The Nourished Kitchen. And Braised Short Ribs.

I've never done a book review on this post. Not because there aren't great cooks out there. Of course, there are many. But a few books in the world speak to my soul.

There was the initial book that got my into natural living, another great book that inspired a traditional food diet, and of course, the ultimate life book. But on top of that, my top favorites are few and far between. And then—a sparkle. A gem. A ray of sunshine in a greyscale world. A treat so wonderful, it's presence needs to be shared—especially with you, my dear and faithful readers.

I'd like to think that because you know all about my life, I know a teeny bit about yours. After all, you're here, aren't you? So it's with a confident heart I acknowledge the wonderful work of Jenny in her new cookbook, The Nourished Kitchen, and how much I think you'd love to have it in your own kitchen.

I began reading Jenny's blog years ago, long before I was a blogger myself. Now that I've come to know her as a friend and fellow blogger, I can remark at the incredible journey and work she's put into writing such a wonderful book. Make no mistake, this cookbook was written, photographed, and edited with the blood, sweat, and tears that only someone truly passionate about their work can offer. And it's reflected from every single one of those rustic pages.

Jenny was gracious enough to let me post a few of her recipes here, one of which I'm super excited about(because I've made it, and it's FANTASTIC. Oh, who am I kidding? I've made a least a dozen of the recipes thus far. And every single one of them has been spectacular. And no. I'm not just saying that. You guys know I love my food far too much to lie about something so important. Food is my happy place. My Shangri-La. And Jenny's real food recipes take me there.

The cookbook isn't released for a few more days (you can preorder the book HERE), but lucky you, with a preorder from Amazon comes great benefit!

- Discounted price

- Access to the membership portal (to get access to the membership portal, simply preorder your cookbook, then email the receipt to nourishedkitchen@tenspeed.com BEFORE April 15th at midnight PST).

- Possession of this fantastic book as quick as humanly possible. Trust me. You'll want it.

Click here to preorder The Nourished Kitchen.

And on top of these benefits, Jenny is also hosting a slew of giveaways to celebrate the launch, including a virtual dinner party which includes a sneak peek of the variety of recipes available in The Nourished Kitchen (you can read more about that HERE!) And now, let's take a peek at the food, shall we?

I'm already a lover of beef (we all know that, don't we?) but this dish made me fall even further in love. If that was humanly possible. Which apparently it is.

Braised Shortribs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Herbs (Printable recipe below)

You will need:

-8 bone-in beef short ribs (about 7 1/2 pounds)

-1/2 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt

-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-1 tablespoon unsalted butter or lard, plus more if needed

-4 ounces bacon, finely chopped

-4 carrots, peeled and diced

-6 ribs celery, diced

-1 yellow onion, diced

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

-1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary needles

-1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

-2 cups dry red wine, plus more if needed

-2 cups beef bone broth, plus more if needed

-2 bay leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.

2. Trim the ribs of any sinew or silver skin with a sharp knife, then rinse them and pat them dry. Sprinkle the ribs with the salt and pepper and set them on a plate.

3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When it froths, stir in the bacon and fry it until it releases its fat and turns brown and crispy, about 6 minutes.

4. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

5. Increase the heat to high and, working in batches to avoid crowding, place the short ribs in the pot. Brown them for 1 minute on each side, then return them to the plate.

6. When all the ribs have been browned, decrease the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot. Fry the vegetables, adding more butter if necessary, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

7. While the vegetables cook, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, and thyme in a mortar and pound them with a pestle until they form a uniform paste. Alternatively, process the tomatoes and herbs in a food processor until they form a paste.

8. Stir the tomato and herb paste into the Dutch oven, then return the short ribs and bacon to the pan. Stir in the wine and broth. Drop in the bay leaves, then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Leave the pot in the oven for 6 hours, until the meat falls off the bone under the firm pressure of a fork. Check on the contents from time to time and add more wine or broth as necessary to keep the ribs covered. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Notes: Reprinted with permission from The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther, (c) 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. Photography (c) 2014 by Jennifer McGruther Publisher retains all copyrights and the right to require immediate removal of this excerpt for copyright or other business reasons.

Now, you can lie to me and tell me you don't want to lick the computer screen right now, but well - that'd be a lie. This cookbook is as wonderful as it gets - highlighting local, seasonal, from-scratch, traditional food cooking at it's best.

I may sound dramatic to say I feel blessed to have it sitting in my kitchen, but frankly, that's the truth. Get one. You won't regret it. Printable Recipe:

[yumprint-recipe id='3']

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.