Sparkling Red Currant Cosmopolitan

I am obsessed with fresh currants and probably mores so because of how hard they are to find. In New York I typically find them in the winter at specialty gourmet stores but sometimes larger farmer's markets will have them. One thing is sure and that's that, if I see them, I'm buying them.





The flavor is both sweet and tart which makes them great for chocolate pairings, cocktails and jams.

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Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

Most of the time, I am not a fancy dessert maker. I like to create recipes that are easy, quick and delicious. But sometimes you have to make an effort and Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion for an extra fancy chocolate cake.





This cake, or at least a version of it, has a personal history for me. It involves a very special man who took my chocolate loving self to a French restaurant

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Triple Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

It's almost time for the sweetest holiday of the year. And yes, it's wonderful if you have a romantic partner but I believe in spreading the love to friends and family. Thanks to Parks and Recreation, so many of my friends now host "galentines" celebrations and I'm happy to share the friend love with sweet treats.





My heart shaped cutter gets a serious workout every year as I bake batches

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Cheesy Beef and Potato Casserole

Every time I make a casserole I ask myself why I don't make them more often. They can be prepped ahead of time, come together using just one or two pans and they usually make enough for lots of leftovers. Those are all words that interest me when I'm busy and can realize, with relief, that dinner is already in the fridge, just waiting for me to reheat it.





If you live in the Midwest,

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Burger Au Poivre

One of my favorite restaurant splurges is steak au poivre which is typically a filet mignon served with a creamy peppercorn sauce. The steak is great, of course, but it's the sauce that makes me crave that dish. So, why not just make the sauce?





Technically you can make an au poive sauce without beef but it won't have the same depth of flavor. I'm always up for a good burger, though, and

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Chocolate Chip Tahini Cake

This weekend I was going through my pantry and thinking about doing some cold weather, stay-at-home-day baking. There's something so comforting about winter baking not to mention, I really wanted something sweet.





I was actually a little low on supplies for anything but a basic loaf cake but I found a bag of chocolate chips and a jar of tahini. OK, let's be real. I always have a jar of

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Baked Cauliflower Rice and Bacon Arancini

Where should I begin? The arancini part, the cauliflower rice part or the fact that this recipe serves four but I ate most of it by myself for dinner last night?





OK, we all love arancini, yes? Those Italian rice balls filled with cheese and sometimes little bits of ham and peas. There's a gourmet store in my neighborhood that makes them really well. Much, much too well.

And have you made

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Winter Squash Soup with Sage

I hope you all are not getting sick of soup recipes because the temperatures and wind chill around here are below zero and that means I'm eating soup. My big soup pot pretty much lives on top of the stove lately because it's a stay inside, eat all the soup and watch Netflix kind of month.





This weekend I was fresh out of fresh soup and scouring my fridge to see what I'd be making next. I

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Braised Short Ribs

So...brrrr. Those of us in the north east are enjoying (no, not really) single digit temperatures and the pleasures of potential frostbite whenever we take the dog for a walk. Mind you, I'm not really complaining that much because my apartment is heated and cozy. Just maybe getting a little claustrophobic in here.





Still, I know I'll be complaining about summer heat all too soon so instead

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Black Bean Soup

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you had an opportunity to take some time off around the holidays. I took most of last week off which, for me, meant catching up on sleep, catching up on some personal stuff that I wanted crossed off my list and playing around in the kitchen.





Yes, playing around in the kitchen is both a job and a form of relaxation for me, especially when there are no

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