At A Glimpse: Tarte Au Citron with Sugar-Roasted Blood Oranges

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The Magic Spell: Feijoada

If there is such a thing as a "desert island" dish, this is it. I could eat feijoada anytime, anywhere. I catch myself thinking about it just walking down the street. It is a perfectly balanced dish, the marriage of inky black beans, unctuous meat, and little else. If your soul isn't satisfied with a dish of it in front of you, well, I just can't help you.

The national dish of Brazil, this is traditionally peasant food, yet fit for a king; the kind of meal that tastes wonderful the day you make it, and only gets better as the flavors marry over the rest of the week.

And yeah, that's a pig's foot I'm holding in that first photo. Let's not waste a minute more -- conquer your squeamishness, grab a stockpot, and get ready to do some serious eating.

At A Glimpse: Quick Key Lime Pie

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At A Glimpse: Serrano Chile Guacamole with Fresh-Baked Tortilla Chips

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The Breath Of Fresh Air: Nem Nướng Cuốn (Vietnamese Spring Rolls)

There's snow, and then there's 28 inches of snow.

To be honest, I've always had a soft spot for the white stuff. Only a particularly prodigious storm can turn the city into a pastoral winter landscape worthy of the collective Pieters Bruegel -- and yesterday's precipitation did just that. That being said, enjoying the snowfall doesn't mean I like the aftermath; a solid week of ice, wind, and muddy sludge collecting in storm drains. It doesn't take long to go from cabin-like security to cabin fever. The cold alone will do it to ya.

The point is this -- February can be a demanding month. Spring is just around the corner, and yet so far away. For that reason, this week's recipe gives you a reason to look ahead, a reason to remember that sunshine, green leaves, and maybe even tall, cool glasses of lemonade are only about 10 weeks away. Let's get to it.

At A Glimpse: Pizza Marinara with Arugula, Lardons, and Fried Egg

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The Overlooked Joy: Farmhouse Chèvre

"Cheese?" you may say.

"Doesn't that need a dedicated refrigerator, and take weeks, if not months of curing?"

"Won't it smell bad?"

"Don't I need rennet, and powdered acid, and all sorts of complicated equipment?"

Fear not, dear readers. While it's true that making a well-aged Gouda might require a bit more in the way of preparation, there are many "fresh" cheeses -- mozzarella, ricotta, queso fresco -- that take only a few hours of forethought and can be made with supplies found in your local grocery store.

At A Glimpse: Baked Salmon with Roasted Tomato-Edamame Relish

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The Spring in Winter: Grapefruit Curd Tulips

I really do wish I had the time to update this page more often.

That's not to say that I don't get satisfaction putting up one recipe a week; it's just that, for every one dish that appears here, there are often five or six others that don't make the cut, whether due to time, photographic quality, or other intangible factors.

For instance, when I look at these minty Dark Chocolate Starlight Cookies...

The Old Acquaintance, Forgotten: Baked Alaska with Flourless Chocolate Torta

I'm not really a New Year's Eve kind of guy.

Well, perhaps I should say that I'm not one to "go out" on December 31st -- there are drunks driving out on the road, restaurants run terrible, over-priced prix fixe menus, and, when the strike of midnight arrives, it's often, more than not, a little bit of a let down. That's not to say that I don't like getting together with friends. Armed with an overcoat, a decent pair of gloves and a working subway system, I'll do my best to put in an appearance, a bottle of cava in hand.

Anyway, after years of NYE naysaying, karma finally caught up with me -- this past Thursday, I rang in 2010 by myself, and in a decidedly uncomfortable position. The Pasta Burner was out of town (visiting her family), and, while working on a few projects around the house, I threw out my back something wretched. Indeed, as 11:59 became 12:00, I found myself horizontal, a heating pad tucked underneath me, the Times Square ball appearing to drop left-to-right.