From Michael Ruhlman, a dead-simple recipe for wonderful tomato sauce. In the words of Ruhlman himself:

A basic tomato sauce is easy and delicious on its own and an elegant cooking tool as well. Braise beef, pork or lamb in it, add it to ground meat for a pasta sauce, poach eggs in it. It’s delicious plain. I returned from New York on Friday and saw a 24-ounce jar of a “celebrity chef” sauce on the counter. Donna said, “It’s really good.”  Then added, “But it cost nine dollars.” Make your own—50% more sauce, 50% of the cost, 100% more pleasure.

From the wonderful Chocolate & Zucchini, Clotilde’s Basic Granola Formula. Please see original for instructions:

Basic Granola Formula

- 280 grams (10 ounces, about 3 cups) rolled grains
(oat, spelt, wheat, rye, quinoa, rice, barley… or a mix thereof)
- 170 grams (6 ounces, about 1 1/2 cups) nuts and seeds, roughly chopped
(a mix of almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, macadamias, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds…)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
(sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil, coconut oil…)
- 6 tablespoons liquid sweetener
(honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, rice syrup… or a mix thereof; you can also use a fruit jam or unsweetened fruit purée, but use a little more then because they’re not 100% sugar)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground spices
(a mix of warm spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, a spice mix for pain d’épices, roasted citrus zest…)
- 5 tablespoons ground flaxseeds, soaked in 5 tablespoons water for 15 minutes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt flakes
- 1 tablespoon homemade vanilla extract

Optional:
- 30 grams (1 ounce, about 1/2 cup) unsweetened dried coconut (I like chips better than flakes or shreds)
- 30 grams (1 ounce, about 1/4 cup) oat or wheat bran
- 60 grams (2 ounces) chocolate, roughly chopped
- 120 grams (4 ounces, about 3/4 cup) dried fruit, roughly chopped if in large pieces
(raisins, cranberries, prunes, dates, figs, blueberries, cherries, bananas, mangoes, apples… or a mix thereof)

From J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats, the dead-simple, one-step guide to making spectacular crème fraîche at home. Let the fancy French feasting begin!

Ingredients

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

Procedure

• Combine buttermilk and heavy cream in non-reactive container. cover and allow to rest at room temperature until thickened to desired texture, about 12 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

From the wine geeks at Consumer Reports, a brilliant primer on chilling and serving wines:

“Wine is more enjoyable when served at a temperature that best brings out its flavors, aromas, and structure (that’s wine-speak for how it feels on your tongue).

People tend to serve red wines at room temperature, which is generally too warm (especially in summer). And they often serve white wines right out of the refrigerator, a temperature too cold to enjoy any white at its best—with the exception of some sparkling wines.

Optimal wine temperatures vary by type and characteristics. For example, a wine’s weight (or “body”) matters when it comes to serving temperature. You should serve lighter red and white wines, such as pinot noir and sauvignon blanc, at lower temperatures than you would heavier red and white varietals such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or chardonnay.

See our chart for recommended serving temperatures for lighter and heavier red and white wines—and the time required in the refrigerator, freezer, or ice bucket to reach them. Temperatures and times are based on a typical refrigerator temperature of 37 degrees F in the main compartment and zero degrees F in the freezer, with original storage at room temperature (about 65 to 70 degrees F). If the wine was cooler—stored in a temperature-controlled wine cellar, perhaps—you can trim times by about 20 percent for every five degrees. The chart also includes adjustments for warmer room temperatures or seasons.

These temperatures and times are general guides only. They might seem unusual at first, but you’ll probably notice a wider range of flavors and other components in your wine, especially bottles of better quality, if you follow them. […]

As for storage, a trend is now to store wine in a temperature-controlled cellar or custom refrigerator. But unless you’re collecting very expensive wines, any spot in the house that is out of direct sunlight, remains cool (less than 70 degrees F) at all times, and isn’t subject to vibration will hold wine safely for a year or two. Most basements fit the bill. Store bottles on their side. Screw-cap bottles can be stored upright.”