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The flavors in this recipe hit soo many notes. When I first tasted the sauce for seasoning the first thing I got was the cinnamon and then I got a hint of the lemon. I did not use stew beef I used a chuck roast and I also left out the flour and tomato paste. I added a jar of good quality tomato sauce. I brought it up to a boil, covered it and put it in the oven at 325 for 3 hours. I did strain the sauce in batches using my fat separator and put it on the stove to reduce and thicken. I fudged on the mashed potatoes. I used Simply brand premade mashed potatoes. I heated them over a double boiler and added a touch of heavy cream, salt, pepper, parmesan and some truffle oil. Well worth the wait! About that Stracotto: Italian for Very, Very Slow-Cooked, Sublime Stew – Forktales (juliadellacroce.com)

Oh My!! This hits all of notes for me. 7 grain bread, fig jam on one side topped with smoked blue cheese, sliced green apple, black pepper bacon, gouda with honey and clover and dijon. This is something special!

I see crispy brussel sprouts on menus a lot lately. I ordered them recently and hated them! The brussel sprouts absorbed a lot of the oil. I decided to do it at home and better. And they were spot on! Freezing the blue cheese and using a microplane to grate it made every bite have a little melty blue cheese sharpness.

Fresh brussel sprouts cut in half for the small to medium ones and quarters for the large ones

Olive oil cooking spray

Balsamic vinegar

Chopped cooked bacon

A Small frozen piece of blue cheese

I put the sprouts in a bowl and sprayed them with cooking spray tossing and spraying until well coated and added some salt and pepper. I put them in the air fryer at 380 for 8 minutes. I tossed them and sprayed a little more cooking spray and cooked them for 8 more minutes. I put them back in the bowl and tossed them with the vinegar. Plated them added the chopped bacon and used a microplane to grate the blue cheese over the top.

I hardly ever make short ribs. You have to make the time for the braise and the crockpot does not do them justice. You just don’t get that crispy exterior in the crockpot. The bright basil potato puree is a nice contrast to the super rich beef. I needed something fresh, so I made a gremolata using parsley, the fronds from the fennel in the braise and lemon zest. This was one helluva dish! Happy Valentine’s Day to me! Scott’s Short Ribs Recipe | Ina Garten | Food Network Potato Basil Puree Recipe | Ina Garten | Food Network

This curry is so good. It is really rich and creamy. The only liquid in the recipe is coconut milk that you reduce down to this thick sauce. In the end it was a little sweet, next time I will add some green peas for a bright pop and some lime juice. I chopped chicken breast instead of using whole tenders. I garnished with cilantro, green onion and chopped pistachios. This is a keeper for sure! Chicken Curry with Dried Apricots recipe | Epicurious.com

I make a lot of soup in the cold months. My sweetheart works outside and I can heat up the leftovers and put them in his thermos for a hot lunch. So my freezer had single portion bags of left over soup most of the time. This soup is simple, hearty and amazing. I used andouille sausage and I cut my sausage in half moons so there was more for every bite. I used the last collard greens from my garden and instead of using red pepper flakes I added some hot sauce for the heat and a little acid. The only thing that I will change next time is to dice the potatoes smaller. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/portuguese-green-soup

My sweetheart loves clean light feeling meals. Yes this is pasta, but the sauce is made of all uncooked ingredients that make it feel fresh and light. I love these mediterranean flavors I needed a little something, so I added some toasted pine nuts. I also used a little of the pasta water for moisture instead of a lot more olive oil. Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Arugula, Capers, and Olives Recipe | Bon Appétit (bonappetit.com)

This dish is so full of flavor! I used a bone in pork chop instead of lamb. The crust is crunchy and spicy with the sweet roasted vegetables and bright shallot dressing it makes a nice combination. I am not a big goat cheese fan, so I used feta. Both recipes are in Deb Perelman’s cookbook The Smitten Kitchen. They are not on her blog, so I found them posted other places to provide the recipes. https://alittlesaffronwouldmakethisdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/pistachio-masala-lamb-chops-with-cucumber-mint-raita/ http://www.wizardrecipes.com/roasted-baby-roots-with-sherry-shallot-vinaigrette/

This is a keeper! I saved some of the shallot from the mushrooms and added that to the burger with a little worcestershire for moisture. I also added some fresh thyme and sage to the mushroom mixture and deglazed with a little sherry. A little whole grain dijon to the dressing for the arugula balanced out nicely. Open-Face Turkey Burgers with Gruyere, Mushrooms, and Arugula Salad Recipe | Bon Appétit (bonappetit.com)