Eating

The last day of winter. Probably not the last day of winter weather. I'll be cooking the seasonal winter stuff for a while longer. Here's a reminder of some of those things you've been enjoying. Or meaning to get around to. There's still time.

When you walk a long Way, you want to eat well. When you're out to burn more calories than you consume, you want your calories to taste great, travel well and not make a big mess. Like Cole Slaw Jello. Stay with me here. This is a real revelation.

Actually, beer and buttermilk. This is not a cocktail. Not an Irish joke. This is profoundly great bread. Without kneading dough. Really. No kneading. Just 30 seconds of stirring. You're not hearing this from a leprechaun.

Cheap, easy and a total delight in your mouth. Soft and warm inside, crispy around the edges. Fifteen cents each. At breakfast, they give pancakes a run for their money. The gluten-free whole-grain corn grits are mildly sweet. But it's OK to use maple syrup.

After a long, cold winter that makes you want to turn up the heat in the kitchen every day, I just want to eat something raw. So I turned up the heat with some spice. Something to dip your carrot in. Makes a carrot a complete snack.

A two-ingredient, ten-minute vegetable preparation that's mysteriously great. In a blind-tasting you probably wouldn't guess what it is. It's such a perfect flavor combination you'd think it was just one thing.

A beef broth with root vegetables like turnips and carrots. A rich beef stock spiked with sherry vinegar and allspice. Very light and very satisfying. Less than 50 cents per bowlful. Two days worth of Vitamin A and a day's worth of Vitamin C.

A persuasive case for eating less meat and enjoying it more. A little meat as the flavor kick for a mainly meatless dish. Whole-grain cornbread with a thin, crackling bacon-flavored crust around a soft, light, crumbly interior. Full of tiny, crunchy flecks of bacon.