If you feel the need to party away a case of the winter blues, this is your weekend.
The Year of the Dragon
Lunar New Year is coming in hot and is a great excuse to refine your stir-fry skills. One of my clients loves all manner of Eastern flavors, and this recipe with ground pork and seasonal vegetables is a riff on one of their favorite weeknight dinners. Brimming with the Chinese trifecta of garlic, ginger, and scallions, the sauce simmers quickly into an umami-filled glaze reminiscent of your favorite takeout.
Tongs at the ready. Beware of dragons.
But I Don’t Like Watching Football
I will be tuning into the cuter, stress-relieving, drama-free Puppy Bowl. And enjoying a roster of snacky, flavorful, chef-inspired (yours truly) finger foods. Because why not? Puppies, Parmesan, and pollo al chilindrón are a winning team.
Devils on Horseback (bacon-wrapped dates, you didn’t get this from me)
Pollo al Chilindrón (Spanish chicken and peppers tapas)
Let the Good Times Roll
There is no sugarcoating it, traditional Mardi Gras fare is indulgent at best. Fatty, salty sausage, rich sauces, refined rice, white flour, and sugar at every toot by the jazz band tubist. To add insult to injury, the final hoorah of the carnival season, Fat Tuesday, calls for pancakes. Since, you know, the king cake, beignets, and cloyingly sweet hurricane cocktails aren’t enough.
Beeds or bust, I was born in New Orleans and am in no position to argue with tradition. Please enjoy authentic Crescent City eats like red beans and rice, hurricane cocktails, and beignets this weekend if you find yourself in a Mardi Gras state of mind. Laissez le bon temps rouler!
Homemade Beignets (best when the dough is proofed overnight)
Mardi Gras King Cake (for the bravest bakers)
Mardi Gras Trivia. Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, the day before the Christian Lenten season begins, is not exclusive to New Orleans. Cultures, countries, and several religions mark the day with celebration and a pancake party. These spiced whole wheat pancakes with caramelized apples (or pears) just barely fit the waning winter season. The recipe includes the culinary formula for pancakes so you can experiment with milk, flour, and fruit substitutions.
Homemade Valentine’s Chocolate Treats
Depending on your attitude toward Cupid, Valentine’s Day is a cosmic ode to love or an excuse to eat chocolate (and maybe drink Champagne). You do you. I’ll be making chocolate bark to offer trades for the brightly-colored, heart-shaped sugar my kids bring home from school. I share it every year as a reminder that giving up frequent indulgences doesn’t mean skipping chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Bark (and how to cut heart shapes out of it)
Silky Nutella Mousse (a signature half-scratch recipe)
Chocolate Whoopie Pies (a recipe inspired from my bakery days, start a day or two ahead)
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Crispy Rice Treats (please don’t judge)
Edible Epilogue
As a housekeeping note, all of the new recipes I share through this Substack newsletter are (mostly) geared towards getting a nutrient-dense meal on the table without fuss. But I am certainly not the sugar police. If you love to bake or enjoy homemade desserts, please enjoy perusing and baking from my online archive of recipes for healthy bakes and indulgent desserts.
Eat + be well,
Christina