Maybe it's just residual from the holidays, but I've been feeling rather homesick lately. No surprise that this manifests as food! My family is from Minnesota, and this soup was a winter staple in my house. Even when we moved out of state, relatives would send us bags of Minnesota wild rice to keep us supplied.

The grassy aroma of the wild rice as it cooks, the deep savory taste of caramelized mushrooms, the first creamy sip of soup: all these things make me feel one step closer to home. More

Let's face it: goat cheese crumbles get can boring. And there's a whole exciting world of cheeses that are just calling out to be discovered, hoping to be chosen as the one that will liven up your green salads this season. More

Mandarin tree, early January.

It's the dead of winter and yet the day is mild, clear and bright. A warmish breeze gently rattles the last of the leaves in the gutters and all my cozy hearth tendencies are confused and in a muddle. A big part of me still wants to crank up the oven and fill it with loaves of bread and casseroles and clutter the stovetop with slow simmering stews and sauces even as I throw open the windows and hunt for my sunglasses. Instead of a day spent huddled in blanket by the stove, reading dense and difficult novels while stirring the polenta, it looks like I'll be packing cold sandwiches and tangerines and taking a walk in the park. Without a jacket. In January. More

When the holidays have passed and the cold, long winter ahead gets me down, my meals often turn toward comfort foods. And my ultimate favorite in comfort foods is spaetzle. These noodle-like dumplings embrace a light butter sage sauce and hold up even in meaty casseroles. Read on for spaetzle recipes and inspiration! More

The main ingredients in a decent smoothie—strawberries, blueberries, peaches—are a little hard to come by (or cost a fortune) this time of year. And so far, we've yet to see a winning recipe made with apples. Of course, there's always frozen fruit, but we've got some other creative tips for making fresh, creamy smoothies in the bleak months ahead. More

We are entering into a quiet time, the winter solstice, when the northern part of the world has its longest night of the year. A time of deep sleep and darkness, of underground burrowing and profound stillness. Of spare landscapes and bare branches and the thin light of a sun setting well before dinner. The stillness and cold are so complete, we sometimes are a little afraid of it, so we brighten the corners and laugh loudly and heap our tables with grand, life-affirming, belly-warming feasts. More

Nothing brings people together quite like a good cocktail. This holiday season, whether you're spending time with family, or gathering with old friends to reflect on the past year, mix up something special, like this Spiced Pear Margarita. More

I've been writing about this wreath on the site since 2008, each year updating the story, because I think it's worth reminding you how perfect this bread is to start a holiday morning. When I say I make it every year, I'm not kidding. It weaves its way deeper and deeper into our family's memory each holiday.

Of all the Christmas gifts my mom has given me, the one I remember most and the one that is still with me is the tradition of cooking and eating on Christmas, and it is one that I'm now passing down to my daughter. More

It's beginning to look a lot like latke season! And if there's one thing I know inside and out, it's latkes. My Jewish father married a Christmas-loving Christian, so growing up my sisters and I celebrated both holidays. Although really, more and more Hanukkah started to be much less about religion and tradition and much more about lighting candles and eating latke after latke after latke. More

If you enjoy sipping a cup of warm sake at the end of a chilly day, you will probably love taruzake, a seasonal sake with the spicy, earthy flavor of Japanese cedar. Whether you buy it bottled or make your own ersatz version at home, this unusual drink is particularly comforting during winter. More