Kind of a Bust - Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Cassoulet

I'll start this by saying that not everything can knock your socks off. If everything is fantastic, then nothing is, so I guess it's important to have something pretty average every now and then to remind yourself what a truly delicious dish tastes like. Right??

Bean and squash cassoulet

A Mediterranean Vacation in the Middle of a Snowstorm

I don't know about you, but we have been getting A LOT of snow lately. We've been eating a lot of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs type winter dishes to cope, but Saturday we decided to go a different route. What better way to cure the winter blues than with a bright, flavorful dish from somewhere sunny and warm?

Tuna in spicy sauce, with brussels sprouts and potatoes.

Cookie of the Month - Vanilla Sablés

I love giving people gifts, but am horrible at figuring out what to get them.  I've tried to espouse my dad's gift giving philosophy, which is that the perfect gift is one that the receiver doesn't even know he or she wants, or something they'd like but would never buy for themselves.  I'm not saying I always achieve such gift-giving perfection, but it's the goal.

A few years ago, it was a couple of days before Christmas and I could not think of something to get my younger brother.  Clothing seemed so uninspired, and his hobbies are technical enough that I can't just go out on my own without his guidance.  One of his favorite things about Christmas is that it is the one time of year he gets his favorite cookies - peppermint candy cane cookies from an old Betty Crocker cookbook my mom has.  "You know," he said to me while I was busy baking said cookies, "if you ever don't know what to get me, you could always make me cookies." And he plopped one in his mouth as he walked out of the kitchen.