Faith Middleton Food Schmooze

The chill of mid-January makes us crave a cozy home-cooked meal — hearty and flavorful — and not too fussy to prepare. This week we’ve collected some of our favorites for you, we talk about the ultimate cutting board for those big roasts, and we suggest snuggling up under a warm blanket with an icy cold, classic vodka martini. Chris Prosperi’s slow-cooker chicken » Talk about easy… you can throw this together before work in the morning and come home to it! Whole-wheat spaghetti with broccoli rabe » The balance of slightly bitter broccoli rabe mixed with Parmesan, olives, garlic and almonds, is terrific. Alex’s short ribs with Zinfandel » There’s no need to be afraid of making short ribs at home, the kind that become fork-tender from being braised in the perfect red wine, Zinfandel. Chris’ mac and cheese with egg noodles and caramelized onions » It’s rare to use egg noodles in mac & cheese but I love the softness