KNIT, PURL, REPEAT (AND RED WINE BRAISED SHORT RIBS)

Unlike baking – and life, when I knit I can always correct my mistakes. Bad decisions poof away when I peel back rows to begin again or catch loops to rescue the dropped stitches.  And unlike life, knitting is timeless. Each project is a new beginning, albeit informed by the past.  Knitting knows not technology. It is by nature earthy, slow, and heartfelt. There is no app for this.

And so it goes with this recipe for Red Wine Braised Short Ribs...

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4 PM FIX: MY FRIEND, BALLARINI (AND SECRET INGREDIENT SKILLET CHICKEN THIGHS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH)

Okay, here’s the deal. First, for you 4 PM Fixers out there (and who’s not?), it’s one thing to a have a ready pantry for preparing quick and #dolcevitadelish dinners, it’s a whole ‘nother thing to have cookware that makes cooking those dinners easier. This one-skillet recipe for Secret Ingredient Chicken Thighs with Butternut Squash is one of those dinners. 

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AUTUMN'S FLEETING GLORY (AND THE APPLE-ROSEMARY CROSTATA THAT ENVELOPS IT)

Somebody once told me that regret is a wasted emotion. It was most likely a therapist, back in the day when I believed I could be something I am not. While regret has guppied through my head and heart more than I would care to admit, it does have a pale sunny side, too. Regret is a reminder to embrace the present. And Autumn wants nothing to do with regret.

So, let's embrace the present. Let’s peer out the kitchen window through the morning mist.  Let’s consider the leaf riding the window wiper on our commute. Let’s bake an Apple-Rosemary Crostata...

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4 PM FIX: BAKED STUFFED CLAMS

My mom made us Baked Stuffed Clams on "fish Fridays" (yep, good Catholic girl). Truth be told, there are more breadcrumbs than clams in the stuffing but that is, strangely, the magical alchemy. Bake the clam mixture in clamshells (found in most markets) or small ramekins. Alternately, pile the entire mixture in a casserole dish and serve as a spread - with Ritz crackers. Nostalgia at its most delish...

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NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORLY. (PLUS ROASTED CHICKEN WITH WHITE BEANS AND BELL PEPPERS)

But the best postings are those that stir passion and ire. They make for good reading when you’ve polished off your monthly Vanity Fair. Some even beg the snarky retort á la the VF Mailbag section. I have indulged in the snarky retort once or twice. This was when I learned...

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