Apple and Cherry Stuffing

It might be the first day of spring, but that doesn’t mean that the weather got the memo! Contrary to popular hope/the calendar, it is not super warm out there, and not even sunny. This is not the end of winter, folks! Sorry to disappoint, but at least you will be able to squeeze in a few more braises/stews/chilies/etc.

I don’t know why, but time and again this winter I have turned to pork for the basis of so many comfort food dishes. Pork shoulder, braised with chillies and served on top of soft polenta, or pork marinated in rice wine, honey, and garlic, or a crowd-pleasing stuffed pork loin. I suppose I should be focusing on spring-like food, but I don’t know if I’m ready to give up the warm comforting winter dishes I’ve grown so accustomed to. What am I saying – of course I am. Luckily, this pork stuffing (or “apple relish” if you will),

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The Secret to a Better Morning

January is the time for new beginnings: new workout routines, new resolutions, new goals. Rather by accident, I’ve made a number of new changes: a hot yoga challenge, blogging for a new site, and posting more frequently. Yay for ambitious plans! One conscious change I’m really trying to make is to be more prepared each week, whether that means boiling up some chicken stock, making a meal plan for the week, or prepping breakfast things to grab when I’m inevitably late in the mornings (or all of the above). I fully intend to be prepared to meet Mondays head on and eyes (sort of) wide open!

Peanut. Butter. Caramel. Fudge. Brownies.

Folks, we are approaching survival mode. What does this mean? This means I have 2 weeks to complete my lab work and start writing my thesis. This means panic. This means I start eating McDs at every available opportunity…WAIT. That last one does not sound like me at all. Yes, I may be a typical grad student (perpetually concerned about money, except when I’m spending it on too much booze, always complaining about my thesis, etc etc), but I have discovered, to my joy and delight, that my panic-cooking has evolved