Red Wine Braised Short Ribs and An Unconventional Christmas Story

In today’s episode, I open up about a part of my story I wasn’t sure I should share during Christmastime: my experience with postpartum depression. The holidays often amplify what we carry—grief, anxiety, trauma, transition—and while our stories may differ, there are threads we all recognize.

This episode is the first of a two-part series where I talk about the season when I realized something was deeply wrong, all while navigating new motherhood after emergency birth and a NICU stay. I share what it was like to move through the holidays feeling lost, overwhelmed, ashamed, and disconnected—while still trying to “keep it all together.”

But woven through that darkness was the quiet, steady presence of God. This episode reflects on how He meets us in the unraveling, how He shapes us in the stillness, and how faith grows when we feel like we’re standing still. Inspired by Romans 4–5 and the biblical call to Sabbath rest, I’m learning to release expectations, let go of striving, and trust God to carry me into the next season—in His timing, not mine.

If you’re heading into Christmas or the new year feeling anything but merry, this episode is for you. You are not alone, and there is hope.

This week in the kitchen:

• Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
• Steak Sandwiches
• Mushroom & Sausage Pasta (a kitchen experiment that just might become a bonus podcast recipe!)

I’m also officially kicking off Christmas cookie season—because why wait to enjoy them all at once?

Featured Recipe: https://www.dishitgirl.com/recipes/braised-short-ribs-red-wine-fig

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs of short ribs bone in
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup flour
• kosher salt
• pepper
• 3/4 cup cippolini onions, halved
• 1 cup dried figs, cut into fours
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 cups of pinot noir wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium/high heat in a ceramic pot. Sprinke kosher salt and black pepper on all sides of the short ribs.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Dredge the short ribs in flour, shaking off the excess. Place the short ribs in the pot and brown on all sides. Working in two batches if necessary, in order to not crowd the pan. Remove short ribs from pot and reserve.
4. Lower your heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pot, once melted add the dried figs and onions. Gently stir to coat in the butter. Let the figs and onion saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for a minute more. Stirring often as the tomato paste becomes a deep red.
6. Pour in the wine, this will deglaze the pan, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom.
7. Then add the short ribs back to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes to reduce the wine.
8. Add in your beef broth and season with the thyme, bay leaf, and a pinch of kosher salt.
9. Cover and transfer to the oven for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is easily falling off the bone.
10. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard.
11. Serve short ribs over sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes.

Resources:

Dina’s Cookbook

Prefer video? This episode is on YouTube!

DishItGirl is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org