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winter

Potatoes au Gratin
recipes

Potatoes au Gratin Is Comfort Food at Its Finest

Those who are passionate about potatoes au gratin seem to fall into two camps: those who prepare the dish with cheese, and those who skip it, insisting that cream, when reduced properly, imbues the dish with umami-packed cheesy goodness.
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Those who are passionate about potatoes au gratin seem to fall into two camps: those who prepare the dish with cheese, and those who skip it, insisting that cream, when reduced properly, imbues the dish with umami-packed cheesy goodness. Now, I'd like to say that I fall into the latter purist camp, but let's be real: as delightful as cream is, it will never hold the same place in my heart as a hearty helping of tangy-twangy Gruyère cheese. This version reflects that.

Cooked to perfection at high heat, this très Francais side is comfort food, elevated. It rounds out near any manner of meals wonderfully. Or, if you're feeling truly indulgent, make it the star of a meal, supplemented by a crisp green salad — your secret's safe with me.

Add the recipe to your repertoire.

Guinness Beef Pot Pies
recipes

Get Into the Irish Spirit With Mini Guinness Beef Pot Pies

Looking for a less traditional — that is, compared to corned beef and cabbage — way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year?
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Looking for a less traditional — that is, compared to corned beef and cabbage — way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year? These hearty but daintily portioned Guinness-braised beef stew pot pies are just the ticket. Paired with an Irish brew, whiskey (or both), and a side of roasted vegetables, they make for an appropriately celebratory meal perfect for a casual dinner party.

Admittedly, they're a bit of work, but they're hardly challenging to prepare, just slightly time-consuming as braised dishes are by nature. Just plan ahead so that you and yours can dig into a meal to remember. Come evening's end, I can near guarantee that y'all will leave the table satiated, satisfied, all around jolly, and in the Irish spirit.


Adapted from Sam Sifton

Individual Guinness Beef Pot Pies

Recipe Notes

For a family-style pot pie, pour the stew into a deep 8-by-8-inch square pan, cover with pie dough, and bake slightly longer, about 45 minutes. Alternatively, this stew can be served without a pastry lid alongside a starchy dish like a potato gratin, just make certain to braise the stew for an extra 30 minutes (since it would cook longer while the pie crust browns).

Guinness Beef Pot Pies

Ingredients

3 pounds brisket or stew meat, chopped into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
10 mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 sprig rosemary
About 4 cups (2 cans) Guinness or other stout
8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
Sherry vinegar, to taste
1 recipe (2 discs) pie dough
1 large egg

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, flour, and another pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the mushrooms have begun to brown and have shrunk considerably, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a mixing bowl.
  5. Brown the beef in two batches, transferring the first batch of browned beef to the bowl of vegetables to make space for the second round.
  6. Pour about half of the beer into the dutch oven and scape up any browned bits with a flat-sided wooden spatula.
  7. Transfer the vegetables and beef back into the dutch oven, and add the rosemary and enough beer to just cover the beef and vegetables. Put in the oven and cook, covered, for 1-1/2 hours.
  8. Remove from the oven and stir. Return to the oven and cook for another hour.
  9. If the stew remains thin, set the pan over medium-low heat, and cook uncovered until the liquid has reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Fold in half of the cheddar and season to taste with salt and sherry vinegar.
  10. Ladle the stew into eight 8-ounce ramekins, dividing evenly. Sprinkle each stew with the remaining cheddar.
  11. Roll out pie dough rounds until 1/8-inch thick, divide each round into quarters, and top each ramekin with a piece of pie dough. Trim excess dough leaving an inch border around the rim, tuck the excess underneath itself, crimp with a fork, and make a few slits in the center with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape when cooking.
  12. Whisk the egg and a tablespoon of water together in a small mixing bowl. Brush the tops of the pie dough with the egg wash. Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has crisped up and browned.
  13. Serve hot, or reheat in a 350°F oven until warm.

    14. Serves 8.

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Buttered Rum Recipe | Video
Holiday

Warm Up With Some Hot Buttered Rum!

The buttered rum cocktail, as the name implies, is made with a lot of spiced butter and rum.
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The buttered rum cocktail, as the name implies, is made with a lot of spiced butter and rum. Like a spiced cookie right out of the oven, the warm cocktail is sweetened with brown sugar and orange juice. Rich and decadent, this sinful drink is sure to keep you warm during chilly months. Hosting a get-together? Make a large batch in a slow cooker and let guests serve themselves. Watch the video to see how it comes together.

Texting Gloves For Gadgets
Editor's Pick

Gadget-Friendly Gloves to Keep You Toasty While Texting

Spring is just weeks away, but snowstorms are still hitting the Midwest in full force, which means you'll probably be layering up in sweaters, gloves, and hats.
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Spring is just weeks away, but snowstorms are still hitting the Midwest in full force, which means you'll probably be layering up in sweaters, gloves, and hats. The downside? The gloves that keep your digits nice and warm could put a damper on your texting addiction (I know how much you all love to text). Fear not; these gloves will keep the chill away, while still allowing you to send those important (or, maybe not so important) text messages.

The North Face E-Tip Gloves Texting Gloves Five Point Gloves Layered Texting Gloves Echo Touch Gloves And Earbuds Set Touch Tec Gloves Agloves Sport
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Easy Winter Fruit Salad
recipes

Delight in an End-of-Winter Fruit Salad

The beginning of March is a funny fruit season.
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The beginning of March is a funny fruit season. Despite living in Northern California, where produce is typically bountiful, the fruit section seems pretty dismal lately, save for the large triangular stacks of citrus fruit. Here's a fruit salad to satiate you until Spring officially begins and brings in apricots and fragrant strawberries.

Your taste buds will delight in the textural roller coaster: first, you'll crunch into the pomegranate seeds and pistachios, which pave the way for velvety goat cheese, and finally burst into the juicy pockets of the citrus fruit and kiwi. This sweet-sour salad is like nature's most succulent bowl of SweeTarts.

See the simple fruit salad recipe.

Rainy Day Activities For Kids
winter

111 Indoor Activities to Keep Lil Ones Busy on Cold Winter Days

If the snowy weather has got your kids singing the cabin-fever blues, then you're in luck!
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If the snowy weather has got your kids singing the cabin-fever blues, then you're in luck! We've come up with 111 great ways to stay entertained indoors. Challenge your little ones to do something different this afternoon, and try out a craft, recipe, or game that wouldn't have otherwise interested them. Prove to them that being stuck indoors doesn't always have to be a bad thing, and remind them that (maybe) the sun will come out tomorrow!

Marble Racetrack Rearrange the Kids' Rooms Make an Origami Sailboat Create an Indoor Herb Garden Make No-Bake Granola Bars Make Wooden Block Prints Build a Fort or Tent
View 111 Photos
Best Recipes | February 2013
recipes

35 Fantastic Recipes We Made This Month

Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, and Mardi Gras were just a few celebrations on our mind this February that inspired our recipe collection, from steamed whole fish to tantalizing cocktails.
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Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, and Mardi Gras were just a few celebrations on our mind this February that inspired our recipe collection, from steamed whole fish to tantalizing cocktails. We also highlighted other international flavors like South American sopaipillas and French soufflés. There are a whole lot of recipes to bake, fry, and steam from February, so keep clicking to get started.

— Additional reporting by Lisette Mejia and Laura Marie Meyers

Cheddar, Bacon, and Leek Frittata Black Pepper Beer Bread Ham and Cheese Soufflé Hibiscus Sparkling Wine Cocktail Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Kale, and Kumquat Salad Roasted Beet and Garlic Soup With Chèvre Edible Flower Salad With Grapefruit and Watermelon Radish
View 35 Photos
Hoisin Braised Short Ribs
recipes

Soul-Soothing Supper: Hoisin Braised Short Ribs

Up until a couple years back, I was a staunch red meat avoider.
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Up until a couple years back, I was a staunch red meat avoider. Not because I was a vegetarian or had moral qualms over its consumption, but rather as a matter of taste. Steak, burgers, meatballs, and the whole lot of much-beloved American classics held no sway over my palate, until one simple but revelatory bite changed it all. No, it wasn't a dry-aged steak or juicy Shake Shack burger that changed my mind — though I'm now irretrievably enamored with both — but rather, a bite of tender, succulent, braised short ribs.

Little by little I came to crave these tender, boldly flavored bites, soon embracing carpaccio, tartare, roasted bone marrow, and even grilled beef tongue. But it's still tender, falling-off-the-bone short ribs that get me every time. So when I came across this beer and hoisin braised stunner of a recipe, I knew I'd have to simmer up a batch posthaste, as it would inevitably enter my meal rotation. Thankfully, I was right on this account and then some. Slightly sweet, tangy, and full of deeply meaty flavor, they're so lovely that I'd wager they'd have made a red meat convert of me far earlier had I only tried them years back.

Keep reading for the succulent and supereasy recipe.

Winter Workouts and Colds
workouts

How to Stay Healthy During Your Winter Workout

The blustery cold weather and snowy landscape may not deter you from sticking to your New Year's resolutions, but it's important to take the right precautions to minimize the risk of getting sick.
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The blustery cold weather and snowy landscape may not deter you from sticking to your New Year's resolutions, but it's important to take the right precautions to minimize the risk of getting sick. Battling an illness takes time and energy that could be spent doing other things, not to mention the possibility of it derailing your fitness goals. Whether you exercise indoors or brave the outdoor temps, don't forget to prepare with these useful tips for staying healthy.

  • Clean equipment thoroughly: Fellow gym-goers are supposed to wipe down equipment after they're done, but just as a precaution, sanitize it before you use it. Or better yet, bring your own gear such as yoga mats, blocks, resistance bands, and even dumbbells to decrease your chances of coming in contact with other people's germs.
  • Use a towel for your sweat: Gyms are festering with germs in the Winter, and since touching your face is one surefire way to get sick, use a towel instead of your hands to wipe your perspiration. Then after your workout, be sure to wash up.
  • Don't leave the gym in wet clothes: Your sweaty workout wear will get chilly in the cold Winter air, which can weaken your immune system and leave you susceptible to any germs floating around, so change out of your exercise clothes before you leave the gym.
  • Decrease your workout's intensity if you have a cold: If you're sick and have above-the-neck symptoms — meaning a runny nose or sore throat but no hacking coughs, chest congestion, swollen lymph nodes, or muscle pain — then you can still exercise, but start at half your normal intensity, and gradually increase as you feel up to it.
  • Wear the right gear: Eye-searing UV rays, slippery roads, and chilly wet clothes are all reasons to dress the part for your Winter workout by wearing sunglasses, sunblock, waterproof sneaks with rugged soles, and wicking wear.
  • Warm up indoors: Not loosening up those muscles and getting your blood flowing can lead to muscle strain, which makes you more susceptible to injury during your workout. Spend a few minutes warming up indoors (five to 10 minutes of cardio should do the trick) so you can prevent injury and soreness.
Winter Gadget Tips
Geek tips

Winter-Proof Your Gadgets: 6 Tips You Need to Know

Winter is in full effect, and you may not realize it, but freezing temps can be just as dangerous — if not more so — to gadgets than the Summer heat since there are hidden dangers you can't see.
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Winter is in full effect, and you may not realize it, but freezing temps can be just as dangerous — if not more so — to gadgets than the Summer heat since there are hidden dangers you can't see. Check out these six Winter weather tips that will help ensure your gadgets see the light of Spring this year.

  • Keep them out of the trunk — Keep your laptops, cell phones, and tablets out of the trunk for extended periods during cold days to prevent damage to screens and to keep your hard drive from freezing.
  • If you must trunk it, keep it bundled up — If you absolutely must leave your gear in your car in freezing temps, wrap it up in layers — like a jacket or sweater — to keep it warm. You can also find laptop warmers (which are specifically made for laptops) to keep them from getting icy if you live in cold conditions.
  • Turn them off — Letting your laptop or tablet remain in sleep mode may keep it warmer (since it is still working), but it also increases your chances of damage if you're on the move. Be sure to power down all the way to keep your data safe.
  • Warm up before booting up — If your machine is on the cold side, let it warm up to room temps slowly before turning it on. This will keep condensation and dew at bay, which can ruin your computer's sensitive guts.
  • Carry a charger — Cold weather sucks the life out of your batteries, so be sure to carry extra chargers in your car for emergencies.
  • Watch out for sensitive screens — Cold weather makes a smartphone screen extra sensitive, so be sure to keep it close to your bod if you're out in the snow, or consider a warm accessory — like a smartphone wallet, sock, or sleeve — to keep it cozy.