I don't know about you, but January can be a depressing month. Most holidays are over, and there is really nothing to look forward to… particularly in my hometown of Seattle with blistering wind, chilling rains and NO SUN as part of my daily agenda. Our friends at Southern Living sent me this cheerful recipe and as I made a batch it certainly brightened my day.

Growing up in Seattle, harvest season meant one thing: Apples. Whether tart or juicy, the always did the trick. For calories, Thanksgiving is around the corner and all diets are on hold.

Mirepoix, pronounced 'MEER-pwah,' is a French culinary term derived from the name of an 18th century French aristocrat whose cook popularized its usage. Today, students around the world learn how to make mirepoix in the first few weeks of culinary school. The combination of diced onion, celery, and carrots, sautéed in a fat like oil or butter, is the first step in many recipes, from classic French dishes to more contemporary recipes found in many cuisines.

Yes, according to a 2022 study published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, eating dark chocolate daily improved mood, specifically lowering stress and anxiety in healthy adults ages 20 to 30. The key? Aiming for 85% cocoa or higher-it contains more polyphenols, or powerful plant compounds that act as antioxidants.

This is a terrific topper for pasta – penne or fusilli would work well – coat it over a Piadina Romagna in place of the standard tomato sauce for a killer flatbread pizza, or use it as a dipping sauce with beef fondue, or alongside grilled steak, chicken, pork or fish.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I realized that this year I could use a little cheering up. What comes to mind is Black Forest Cake. Yes, it’s rich and deadly, but with V-Day shouldn’t all our senses take on the component of an arrow penetrating our heart. And, of course, it doesn’t have to have to be physical romantic …

According to Appelbaum, they were inspired by The Book of Judith, set hundreds of years before the Maccabean Revolt. The book, from the Catholic Bible, tells the story of a daring widow who seduced and killed the Assyrian general Holofernes to save Israel from invaders.

It's never too early to start baking holiday cookies. It's fun to see holiday traditions around the world Originally, the kolaczki is said to be from Poland (though its exact origin is unknown), and are popularly seen around the holidays. They seem to be just as popular in Cleveland, where we learned that they are known as Kiffles in Hungarian.

Italy is a young nation in an old land. Through much of its post-Roman history, Italy was fragmented into numerous kingdoms and city-states long before it became a unified republic in 1861. The Italy of today consists of twenty different regions, each offering their own customs and gastronomic holiday traditions. Today, the whole world seemingly knows of biscotti. Pronounced in …

Well, it's been hot in SoCal. And the thought of working in my test kitchen over a hot stove seems a little much for me. So, the time is right for a late summer salad which is both refreshing and innovative. The basis for this dish comes to us from our sister publication, FOOD&WINE, courtesy of Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray.