• Braised pork in bowl
    Food

    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…

  • Brownies on counter
    Living

    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…

  • Salsa verde
    Food

    Salsa Verde

    Sometimes you need a salsa so bright it wakes up your taste buds with its freshness. This slushy, vibrantly green salsa livens up fish and cuts through the richness of meat with raw tomatillos and a few other ingredients, all of which are also green. From lime juice to chives, the shades combine to deliver the most satisfying color of chlorophyll and a flavor crisp enough to match the frosty turn of January. While the snow may have melted not long after it fell, we enjoyed a self-imposed snow day over the weekend. On the menu was this raw salsa verde made with a batch of tomatillos I had picked…

  • New Year's Party
    Food,  Living

    New Year’s Party Food for Joy and Prosperity

    After the elaborate roasts and trays of appetizers you may have served over the holidays, it can be challenging to come up with more recipes for a New Year’s celebration, particularly if you’re entertaining many of the same guests. Aside from champagne and charcuterie, which I know you already have covered, here are my recommendations of what to enjoy as you ring in the new year. Good Luck Foods From good health to good fortune, we each have our wishes for the days ahead. Turn to foods that symbolize these wishes as a way to share good luck with everyone around you, such as pork for progress and prosperity, extra-long…

  • Gingerbread with powdered sugar
    Baking

    Gingerbread Loaf

    If you’re going to make a gingerbread loaf, I say use the fresh version of the namesake ingredient instead of the ground. Finely grated ginger and its juices wend their way throughout the batter, imparting a bit more warmth without overpowering the overall flavor. As the oven heats up the spices and molasses too, your house will smell more and more like the holidays. Ingredients 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ½ cup milk ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap) 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger ¼ cup canola oil 6 tablespoons unsalted butter…