Here in Columbus, there is a lot of snow on the ground. The temperatures have been consistently below freezing. It’s too cold to really enjoy any time spent outside. As a result, winter hibernation mode is seriously setting in. To me, this means lots of lazy weekends at home – reading blogs and books, playing games (video, board, tabletop), and enjoying comfort food. In short, winter is a perfect excuse to post this set of links:

• Video game cupcakes are nothing new. I made the ones pictured above a few years ago for a Super Bowl party. I know they aren’t standard Super Bowl party fare. But this is the same group of friends that has spent more than one New Years Eve playing Guitar Hero and Mario Kart. So I knew they would be appreciated. It was my first time using fondant, and taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of using flavorless red dye. For those that don’t know, red dye tends to be very bitter unless you use the flavorless version. I didn’t know this until my cute little cupcakes were topped with bitter red piranha plants. The cupcakes were still a hit. However, these game cupcakes that have been making the rounds on the internet beat my Mario cupcakes by a long shot.
• Jared and I often make homemade pizza on Sunday nights. To be honest, he makes the pizza crust. I just top it. One of these days, he’ll get around to posting his crust recipe on here. Until then, you’ll just have to trust me that it’s really good. Pizza on a Stick looks like a fun variation on regular pizza.
• What is a good weekend brunch without a cocktail? The problem is that mimosas seem very summery to me, and bloody marys are just plain nasty. Mele Kalikimaka Martinis would be a nice winter alternative, even after the holidays are over.
• On winter mornings, it’s always nice to have a healthy, homemade breakfast. Considering extra the drive-time that a winter commute can involve, it’s especially nice if that breakfast that can be eaten on the run or at the office. So I will definitely spend a Sunday afternoon making these Apple Walnut Spice Muffins very shortly.
• I do not give my slow cooker enough credit. Aside from Apple Butter Weekend, I really only pull it out a few times a year.  This winter, I have been trying to change that. I am continually surprised by the things one can make in a slow cooker. For example, it seems like a creamy soup would burn in the slow cooker. I hope this Crockpot Potato Soup recipe will prove me wrong when I try it.

Link thanks to Brandfreak

• We usually think of pumpkin as a sweet food that goes best with cinnamon and nutmeg. With this soup recipe, The Kitchn shows that it also goes well with bacon. Then again, what doesn’t?
• Right now, the grocery stores and farm markets are full of squash. Taste of Home‘s website has a quick guide to the more common varieties currently available, along with some ideas for what to do with them.
• Who’d think to grill apples? Certainly not me, until I came across this Grilled Apple and Chicken Salad recipe on Serious Eats. It will be on next week’s dinner menu.
• I’m not such a fan of candy corn. But this Candy Corn Cordial from Food Network is so pretty that it has me tempted to infuse some vodka with candy corn anyway.
• Finally, I’ve decided that my utensil drawer is in dire need of these lightsaber chopsticks.

• AdAge (and most of the rest of the food and marketing internet world) is covering the launch of Starbucks Via instant coffee.
• Not all professionally-made cakes are beautiful. Today, Cake Wrecks rounds up some ugly chicken cakes.
• Worldhum links to an interactive chart that lists the top 10 most and least carnivorous countries, determined by pounds of meat consumed per capita. Some of them are surprising.
• The Kitchn’s Grilled Eggplant with Tomato and Goat Cheese would be great with some homemade bread.
• And this Potato-Crusted Sausage, Leek and Spinach Quiche from Serious Eats looks like a tasty and filling addition to a fall brunch.