I've had it. I've had enough of the snow, the cloudy skies and frigid temperatures. I want sunshine and warm weather. I want to look out an open window, feel a gentle breeze and watch my flowers bloom.

To make this seemingly endless winter a little more bearable, I found comfort in my kitchen, making cozy winter foods for the family. One of today's recipes, Cinnamon Swirl Bread, is from a 1996 Kitchen Mailbox column. When I tested this recipe, sent by Josephine Day of White Oak, I thought it was the best cinnamon bread I had ever tasted and I've made it often. Fresh out of the oven with a little pat of butter, it's pure heaven.

Carol Licht of Elizabeth recently sent this request: "I love the Tuscan Potato Sausage Soup at the Olive Garden. It doesn't have a real thick potato taste and there's just a hint of spice with the sausage." I received a response from Audrey Wasko of Bethel Park: "My son found this recipe, Zuppa Toscana, online. He made it several times and so did I. I thought it was very good."

The recipe she sent was very good but you can adjust the recipe to suit your own taste. In a second batch: I cut the sausage in 1/2-inch slices and browned it in a frying pan; cubed the potatoes instead of slicing them; omitted the water and used one 32-ounce box of chicken broth; and used 4 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon instead of the 1/2 can or jar of bacon bits.

CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD

PG tested

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup milk, scalded
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2/3 cup orange juice or milk (I used the OJ)
• 2 cups flour plus 5 to 5 1/2 cups more flour
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• For the filling
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Combine water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar and stir until dissolved; set aside. In a medium-size pot combine milk, shortening, remaining sugar and salt, stir until all is melted, cool to lukewarm, add to yeast mixture. Then add, the egg, orange juice or milk and the 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour, knead until smooth and elastic; I used an electric mixer and dough hook.

Grease top of dough, and place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down. Divide dough into 2 balls. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll each ball into 7-by-15-inch rectangle 1/2-inch thick.

Mix filling ingredients together.

Melt butter and spread 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon for each piece of dough) over dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up jellyroll fashion. Place in 2 greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pans, seam side down. Brush top with oil or melted butter. Let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

ZUPPA TOSCANA

PG tested

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 large onion
• 2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large russet potatoes, sliced in half then in 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 can or jar of real bacon bits
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups kale or Swiss chard, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sausage on a baking sheet and bake about 30 minutes or until done. Drain on paper towels and cut into slices, set aside (or remove sausage casings, place sausage in a frying pan and cook about 30 minutes or until sausage is cooked through, drain and set aside.) Place onion, chicken broth, water, garlic and potatoes in a pot. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add sausage, bacon bits, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn heat to low. Add kale and whipping cream. Heat through and serve.

Makes about 8 servings.

Margaret Devlin, New Kensington: "Years ago, Kaufmann's bakery, Downtown, sold rum balls, which were the best I've ever had. They didn't use vanilla wafers as the base. They used cake shavings. Whenever they made a layer cake, they shaved away the humps in the middle as well as any mishaps on the sides and saved the shavings to use as the base for their rum balls. Does anyone have the recipe?

Della Willig, Pleasant Hills: "In the 1960s my grandparents owned and operated a restaurant on Route 108 outside of Slippery Rock called Ramblers Rest. They were famous for their homemade fruit and cream pies and dinner rolls. I was wondering if any readers remember the restaurant and or any recipes."

Grace Gordon, McDonald: "Help: Jenny Lee Bakery is gone forever -- no more Angel Pecan Puff Cookies. My family just loves them. I sure hope someone can help me find this recipe."

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