Winter

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Meat, Spring, Winter

Blood Orange & Date Braised Lamb Shanks

Braising is one of those fundamental techniques we should all be comfortable with. It’s terribly easy, and unbelievably practical. Just remember: you don’t want to completely submerge your meat ;) Keep the temp. low and slow (I’m a fan of oven-braising, come @ me you stovetop braisers), and you’ll find success without too much effort.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Gluten Free, Snack, Winter

Ginger Blondies (Gluten Free and Dairy Free)

These bars have proven to be so popular that I’ve baked them up for all sorts of different crowds. My latest batch? Gluten free and dairy free, totally vegan, and unbearably tasty. Just like the first batch, these are studded with candied ginger, though this time I opted to use dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate.

Dessert, Home & Family, Snack, Winter

Ginger Blondies

Ginger and butter are secret best friends. Like, we all know ginger hangs out with cardamom, and coconut, and yeah, garlic, but ginger’s got this secret side-bestie. Butter. Just straight up butter. These blondies are the public realization of their friendship and I couldn’t love them any more for it.

Dairy Free, Breakfast, Gluten Free, Snack, Winter

Cranberry Ginger Granola

I only ever think to make granola as a gift for houseguests and friends, which is absurd because I love it. In fact, I nibble away so defiantly at my own gift-batches, that I have to make an entire second batch to give. I’m trying to remedy that habit this year with regular Sunday granola baking this year.

Dinner, Winter, Veggies, Meat

Thanksgiving Leftovers Stromboli

Thanksgiving is a time for great propriety, family gathered at the table, our best manners observed (for as long as we can stand it). But the day after Thanksgiving? Screw propriety. I want to eat a heaping plate of leftovers while sitting on the couch in my sweatpants.

Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Side, Snack, Veggies, Winter

Black Pepper Fennel Pickle

My sister once called fennel a snooty vegetable and I have, ever since, been on a crusade to defend its good name. In this recipe the floral bulbs spend ample time in a bath of vinegar and pepper until they are suffused with a bracing flavor. Put this out on the table while you fix cocktails for your guests, it's the perfect accompaniment for a cold drink.

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Fall, Side, Snack, Veggies, Winter

Cranberry Pickled Cauliflower

Hunting for an easy appetizer to serve over the holiday season? Look no further! This cauliflower emerges from its bath painted in crimson and scented with rosemary. It's the perfect nibble to put on the table while you're puttering away in the kitchen and your guests are mingling.

Dessert, Read, Winter

Gingerbread Architecture

Gingerbread houses can be the cause of much frustration. After spending hours planning, baking, and then constructing, it can all fall apart due to simple mechanical issues. The prime culprit in any gingerbread house disaster is the cement used to hold everything together. Do you know what kind of icing you’re using?

Dairy Free, Dinner, Breakfast, Fall, Drink, Read, Winter

Bone Broth 101

You’ve certainly heard chefs say loudly, “Make your own stock, it’s better than anything you can buy.” And they aren’t wrong. But if you’ve been holding off because you think it’s too labor-intensive, then now is the time to tune in and pay attention. Making stock (or bone broth if you insist on pop-culture terminology) is easy and you should start today. 

Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Meat, Winter

Jamaican Stew Chicken

Walk into any Jerk shop in Crown Heights and you'll be overwhelmed with savory scents. Now, you might have opened that door planning to purchase the namesake dish, but let me point your nose in another direction. See that sultry, bubbling, brown tray? That's stew chicken, and I think you should give it a try. Brewed from the devilish flavors that make the Caribbean so intoxicating (lime, allspice, sugar), it is the sort of thing you never knew you needed in the depths of winter.

Home & Family, Winter, Fall, Video

Home & Family: Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and that means that someone in your family is going to be tasked with making mashed potatoes. With a little science and some practical tips, I'll help you make the best mashed potatoes you've ever had!

Read, Winter

Potato, Potahto

Surely, we’ve all seen the words "starchy" and "waxy" used to describe potatoes in bins. Or perhaps you’ve been baffled by the use of those words in recipes as you prepare for Thanksgiving or Christmas. All potatoes are not created equally. The semantic distinction is significant, and it is worth understanding how a potato is built in order to affect your cooking.

Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Side, Veggies, Winter, Video

Home & Family: Squash vs. Gourd

It's decorative gourd season, that time of year when we clutter our counters with inedible (but extremely good looking) produce. But do you know the difference between a squash and a gourd? Have you ever considered where they come from?

Read, Winter, Fall

How do spices work?

It is now the time of year most firmly associated with dark spices. You know those of which I speak, the oily powders we keep hidden away through the summer only to find perpetually at our side as the days grow shorter. Cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and allspice; these are the spices that keep our hearts smoldering like coals through wind and snow. 

Dessert, Dairy Free, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Side, Winter

Caramel Corn

Though I am a popcorn fanatic, caramel corn was not in my rotation until last year. Salty, sweet, and crunchy, this snack satisfies me in a dangerous way. I have to remove the bowl from my side after a few handfuls, otherwise I risk falling into the abyss of total consumption. And trust me, though it seems wise at the time, finishing the entire batch of caramel corn in one sitting is not pretty.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Bubble Gum History

Bubble gum is practically a national treasure by now, it is so closely associated with American culture that we cannot think of high school without images of bubble-popping teens flanking the hallways. But, as with many treats, chewing gum has international roots. Check out the lesson!