Five Little Things

Five little things I loved this week: 1. Braised Chipotle Short Ribs Without sounding too cliche, it is freezing. Not by New York or Chicago or Minnesota standards; by the way, have you seen the snowman on the park bench? Someone took advantage of the…

Five Little Things

Five little things I loved this week:

1. Braised Chipotle Short Ribs

Without sounding too cliche, it is freezing. Not by New York or Chicago or Minnesota standards; by the way, have you seen the snowman on the park bench?

But for here, it’s cold, and all I want is soup and comfort food. I revisited my Braised Chipotle Short Ribs last night, serving it on a bed of pumpkin orzo, and it was just what I needed to thaw from the inside out.

Braised Chipotle Short Ribs will warm you from the inside out.

I highly recommend you try it. And if you’re looking for more short rib recipes, I also have

Short Ribs Loco Moco
Korean-style Short Ribs with Noodles
Beer Braised Short Ribs

2. Advent Calendars

My family is preparing for the Christmas season, and our children, in particular, are enjoying their advent calendars. We have a family advent calendar with mini ornaments, and each day they add a new ornament to a mini tree. What kinds of advent calendars do you like?

3. 25 days of Christmas Reading

I saw this idea on Instagram recently and wish I had started this for my children! I think it is a great idea for those winter bedtime rituals, and I love how this post includes book recommendations, too.

4. Persimmon Season

I am enamored with persimmons and looking for inspiration. I do have something coming up next week, and in the meantime, here are some ways to enjoy persimmons.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Boozy Persimmons and Mangoes from Mango & Tomato
Pear and Persimmon Galettes from SippitySup
Ginger Persimmon Scone Muffins from Love & Olive Oil
Herbed Kale Salad with Persimmon, Pomegranate and Maple-Cumin Dressing from Bojon Gourmet
Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Persimmons & Pecans from The Kitchn
Persimmon Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod

5. Laughter

We all need a reason to laugh, especially with all the sadness in the world. Sometimes you just need one person to start. I dare you not to smile!

Wishing you a weekend full of laughter, friends!

Comments

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  1. Mindy

    This is our third year doing the Christmas book advent.  I found several really good ones last year at Goodwill.  We all look forward to opening our favorites.
    I always pick up persimmons at our neighborhood Asian grocery store.  My favorite is putting them in salads.

    Reply
    • Liren Baker

      I just love how you are already doing the Christmas book advent. I need to remember that for next year. Do you rewrap the books for each year or do you get new ones? Persimmons seem to be easier to find – I used to go to the Asian market, too, but now I’m finding them in more places, yay!

      Reply
  2. Mary

    Liren, I remember when you originally posted these short ribs and I’m happy you shared the recipe once again.  I pinned it back then and will re-pin this version with the pumpkin orzo.  Would you mind sharing how you made the orzo?  Thanks!

    Reply
    • Liren Baker

      Thanks for sharing the short ribs, Mary! The pumpkin orzo was based on a version by Mario Batali – I’ll have to share what I did with it :)

      Reply
  3. Roxana

    Those ribs look INCREDIBLE, and those people laughing on the subway is one of the best things I’ve seen in awhile! Thanks so much for sharing! 

    Reply
    • Liren Baker

      Videos like that remind me how we all have more in common that we think. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did, Roxana! (And those short ribs – I finally polished off the leftovers – so good!)

      Reply
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