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Blood Orange Glazed Carrots
Blood oranges have gorgeous interior colors, with some being uniformly crimson and others resembling a tortoise shell pattern. As you squeeze the fruit needed for these blood orange glazed carrots, the juice color will give an indication of the jewel-toned side dish you’re about to whip up in the skillet. I use a combination of purple and orange carrots, sometimes even yellow and white, as they each pick up the rich shade of the glaze in a subtly different way. A rainbow-hued bunch will transform in the skillet as the glaze reduces, and as an added bonus, each color has its own health benefits. Ingredients 1 pound carrots 1 tablespoon…
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Rich Hot Chocolate
Velvety hot chocolate thick enough to coat a spoon is decadent enough to qualify as dessert. This version is so rich and flavorful that you might serve it in the demitasse cups often used for espresso. Consider it a cure for all the unsatisfying experiences you’ve had with thin, bland hot cocoa. Since this recipe requires a great deal of chopped chocolate, select your favorite bars as they will determine the resulting flavor. A combination of semisweet and milk chocolate lends just the right amount of sweetness, with no additional sugar needed. Before the milk melts all that chocolate, it receives some special treatment in the form of cinnamon sticks…
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Baked Chocolate Donuts
Breakfast in bed may be a Valentine’s Day staple for some, but if you let me sleep in then wrap me in a fluffy robe, I’m happy to whip up a treat like these baked chocolate donuts. Skip the hot oil and heat up the oven instead to fill the kitchen with the rich scent of cocoa in the morning – or make them the night before and set the table in advance for the most indulgent breakfast, one that simply requires plating. Steeped in lore and made from the seeds of a tree whose scientific name is equally romantic – food of the gods – chocolate sets the tone…
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Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs
When you make this recipe, be prepared to feel hungry the entire time it’s cooking. From the initial searing of pork to the scent of thyme and red wine simmering in the oven, the dish seems to be calling you to take a taste. Occasionally that’s fine, but try to leave the dutch oven lidded so that it can do what it does best – maintain consistent heat that turns pork so tender you can break it apart with a wooden spoon. Since these country-style pork ribs will braise in the oven for 3 hours, consider this ideal weekend comfort food or snow-day fare. Planning ahead gives you plenty of…
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Late Night Cravings
Conventional wisdom says that if you’d like to avoid extra pounds, keep tempting food out of sight, and certainly don’t bake brownies after 10 p.m. as I did this Tuesday. If your cravings come and go quickly, you probably weren’t all that hungry in the first place. As someone whose counter might be home to just-cooled maple granola or a dessert recipe I plan to share on Thirsty Radish, that just would not be possible, nor would I want it to be. January is a time when we often make health resolutions or bring ourselves back to the basics. You’ll note that I shared a salsa verde recipe last week…
