Mahogany Beef Stew with Red Wine and Hoisin Sauce

Stew is one of those dishes that I struggle with, because it never tastes quite as good as I think it should.  But David loves a good stew, particularly in the heart of Canadian Winter, so it is always on the menu a few times in the early months of the year. I've decided the secret is cutting up an actual roast for stew meat rather than buying the pre-cut cubes that are labelled as 'stewing beef' in the meat section. Or at least, that's what we tried with this particular recipe and it was one of the best stews I've had in a long time. As with other stews I've known and loved, this one is even better the next day if you can manage leftovers.

We're moving in to Spring soon; I actually made this dish weeks ago at the height of the worst of our Winter, which in truth hasn't been all that bad this year. We had a few weekends in a row of conditions that were pretty perfect for tubing / tobogganing and we made the most of it. Then we came inside and had stew.

Chocolate Frosting

This little cake was the result of one of those Sunday afternoons where cake seems like it will fix things. Now, I know cake won't finish my performance review (due at work this week), clean the crusted toothpaste off the taps in the bathroom, fold the laundry or teach my kids cursive. But the hour I spent making this cake (particularly the icing) made things feel a bit more manageable. Everything seems more manageable when the house smells like warm vanilla goodness and there are beaters waiting to be licked clean of chocolate frosting.

Curried Parsnip Soup

Well, you can hardly be surprised that another dish featuring curry should appear after my entry on Curried Cauliflower and Apple soup. I've got a whole bottle of curry powder to use up. And this time, parsnips in the crisper. I love parsnips. I know they don't look like much, but cooked properly they are delicious. I really enjoyed them in this soup, which I adapted into 'cream of' curried parsnip soup.

Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup

It's national soup month! It's really cold outside! I have half a cauliflower in my crisper calling out for attention! The perfect storm.

I wasn't sure I was going to like Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup, since it involves curry. Curry is hit or miss for me; more frequently a miss. I think what swayed me to try this recipe was the inclusion of apple and the fact that the soup was the consistency of a thin cream rather than a thick porridge. I don't mind a thick soup but was in the mood for something lighter.

Thin Bread and Wheat Thins

Every January I tell myself I'm going to dial back on the carbohydrates. After a December filled with cookies and toffee and caramel corn one doesn't need potatoes and bread and crackers. And then the cold weather comes and my body cries out for carbs. Demands, them really. Macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes...bread. And crackers. What's a girl to do? This girl gives in and heads to the kitchen.

Christmas Eats

Just when it seems like your husband is impossible to buy for at Christmas, you come up with the perfect gift. The gift of beef. A couple of weeks ago I decided to order a beef tenderloin for our family of four Christmas dinner (the Sunday before December 25th). Saucy came through with a lovely cut from Metzger's. I dialled up a recipe on Epicurious: Herb and Spice-Roasted Beef Tenderloin with with Red-Wine Shallot Sauce. The verdict? See above. Next year, all my husband wants for Christmas is beef tenderloin.

Smitten

I was pleased to be gifted the Smitten Kitchen cookbook for my birthday this year. I've already dived in and cooked up three recipes from this cookbook since receiving it in early December. And every time I flip through I find myself mentally filing away the next recipe I want to try. Since we were all caked out by the time David's birthday rolled around, I tried out the Brownie Roll Out Cookies as a substitute. They were definitely worthy. Then came Christmas Eve day; a great day (and eve) at our house. Everyone on holiday, no where to go, nothing in particular that needed to be done. I was skimming through Smitten Kitchen and decided that it wasn't enough that we have gingerbread, sugar cookies, two kinds of snack mix, caramel corn and fudge in the house. We needed toffee! And happily I had all of the ingredients needed to make Coffee Toffee.