10 Things We Love in February

Citrus, chocolate, birthdays, and more

Welcome to “10 Things We Love,” a roundup that includes a preview of our favorite stuff on The Bittman Project this month, as well as posts you have loved (or may have missed) that are especially relevant right now.

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It’s our birthday!

Photo: Credit:Stefania Pelfini, La Waziya Photography/Getty Images

This coming week marks one year since The Bittman Project launched. We’ve made great strides. We’re building a community that we love. And we’re grateful for your support. Look out for a letter from Mark looking back at the past year and to the months ahead.

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There’s still time for California citrus.

Photo courtesy of Bi-Rite Family of Businesses

We have two more weeks of this year’s Bi-Rite x Bittman California Citrus Experience Box — the last day for orders is Feb. 15. The box includes a collection of peak season varietals of lemons, limes, oranges, kumquats, and more, for $80, plus shipping. The 10- to 12-pound box is hand-picked and hand-packed by Bi-Rite’s produce team.

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We’re celebrating personal victories.

We’ve got the great Michael Arceneaux up later month doing a bit of self-reflection, reminding us, among other things, how we can all be better about celebrating our personal victories. You’ve read his writing on the site, such as the posts below.

Instant Pots Are Terrifying

My Part-Time Plant-Based Journey

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We’re sharing our favorite things to cook for each other.

GIPHY from @afrique_

We’ll be sharing the dishes we cook for our partners that they especially love — and we can’t wait to hear yours.

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We’re offering Dandelion Chocolate treats.

Later this month — past Valentine’s Day — we’ll announce our February partnership with Dandelion Chocolate for a Bittman Project special treat. We’re superfans of Dandelion chocolate and we hope you’ll like it, too.

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You can join the discussion on all things chocolate.

What’s your favorite chocolate for snacking as well as your favorite chocolate thing to make? Members tune in on Feb. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. EST.

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We can make our favorite hot cocoa recipe.

Make sure you don’t skip the last part of this classic — the wonderful frothiness is one of the two things that make Mexican hot chocolate special (cinnamon is the other).

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Makes: 2 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 disk (about 3 ounces) Mexican chocolate or 4 ounces semisweet chocolate

• 2 cups milk

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste, optional (you won’t need it if you’re using Mexican chocolate)

• 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Instructions

1. Chop the chocolate if necessary and combine it with the milk and cinnamon if you’re using it in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the pod and seeds or the vanilla extract if you’re using it. Simmer, stirring, until the chocolate is melted.

2. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a molinillo (a Mexican chocolate beater) a wire whisk, an immersion blender, or an electric mixer, beat the chocolate mixture until frothy. You can also put the mixture in the blender and carefully pulse it until frothy. Reheat if necessary and serve immediately.

— Recipe from The Best Recipes in the World

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We can throw together a fast, weeknight braise.

Pork with rosemary, chicken with olives and raisins, or cabbage with beans: Three dishes to remind you that February is a good month for braising.

The Peak Winter Dishes You Crave

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Easy-to-make wings to the rescue!

Whether you’re hosting your own Super Bowl party or not, wings are easy enough to make at home. Fire up your grill if you’re up for going outside, but don’t worry if you don’t have a grill — or it’s covered under a good bit of snow — these can easily be done in the oven under the broiler.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Photo: istetiana via iStock/Getty Images

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of chicken wings

• ⅓ cup relatively mild hot sauce

• 4 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or white vinegar

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cut 3 pounds of chicken wings into three sections; save the wing tips for stock. Toss the wings with a little neutral oil to keep them from sticking.

2. Heat a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be moderately hot and the rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat. Leave one side of the grill cooler for indirect cooking.

3. Put the wings on the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook, checking and turning once or twice, until most of the fat has been rendered and the wings are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. (You can also broil in the oven on a sheet pan, flipping wings halfway through.)

4. While the wings cook, combine 1/3 cup relatively mild hot sauce, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or white vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

5. When the wings are cooked, add them to the bowl with the sauce, and toss to coat. Now put the wings on the hot part of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning as necessary, until they’re nicely browned on both sides. (Or return to the broiler for a few minutes.)

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition

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We can look forward to Bittman Bread King Cake.

Our very own Kerri Conan has been making a Bittman Bread King Cake, prompted by an enthusiastic reader. Stay tuned for how it turned out the last week of February.