Hi Reader,

I stood in front of the fridge, staring at a half-wilted bunch of kale like it had personally offended me. It’s mid-January, and my noble commitment to “light, clean eating” has officially crumbled—right around the same time the snowplow buried our mailbox.
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The One, ever the realist, walked in, glanced at the produce drawer, and said, “You’re making lasagna, aren’t you?” He knows me too well.
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January is not a month for restraint. It’s a month for bubbling casseroles, for soups that fog the windows, for the kind of food that holds you when the universe can’t be bothered. This is the cooking that forgives you for giving up on resolutions and celebrates your return to reason.
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So yes, I made lasagna. And yes, I had seconds. Because cold weather is inevitable—but comfort food is optional rebellion.

How to Cook Your Way Through Winter

• Cook like you mean it. No half-measures. If you’re making mac and cheese, go full béchamel.
• Heat is therapy. Braise, bake, roast—whatever lets you stand near the oven and feel vaguely productive.
• Use the good cheese. January is no time for self-denial or sad pre-shredded bags.
• Embrace leftovers. They’re not repeats—they’re rewards for surviving another gray day.
• Finish with something warm and sweet. Bread pudding, rice pudding, pudding pudding—anything that comes with a spoon and a sigh.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Ina Garten's Company Pot Roast​
• ​Carnitas ~ Mexican Braised Pork​
• ​Coca Cola Brisket​
• ​Butternut Squash Gratin​
• ​Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake​
• ​Maple Bourbon Braised Short Ribs​
• ​Daube ~ French Beef Stew​

​Ina Garten's Company Pot Roast​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.73 from 58 votes

This Barefoot Contessa company pot roast takes an inexpensive beef chuck roast, a bottle of red wine, a little brandy, carrots, onions, celery, leeks, and tomatoes and transforms them into a meal worthy of a dinner party. And leftovers to last the week.

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​Carnitas ~ Mexican Braised Pork​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.87 from 67 votes

This old-school carnitas--pork shoulder simmered with onion, garlic, bay leaf, and orange until falling-apart tender and crispy--is excellent in burritos, tacos, or on its own. And it can be made in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.

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​Coca Cola Brisket​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.81 from 81 votes

This knee-wobbling tender Coca cola brisket is as easy as tossing brisket and Coca cola, onion soup mix, and chili sauce into the oven or slow cooker and walking away.

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​Butternut Squash Gratin​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.96 from 21 votes

This butternut squash gratin is a lot like like a scalloped potato casserole except it's made with winter squash instead of spuds along with onions, garlic, butter, heavy cream, cheese, and bread crumbs. A simple--and simply elegant--side for Thanksgiving as well as a random weeknight.

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​Flourless Chocolate Cloud Cake​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.89 from 26 votes

This flourless chocolate cloud cake is a wickedly elegant dessert that's deceptively easy to make. Just four ingredients--chocolate, eggs, butter, and sugar--come together for a crunchy-on-the-outside, airy-on-the-inside cake.

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​Maple Bourbon Braised Short Ribs​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 20 votes

The title of these maple bourbon braised short ribs says it all. Meaty short ribs are braised in a brew of bourbon, maple syrup, beef broth, tomato paste, and herbs until amazingly tender.

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​Daube ~ French Beef Stew​

This French stew, called a daube, is simply chunks of beef, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and olives in a rich red wine sauce. Serve it by itself, over pasta, or with a thick slice of hearty peasant bread. Perfect blizzard food.

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