend of meat and pasta, Mac and chees is the perfect blend of pasta and cheese. So good when its baked with a crusty top.

8) Beef Stew: As a lover of beef, going to have make this dish my personal favorite.  Probably the best way to get me to eat vegetables too :)

7) Shepherds Pie: This baked dish when pulled fresh out of the oven is too hard to resist not taking a taste test (or two) with combination of beef, mashed potatoes and vegetables its the perfect all-in-one dish!

6) Chicken & Dumplings: I'm partial to dumplings made from Bisquick so forgive my upbringing, but I won't have the dish if the dumplings are factory produced. Yep, just call me a dumpling snob.

5) Pot Pies: Chicken or beef, either one is so delicious after you spill the make shift bowl they come in. There's something to be said about all the ingredients (including the crust) spilling all over your plate. Compliment with a piece of bread and butter and voila' , you have the perfect comfort food on a cold day.

4) Casseroles:  Tuna, beef or chicken casseroles doesn't matter the flavor, all are so good when consumed on a cold day hot out of the oven.

3) Coney Dogs: A Michigan favorite, nothing says Michigan like a good ol' Coney dog drowned in Coney sauce with a side of piping hot fries...yum!!!

2) Pasty: A upper peninsula favorite, Yoopers sure know how to eat a comfort food on a cold day. Talk about a filling meal.

1) Pizza: This shouldn't be a surprise given how universal Pizza is but leave it to Michiganders to put "Za" on steroids and amke it deep dish. THAT'S how you eat Pizza.