Lime and jalapeno marinated skirt steak, with tomatillo sauce.

If winter is bringing you down, whip up this easy weeknight meal that celebrates the flavors of Mexico. I made it on the “Charlotte Today” show the other morning, and had everyone smiling after their first bite (even musician Teddy Geiger who dropped in for a quick taste). Tangy tomatillos and bright limes make this dish jump with flavor and freshness meaning that even the dreariest winter day is sure to look a little sunnier with a plate of these in front of you. Read the full story

The Davidson Farmer’s Market is now accepting vendor applications for the spring season starting Sat., April 6. Applications may be submitted for review until Jan. 31. The Market specifically seeks grains, fruit, chocolate and organic goods. Read the full story

The 10th edition of the semi-annual Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week returns Friday, Jan. 18, to Sunday, Jan. 27, at a record 112 restaurants in six counties in the greater Charlotte area and Lake Norman. Specials and details, along with hotel discounts, are now live on the Queen’s Feast website, www.CharlotteRestaurantWeek.com.

Participating restaurants offer special prix fixe dinners of three or more courses, for $30 per person  (plus tax and tip). Popular eateries are joining in again across Charlotte to Matthews, Concord, Belmont, Gastonia, Waxhaw, the Lake Norman area of northern Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, and Fort Mill, S.C. Read the full story

Beekeepers at Davidson College. (DavidsonNews.net file photo)

MOORESVILLE – “Beekeeping Basics” is the topic at the next free nature program sponsored by Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists. The meeting is at 6pm Thursday, Jan. 10, in the Youth Services Room of Mooresville Public Library, 304 S. Main St.

Terry Pupp, owner of Four Oaks Honeybees in Iredell County, will discuss bees, beekeeping, and some of the challenges of the modern-day beekeeper. He will bring some of the “tools of the trade,” such as a smoker, a jacket and a hive complete with honeycombs. No bees will attend, as they are hibernating this time of year! Read the full story

Asian style short ribs. (Nikki Sawyer Moore photo)

My mother used a pressure-cooker a couple of times a year to steam artichokes. It made a loud hissing sound and the pressure indicator knob jangled at a furious, nerve-grinding rate as steamed poured out. It was effective in cooking the artichokes, but was a casebook example of a pressure cooker that looked and acted like a culinary time bomb.

I wasn’t opposed to using a pressure cooker, but I’d heard enough stories about exploding lids and bad steam burns to stay away.  Then I got the call from a client who was dying to learn how to do short ribs during his cooking class. Short ribs, while delicious, are tough cuts of beef that benefit from low and slow cooking. They aren’t hard to make, but they do require a couple of hours to cook making them less than ideal for a cooking class or a weeknight. Not wanting to disappoint, I decided to give pressure cookers another look and was surprised by what I found. Read the full story

This poached pear recipe hugs the line between savory and sweet.

Is there anything more elegant than a red wine poached pear? One of my favorite things to do ahead, poached pears can begin a meal in a tasty salad or as an elegant dessert. They are easy to make and impressive on the plate.

The only challenge is achieving that intense burgundy color. Too often the bottle of wine I use lacks the punch to give the pears the necessary vibrancy and richness to make everyone around my table say “wow.”

I’ve bought bottles of fruity Syrah that have done the trick, but it’s always a bit of gamble and I’ve long wanted a little more consistency. Enter the beet. I stumbled across this recipe for Scarlet Poached Pears. Read the full story