San Diegans know we have it pretty easy compared with other parts of the country when it comes to the mayhem of winter weather. Still, chilly is chilly, and there’s nothing as comforting for lunch or dinner when the temps are well below balmy than a bowl of soup. And a family soup you learned to make from your mother or grandmother? Well, those flavors and aromas can take you straight back to childhood.

That’s what it does to San Diego/Tijuana-area baker and chef Claudia Sandoval. Sandoval, of “MasterChef” fame, is the author of “Claudia’s Cocina: A Taste of Mexico” and is working on a new cookbook while also serving as the culinary director of this year’s Culinary Concerto — Mainly Mozart Gala Soiree, in March. Sandoval shared a few family recipes with readers in my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune.