recipes

PITTSBURGH — It’s pretty easy to feel blue on a dreary, colorless day in January in Pittsburgh.

In the dead of winter, citrus gives our plates one big zap of color and flavor. We deserve this in excess.

Have you ever seen those “enrichments” that zookeepers make for the animals? Essentially, they are puzzles filled with treats, and they’re meant to stimulate the animal’s brain in ways that mimic that of their non-captive brethren on the outside, encouraging behavior that would be natural if they lived in the wild. Foraging. Exploration. Problem solving.

Some of the best and most comforting dishes take a long time to cook. With time more precious than ever during the holiday season, meals can add an extra level of pressure. But smart hosts know that a make-ahead plan, with a slow-cooker assist, can be the key to a memorable, relaxing meal.

Come the holidays, homemade gifts from the kitchen are the ones I like to make and receive. They’re not at all fussy or fancy — spiced nuts in a pretty container, marinated cheeses and herbed biscuits — but they are foods I might find useful during the holidays, too.

Let’s admit that Thanksgiving Day leftovers, though familiar and comforting, are boring. But with the roasting, toasting and simmering already done, they make a blank canvas for the adventuresome cook.

The combination of soy sauce, honey and sherry adds a sweet glaze to this stir-fried pork tenderloin. I added Chinese noodles and broccoli florets to complete this easy meal. These noodles can be found dried in the Asian section of the market or steamed in the produce section. They only need a few minutes to cook. You can use angel hair pasta instead.

In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a roasted chicken, whether it’s homemade or purchased in the supermarket deli section, because it can be dressed up or down to the season with any number of side dishes.

When Amy Thielen is looking to let off steam on Friday nights, she cooks dinner for friends. Sometimes it’s for no occasion at all; other times it’s for big, blowout celebrations, holidays or birthdays. Thielen and her family live in rural northern Minnesota; “In my corner of the world, in-house entertaining is more than a way of life — it’s pretty much our only option,” she writes in the introduction for her latest cookbook, “Company.”

After sitting down to dinner at a friend’s house a couple of days ago, I was confronted with something I hadn’t seen in a month: a big leafy green salad. Because of traveling on the East Coast, and eating out so much, I had forgotten the homey joys of a giant bowl packed with salad greens, various chopped vegetables and fruit, some cheese, nuts and seeds, etc. I promptly stuffed large forkfuls in my mouth, relishing the crunch of the lettuce spines while the bracing vinaigrette stung the corners of my lips. It was as good a welcome back to California as I can imagine.