The Starling, 2002

With the backyard crab apple tree threatening to blossom, we're tempted to begin to practice some crab apple jelly recipes in our test kitchen. But because we'll have to wait until March for the apples to ripen, we have another project to keep us busy. Friends have been begging for a mid-winter backyard barbecue since the weather is balmier than it's ever been in January.

After a visit to the Brooklyn Museum of Art to look at Walton Ford's slightly twisted Audubon-style paintings, we're craving wild game. We know many will be tempted to mail in trophy meat from those hunts in Africa, but we'll just be grilling the standard stuff. Send us your elk sausage, pheasant breasts and venison burgers. If the weather holds we'll haul out the smoker and mourn the loss of winter.