With the last name McDuffee, you’d think I’d do more of the Irish cooking, wouldn’t you? Two things: I inherited the name through marriage and my in-laws think they’re Polish, so I’m really at an impasse with the Irish cooking. A good stew, however, is worth writing about, and perhaps you’ll find one that you’d like to make on Wednesday, St. Patrick’s Day.

Irish colcannon is a traditional winter vegetable stew cooked up in milk … that can’t possibly suck. I love that this can be made by layering the veggies in a crock pot … kale, cabbage, parsnips, leeks … and potatoes of course.

Irish stew with herbed goat cheese dumplings … now there’s a new twist on an old favorite. Food Network kitchens uses veal stock and lots of fresh herbs, so this ought to be a tasty one.

Sweet potato and wild mushroom lamb stew again twists on tradition, with sweet potatoes and toasted pumpkin seeds, a little mustard and a lot of mushrooms.

What could be more Irish than soaking a bunch of meat in a vat of simmering Guinness for hours? This beef and Guinness stew does just that, and let me tell you — I’ve made this one and it’s gooood.

Other posts

• Coconut shortbread, lemon torte and sesame almond cookies – Recipe Roundup
• Giada De Laurentiis’s Farfalle with Broccoli – Recipe Test Drive
• A burger with its own zip code – Fast Food Generation

Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

There’s always something tempting my palate electronically. I can’t open up my laptop without being alerted to another luscious recipe. And lately, I’m thinking in menus. How good would this kabocha lentil soup be with these cheddar bacon biscuits? And I might just eat two desserts — baked pears with lemongrass, ginger and vanilla and chocolate pretzels.

Are you sick of my Heidi Swanson love-fest yet? You won’t be after I share this recipe for kabocha French lentil soup … winter squash, green lentils, ginger, fennel … you must be drooling over that unique combination. Like Heidi, I’ve done the lentil soup thing to death yet still I want to make this one, yesterday.

I think I’d like to eat this soup with some cheddar bacon biscuits with fresh chives. It’s no secret that I adore savory muffins, like spinach muffins with feta, and I’d even thought about how good those muffins would be with fresh chives. And Epicurious recommends using their biscuits to make ham sandwiches which sounds divine to me.

I’ve been trying to get my little chef to make these chocolate pretzels with me for a couple of weeks now, and nothing. It’s very strange because he loves pretzels, loves chocolate and loves baking. It wouldn’t be as much fun making them by myself but it just may come to that.

Baked pears with lemongrass, ginger and vanilla sounds just about perfect, doesn’t it? And you don’t yet even know about the coconut milk, lime juice and pistachios that make up the sauce and garnish for this unique dessert. There’s something about that La Tartine Gourmande….

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I mentioned in a recent post that Kona has turned me into a crazed homemade pasta maker. I’ve yet to write up those recipes — they’re coming — but I have been collecting quite an array of ravioli recipes, now that the world is my oyster. Really, it may seem silly to you, but being unable to eat wheat and craving filled pasta has left me feeling like the greyhound chasing the rabbit, for years.

The results have been nothing less than thrilling, and trying these new raviolis are tops on my list.

Roasted portobello with caramelized onion ravioli would have been the first one I tried, if I had those ingredients in the house. I love that this recipe doesn’t have cheese in it so I can control the amount of cheese that goes into my food sensitive child by just using a sprinkle of cheese in the sauce. But I’ve been feeling caramelized onions in a ravioli… oh yeah.

This recipe, originating from Hawaii, has got some really interesting flavors. White bean and sun-dried tomato ravioli includes chipotle in adobo and cumin, along with more traditional Italian flavors. I riffed off of this recipe for my first ravioli recipe, which I kept more traditional, just in case. Trying this unique version could happen though.

I’ve been dying to make pumpkin ravioli, but I’m having trouble deciding which recipe to try. This Wolfgang Puck pumpkin ravioli recipe probably doesn’t suck (and I love that he uses spinach dough), but there’s enough heavy cream in the raviolis to put my son into a dairy-induced coma, so I probably won’t attempt it. Martha Stewart’s pumpkin raviolis sound delicious, but there are crumbled up cookies in them. Beyond being weird, we don’t eat wheat so we’ve defeated the whole purpose for making homemade ravioli.

So I’m exploring the amateur chefs to see what they’ve got for me. These butternut squash raviolis can be made with any orange squash and they have some parmesan cheese which I can substitute with pecorino romano (sheep’s cheese) and my kid will make it through the meal. This one’s a distinct possibility.

One more — a dairy-free pumpkin ravioli recipe! I’ll forgive the vegan for being vegan about it, because this recipe sounds delicious from start to finish and not at all what I was expecting from a pumpkin ravioli. I’m really excited to try this one.

Which one sounds best to you?

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Recipes that I didn’t want to lose track of are what ended up in my column this week. I’m always on the lookout for new salads, and my intense longing for anything comfort food made me fall in love with the potato skins recipe. Pretty much any ethnic food’s okay in my book, and Indian is pretty simple to cook at home.

No magical themes, no gourmet vision-quests, just solidly delicious recipes that I’ll be making sometime soon.

I love a good salad. One that’s got fennel, red pepper, cabbage and Gorgonzola cheese somehow gets elevated to yum status. Emerald city salad’s got all of those and mixed greens, wild rice and becomes a healthy one-dish meal.

Cheesy potato skins with sun dried tomatoes caught my eye because it’s an innovative twist on an old favorite. Since it’s easy and my kid loves all things potato, this may be a meal served at my house very soon.

I think I’m on an Indian food kick lately. I recently tried Heidi Swanson’s recipe for palak daal and now I’m drooling over this easy (and they mean easy) recipe for chicken masala. Which, now that I think of it, would have been a nice accompaniment to the palak daal. Chicken marinated in yogurt and roasted. Yep, I’m on it.

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It’s no secret that chocolate and I are very, very good friends. Even though I think that Valentine’s Day is a made-up holiday created by the card companies and perpetrated by every other retailer in the world to guilt us into spending our hard-earned money on our loved ones because you must make a showy display of your affection, I still think any reason to celebrate chocolate is valid. Romance, not so much. Do that every day, if you must. But chocolate … well, do that every day too, but make it extra-special for Valentine’s Day.

I haven’t decided what chocolate dessert Keith and I will cook up for Valentine’s Day yet, but I sure have found plenty of contenders. Frankly, chocolate-dipped strawberries would suit me just fine, but Keith wants to try something a little more decadent. That’s fine by me because I’ve got a long, long list of decadent chocolate desserts just waiting to be chosen.

I’m head-over-heels in love with Mexican hot chocolate (as is Kona) so this Mexican chocolate tart with cinnamon-spiced pecans is definitely in the running. It’s a little labor-intensive, so we’ll see. It’s hard to justify when I can make a flourless chocolate cake with five ingredients and toss in some cinnamon and vanilla, you know?

Now this recipe for chocolate espresso spelt cake is one I can definitely get into. There aren’t a lot of recipes I find designed to use my favorite flour, so I usually just substitute. It’s loaded with dates, so I’d definitely cut back on the sugar because I know it would be far too sweet for my taste. I want to enjoy the bitterness of my chocolate, not mask it with sweetness.

Will Keith allow me to fall back on one of my old favorites, chocolate orange truffles? These are so rich you won’t be popping them like candy, although you’ll feel so special just savoring the one or two that you do indulge in.

One of my favorite local restaurants, Romaine’s, has a killer fallen chocolate cake dessert. It’s laying in a puddle of raspberry coulis and topped with homemade vanilla ice cream and creme fraiche and it’s so close to perfect that you’ll want to skip dinner and order two. These individual chocolate melting cakes might just do the trick, and probably aren’t too shabby served with the caramel sauce and coffee ice cream recommended. Or maybe these molten chocolate cakes are where I’m going…. Then again, this recipe for falling chocolate cake with raspberry sauce might be THE very same recipe as Romaine’s, right down to the sprig of mint.

How about a good ol’ chocolate mousse? It’s been a long time since I’ve had chocolate mousse (probably since my father stopped making it and become obsessed with all things creme brulee) and that might be just the thing to top our romantic dinner for two. Or three, if Owen has his way.

One last recipe I’ve been dying to make is this chocolate almond torte … flourless with almond meal and lots of bittersweet chocolate. I’d leave out the vile almond extract (who likes that stuff?) and maybe add some vanilla instead.

I’ll report back with the recipe we actually do for our special dessert, and in the meantime, you can do two things for me. Either vote in the comments for which one of these recipes you’d do, or let me know what you’ll be making!

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It’s all Kona’s fault. I’m addicted to making my own pasta now, and this weekend, we experimented with raviolis. That’s not to say you’ll find any pasta or ravioli recipes in this week’s Recipe Roundup column. No, I’m telling you this to excuse the fact that this column is so short this week.

There will be lots of pasta recipes and roundups to come, but not a whole lot of other recipes have crossed my path this week. These few caught my eye for very different reasons and I know I’ll be making them all soon.

Heidi Swanson took a green bean side dish recipe, added some tofu and made it into a one-pan meal with her feisty green beans recipe. I’d probably just chunk some potatoes (or she did suggest tempeh) or chicken, or maybe even shrimp and add protein and stick-to-the-rib-ness that way.

Cranberry apple sauce is a favorite of mine, especially with pork (“Pork chops and applesauce….”) or chicken, and Kelly Estes created a recipe after my own heart: no added sugar. I also use orange juice to sweeten fresh cranberries as I cook them down into a chunky sauce.

You probably won’t believe me, but as I type, there’s chicken roasting in my oven. I’m sure it will be delicious, but oh, how I wish it were this recipe for paprika roast chicken with sweet onion. It would have cooked much faster because the chicken would have been cut into pieces, and the paprika, cinnamon and cayenne mixed with the onion would be a welcome flavor combination, and far more inventive than my boring herb-roasted chicken. Bah!

Now, I never — and when I say never, I really mean never — watch the news. For some reason, it was on one night this week and a reporter visited Stephi’s on Tremont in Boston, where Stephi made her famous cheddar meatloaf. Remember last week, when I wrote about comfort food and turkey meatloaf? Yeah, I’m making the one stuffed with caramelized onions and cheese first — can you blame me?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

I just can’t stop thinking about comfort food. Last week was that kind of week. I made Shepherd’s pie, a big batch of my lentil vegetable soup and pasta with homemade pesto and sausage. If there’s one good thing about winter, comfort food is it.

It’s no wonder that my weekly collection of recipes are pretty much all comfort foods. Homemade vegetable bouillon can make countless soups, turkey meatloaf speaks for itself and white lentil soup with chorizo and paprika cream (with a poached egg) couldn’t be more comforting if served in an afghan. Not quite sure if pizza counts, but you can’t miss drooling over the duck pizza recipe, so read on!

Heidi Swanson, my culinary hero (or one of them) has done it again. I never would have thought to make homemade vegetable bouillon, but if you have salt and a food processor, you can do it with ease. I love that I can control the amount of saltiness this way, and also the type of salt, because I find many store-bought bouillons far too salty for my tastes. Exciting!

Someone please explain to me why this recipe for turkey meatloaf caught my eye. I have never made a meatloaf before and we really don’t eat like that in my house. For some reason the simplicity of this comfort food got to me and I really think I’m ready to try a good ol’ fashioned meatloaf. Can I still be a food snob if I eat meatloaf?

Or pot roast? Kelly Estes posted her recipe for pot roast on her new blog, Hot Cookin‘. With my penchant for whole foods, I can’t see myself ever making a recipe with a soup mix as an ingredient, but it looks as though her pot roast came out spectacularly!

OK, I’m back to being a food snob with this recipe for white lentil soup with chorizo and paprika cream. The thing is, it’s still comfort food and it’s still very easy to make. Now this is the way we usually eat in this house! Incidentally, La Tartine Gourmande is fast becoming a favorite of mine….

Just to solidify my standing as food snob after my strange deviance with the meatloaf recipe, I’ll add in this duck pizza with hoisin and scallions. Dude, who would do that to a pizza? Oh me, definitely me.

Tell us about your favorite comfort foods, so we all can drool while curled up in our afghans.

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

Is there any rhyme or reason to delicious recipes? Does there always have to be a theme? Do we, as a society, need to dictate categories for scrumptiousness? My answer is a resounding “no!” Reading these recipes made my week just a little bit brighter and I hope they do the same for you.

When I see fennel, I click; I just can’t help myself. So even though I couldn’t right off the bat picture “spicy” and “fennel” together, I still clicked on the spicy spaghetti with fennel and herbs recipe when it hopped across my computer screen. I’m sold! I’ll be trying this recipe sometime soon, because with the jalapenos, fennel bulb and seeds, pancetta and fresh parsley, it’s sure to be a winner.

I admit that the recipe for chocolate zucchini cupcakes with peanut butter frosting has been sitting open in my browser for months. I’ve just been looking for an occasion to bake them but with the cookie-fest around the winter holidays I just never got the chance. It just sounds like the perfect combination. I love baked goods with zucchini, I love chocolate and I’m thinking a peanut butter frosting (or reasonable facsimile made with almond butter) would top these babies perfectly.

My friend just had back surgery and I wanted to cook her family a meal to help out. Imagine my panic when she told me they are plain eaters — I’ve never cooked plain in my life! When she listed the veggies they would eat, I immediately thought of Shepherd’s pie and found this great recipe kicked up a bit with Worcestershire sauce. Even my not-so-plain eaters enjoyed it.

Recently, Molly discovered La Tartine Gourmande’s site and sent it to me, knowing I’d love it. She’s a girl after my own heart in some respects. Her baking is gluten-free, and I’m so sure these vanilla-flavored almond and quinoa rose teacakes are going to be made in this house, and soon.

What recipes brightened your week?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

Themes, be damned! This, that and the other thing crossed my screen this week — or never left it! — and I’ve just got share this jumble of fabulous recipes with you. If I’m hungry for it, it made the Recipe Roundup this week. A pork loin recipe that just won’t go away, a Russian veggie casserole that uses The Force to stay together and more, more, more….

I’m intrigued, yet perplexed by this one dish meal, Russian veggie casserole. While it sounds absolutely delicious, with its varied mix of veggies and sausage and sauerkraut, I’m really not sure what makes it stay together in that pie wedge shape as depicted. I really expected egg to be an ingredient, but nope.

I am positively chomping at the bit to try these Orange-Hoisin short ribs, but I can’t find any grass-fed beef short ribs! I think I’ll have to swing by Whole Foods at some point and grab some naturally raised ribs, which will have to be good enough. Isn’t the combination of the grated ginger and orange peel tempting you beyond belief? And a huge bonus: make them in your slow cooker. Oh yeah….

Christmas 2009 will go down in memory as the year of the pork roast. It seems nearly every recipe that came across my screen was for pork roast, and yes, we cooked a delicious plum-glazed pork loin with figs instead of plums — we just couldn’t resist. And this recipe for pork roast with winter fruits and port sauce still remains open in my browser. Apricots, prunes, apples; port, shallots, butter … I’ll be making this before winter’s end.

I’ve never met a fennel bulb I didn’t like, and even though I’ve not been craving fish much lately, this recipe for salmon salad with fennel, orange and mint definitely looks tempting.

Really, I don’t know why I’ve never thought of pumpkin chocolate cake, since I stick chocolate chips into everything pumpkin that I bake. We’re entertaining this weekend, and I may just replace the harvest pear crisp with candied ginger that I had planned for dessert with this, depending on the level of my chocoholism cravings that day.

What’s got you hungry this week?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

I’ve got to just say it and not be ashamed: I’m not sick of heavy, rich foods yet. Serve me up a hearty lamb stew, slather some rich sauce all over my bloody rare red meat, and I’ll take a side of creamy, garlic-smashed potatoes to go with that. I’m still game, even though I ate myself silly during the holidays.

The difference is that I just don’t want the portions I devoured last week. Instead, give me some very modest portions of the rib-sticking foods and fill the rest of my plate with some greens, please. A cold, fresh salad is just the thing to balance out the warming winter foods.

For our Christmas celebration with some friends last week, they brought this amazing fennel, arugula and green apple salad. I’d pretty much eat anything if there was arugula in it, but thankfully this salad was out of this world. Even the kid crowd liked the citrus-y dressing and the shredded fennel and apple.

The apple and citrus got me thinking about this beet, orange and apple salad, a combination that might be just as good as chocolate and, well, anything. The only greens here are beet greens, but don’t let that stop you. Beet greens are one of my favorite greens and a perfect compliment for this salad.

Bob, this one’s for you: crisp escarole salad with garlicky anchovy dressing. Kona, stay far away, because there are a lot of anchovies in this dressing, which should actually make it perfectly tasty if you’re not a vegetarian.

I have to include my favorite gourmet mesclun salad here, because it is still truly my very favorite salad. We could have it every night and not tire of it. Lately, we’ve been using toasted pine nuts instead of the usual slivered almonds and it’s infinitely better. So sorry, Almond, but a fact’s a fact. We’ve also been tossing in some grape tomatoes and snap peas. It’s a winner.

What’s your favorite salad to balance out the rich winter foods all over your plate?

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How will you be ringing in the New Year? If you’re at home with a young one, like Keith and I, you’ll probably be hoping for an early kid bedtime so you can enjoy your rack of lamb in peace, but you definitely won’t be partying. That doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying appetizers that practically scream, “Best. Party. Ever.”

Even if you’re not saddled with child, these appetizers will appeal and make your party (or your bring-along) a huge gastronomical hit.

I’ve recently made four dips that are perfect for partying: tahini miso dip goes well with snap peas or sesame crackers, and white bean dip with sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic is magical with crostini laced with pecorino romano and extra virgin olive oil. Alton Brown’s olive tapenade and this sun-dried tomato tapenade are spectacular with just about anything edible.

My cousin’s wife makes a warm goat cheese in tomato sauce dip that is easy and crowd-pleasing. To this basic recipe, I’d add a bunch of fresh basil, chiffonade style and probably even some Kalamata olives.

Some of Bob’s favorite Food Network recipes are appetizers, like Bobby Flay’s flatbread with white bean hummus and Alton Brown’s spinach artichoke dip. One spinach artichoke dip you don’t want to make is Food Network’s lightened up version; a great idea but a flavor failure.

Now I’m thinking of my perfect hummus recipe, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika. It’s perfect for serving just like that, with pita triangles, or using on bruschetta with sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives, and maybe a fresh basil leaf, for a one-bite appetizer.

Speaking of one-bite or individual serving sized appetizers, I like these mini-quiches in prosciutto cups. This recipe is so ridiculously easy and so deliciously gourmet that it’s hard not to want to make them every night of the week.

If that’s too complicated for you, try wrapping dates or figs or asparagus in prosciutto with a little blue cheese sprinkled in. Bake until melty goodness is achieved and you’ve got yourself an appetizer.

You can even get fancy with some store-bought pesto, or your own homemade pesto. Spread eggplant rounds with pesto and top with a sun-dried tomato and slice of fresh mozzarella. Bake as above … you know, until melty goodness is achieved. Try the same on sliced baguette with roasted red peppers and goat cheese, or any combination that pleases you.

Don’t rule out the world’s easiest sushi rolls; I don’t know many people who wouldn’t pop those delightful little seaweed-wrapped nuggets like candy. We like avocado with just about anything stuffed inside, and you might be better off using cooked ingredients when serving a crowd. We can’t all claim to have friends with good taste.

Here’s an easy one that our guests brought to our house the other night: simple fried polenta sticks dipped in marinara sauce, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. Fun and appealing to just about everyone. Come to think of it, the fried polenta would be amazing with the sun-dried tomato tapenade I mentioned above.

What are your favorite appetizer ideas? Have you tried any of the above?

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When winter weather sets in, my soup recipes come out. I think my first soup of the season was my lentil and vegetable soup … so easy and so flavorful. Before the spring thaw, some of my old favorites will surely make an appearance as well: acorn squash soup, carrot ginger soup and Thai coconut soup.

One of these days, I’ll get around to posting those recipes, but for now, I’ll share some of the delightful soups I’ve been discovering on the internet. Who doesn’t love a new soup recipe? Oh, and accompaniments that’ll make your soup shine….

I love a rich, brothy soup that makes me feel all warm inside. Wild mushrooms are just a happy bonus, and this recipe for porcini mushroom soup seems pretty easy to make, yet impressive.

This recipe for cauliflower soup intrigues me, because it is probably the simplest recipe I’ve ever seen. I haven’t yet decided if that’s good or bad, but I’m leaning toward good. Every flavor in this soup is wonderful — cauliflower, potatoes, stock and herbs de Provence. I’m even thinking that if you roasted the potato and cauliflower you could get a different flavor nuance to this simple soup. I’m trying it, and soon.

Chicken mulligatawny is an Indian-style soup that reminds me a bit of the Thai soup I love so much, with the curry and coconut. This one’s got chicken, Granny Smith apples and toasted almonds as a garnish … not sure you can go wrong here.

Speaking of soup, nothing goes quite so well with a hearty bowl of soup than some homemade flatbread. I’m rather fond of making an onion and olive focaccia, but I’m definitely trying this seeded flatbread recipe the next time, bursting with poppy, sunflower, pumpkin and mustard seeds.

Or maybe these sweet potato spelt biscuits will grace my table. It’s not often I find a recipe already designed for spelt flour, so I’m game to try a recipe without altering it, something that almost never happens.

Do you have a favorite soup recipe to share?

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It’s that time of year. You know the one — when weird people like me go in search of sprouted spelt flour, agave syrup, palm sugar and other healthy and low-gluten substitutes so that even my food sensitive kid can indulge in a few holiday goodies. Yes, even I am involved in a holiday cookie swap, with my wonderful girlfriends who bake with all of the weird stuff too, just so Owen can eat cookies. Mark that on your list of “things a good friend does for you.” I know I have!

I’ve been scouring the internet for cookie recipes and I know in the next few weeks I’ll be making several of them, but for my cookie swap recipe, I’ve decided on these cran-crackle bars. Of course I’ll use agave and brown rice syrup instead of the corn syrup, spelt pretzels for the pretzel twists, palm sugar instead of brown sugar and the healthiest white chocolate I can find. Yes, they’ll still taste good! Now stop berating me and take a look at these other cookie recipes I found.

Black forest cookies – Martha Stewart, I want to hate you for all that you stand for — how inadequate you make the average woman feel, your focus on the material things in life… but then you go and create another fabulous cookie recipe that makes me want to wash your feet with my hair or something slightly less weird but equally stalker-ish.

Heidi Swanson never lets me down, and I don’t even want to hate her, but I’m just not picturing the taste and texture of shortbread melding with shredded carrots and apples to make apple and carrot shortbread. What do you think — would that work?

It’s OK, because she’s definitely redeemed herself with these sparkling ginger chip cookies…. You know that I think chocolate pretty much goes with everything, but combined with something as luscious as ginger cookies? Heidi, you’re my hero once more.

Did you drool a little when you saw that picture of the peanut butter cookies at the top of the post? Yeah, I did too. Imagine how happy I was to find the recipe right under the picture on Flickr? And, they’re made with agave syrup too — thanks norwichnuts!

Tart cherry cheddar squares … what do you think? I’m thinking yum, because the combination of fruit and cheese is historically amazing almost any way you slice it. I’m thinking less sugar, all-fruit preserves, sprouted spelt flour and organic butter and cheese and I’ve actually got a healthy-recipe-in-disguise.

There’s no question in my mind that I’ll be making these cardamom snaps this season. I love ginger snaps and I love cardamom, so this one’s a no-brainer.

White chocolate candy cane drops are not your average cookie with chips and candy cane chunks added in for good measure. No, these cookies have white chocolate melted right into the batter … how rich and luscious can you get?

I hope you noticed how hard I tried to not share a bunch of chocolate cookie recipes with you. I rose above my cravings and tried to present a well-rounded group of cookies that even appealed to the chocolate lover without a particular sweet tooth. What cookies will you be making this holiday season?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

After the last few themes, where I was purposefully searching for recipes like quesadillas and crock pot meals, it’s a welcome return — for me anyway! — to the mishmash that constitutes the recipes that float into my in-box each week. For just a little while, I can cook whatever I feel like cooking and not worry about entertaining, bringing things to other people’s houses and the pressure of aiming to please. If I want to make pancakes for dinner, then I can, gosh darn it! But why would I, when I can cook things like this….

Sauteed green beans and brussels sprouts with chile and mint sounds like the perfect veggie side dish to me. I love green veggies, and the hot and cool accompaniments may just be too good to be true … or at least to be imagined, until we taste it!

Penne with grilled eggplant and radicchio sauce actually came across my path late this summer, when we had radicchio coming out of the woodwork, from our CSA farm. I never got the chance to make it, but it is on my list. Eggplant has that sweet-yet-slightly-bitter thing going for it that would be a perfect complement to the bitterness of radicchio and the salty tartness of goat cheese. Sign me up!

There’s almost nothing yummier than a crisp, whether it be apple, cherry, peach, pear or any other fruit imaginable. OK, one thing: a harvest pear crisp with crystallized ginger. C’mon, can’t you taste those sweet, syrupy and juicy pears with the oats and almonds? Now imagine getting a bite with some candied ginger in it … oh yeah. Now, some pumpkin coconut ice cream and you’ve got a killer dessert.

Anything that’s got you wanting to cook, even after the holiday madness?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

You cannot imagine my excitement a week or two ago when I wandered over to the bread section of Trader Joe’s, to grab our usual Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread. One rack over, calling out to me with its crusty brown goodness and gluten-free-ness were brown rice tortillas.

I know, it really seems like a small thing, doesn’t it? Honestly, the corn tortillas are fine, but they fall apart when we try to substitute them in recipes that call for flour tortillas, and we have the same problem with the sprouted grain tortillas, which we so wanted to embrace because they are ridiculously healthy.

Who would have known that if you just add a little xanthan gum to brown rice flour that they’d be nearly as flexible as wheat flour tortillas? Again, very exciting for us. Hence the crazy quesadilla-fest that ensued… here are my favorite recipes I collected while searching for the ultimate quesadilla, but you’ll have to read through to find the two we ended up cooking.

I’ll tell you straight out that Keith would never try a bite of these, because they are brimming with olives. Owen and I on the other hand, would gobble them with wild abandon. Elise puts mushrooms, green onions, black olives, tomato, chicken and avocado into her quesadillas, and a brilliant combination it is.

This mushroom sweet potato quesadilla sounded a bit spicy for Owen, with its chipotle paste, so I was thinking of substituting some fire-roasted chiles.

I like the combination of eggplant, chicken, red onion and fresh cilantro in these grilled chicken quesadillas. The eggplant is unexpected in a traditionally Mexican dish, but so perfect. I can even imagine some hummus smeared into these tasting just divine.

So what did we end up making? Quesadillas born of our own evil minds….

The Italian quesadilla with pesto, sausage and caramelized onions was hands-down our favorite and it’s going to be hard to ever make a Mexican-themed quesadilla again. Don’t forget the drizzle of aged balsamic … perfection.

We also made a quesadilla stuffed with chunks of chicken, fresh cilantro, roasted red pepper, fire-roasted chiles, chopped scallions and avocado. Don’t forget to serve this one with salsa and sour cream. We did forget and we missed it.

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

If your week last week was anything like mine, you haven’t even begun to think about what green veggie you’ll be bringing to Thanksgiving dinner (my assigned bring-age). In fact, if I’m wearing anything but jeans and my signature double-layered tee look, it will be an ever-loving miracle.

But somehow, priorities be damned, these breads crossed my path. Too bad I’m not bringing the bread….

I’m sure that these cheddar corn muffins with jalepeno butter would go perfectly with my turkey and veggies. The first families and their Native American pals embraced the corn, right?

Heidi Swanson’s orange and oat scones sound like a welcome divergence to some of the quick breads. A heartier, dryer texture would be wonderful with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, don’t you think?

Pumpkin maple biscuits ought to be somebody’s state baked good, or something — do they even do that? I’m off to petition Massachuestts, because really, who needs the fig newton anyway?

Kona and I will tell you, there’s almost nothing better than pumpkin and chocolate chips … cookies, bread, anything! This recipe for chocolate nut pumpkin bread takes it a step further, using cocoa powder in the recipe instead of just chocolate chips. I could definitely get into that, but again, like Kona, hold the nuts in the baked goods.

Does your Thanksgiving table have a spot for squash rolls? Winter squash yeast rolls … I wonder if I could make these in my bread machine?

Do you have a favorite bread recipe to share, one that always gets raves from your Thanksgiving guests?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

I’ve got to admit, that even though I don’t eat wheat or white carbs, I always have a bite or two of stuffing on Thanksgiving. It’s partly because my dad makes the most wonderful stuffing imaginable, and partly because stuffing says “tradition” like no other side dish.

Imagine, for a moment, a Thanksgiving without a traditional stuffing. C’mon, try it — you’ll be all right. It’s fun to shake things up a bit and have something unexpected to put on your plate, isn’t it? If you’re a little too steeped in tradition and want to branch out a bit this year, here are some alternatives to a traditional stuffing that you and your guests are sure to enjoy. You might just create a new heirloom recipe for your family.

Butternut squash and cheddar bread pudding — This could very well be a near-perfect dish to go with turkey. There’s bread, but lots of cheese, cream, kale, and butternut squash will disguise it from anything resembling stuffing. And you’ve got your green veggie and orange veggie baked right in.

How about an autumn potato salad? Heidi Swanson breathes new life into a roasted potato salad with a mustard vinaigrette, roasted carrots, shallots, parsnips and scallions. Wouldn’t that be lovely with turkey — and a dish without all the bread is a welcome change.

Kona’s butternut squash risotto sounds like the perfect way to ditch the stuffing and enjoy something new to complement turkey (or Tofurky?). It’s seasonal, slightly sweet and rich … a Thanksgiving tradition in the making!

This barley bake is very simple, but with mushrooms, fresh parsley and onions all cooked in broth, it will compliment your turkey perfectly. And you can easily add your favorite ingredients to jazz it up a bit and wow your guests. Oh, and there’s pine nuts … score.

OK, technically this recipe for rice stuffing with apples, herbs and bacon is a stuffing, but non-traditional in that it’s rice. Who makes rice stuffing? Well, you could. I’m just saying. It’s got bacon.

How about you? Any non-traditional alternatives to stuffing to share with us?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about healthy crock pot recipes (five to be exact) and I’m sure it won’t be the last. More and more, I’m finding — thankfully! — crock pot recipes made with whole foods, not cream-of-yuck-with-a-side-of-sodium condensed soups as one of the main ingredients.

A cause for celebration? You bet, because the slow cooker is the life preserver of any busy mom or work-a-holic or just about anyone who wants a healthy, homecooked meal waiting for them when dinnertime rolls around. Let’s just say it: the crock pot saves lives.

Eggplant and chick peas is one of those Perfect Pairs … and someday I’ll write a post about it. Really. But for now, just enjoy this vegetarian ratatouille with chick peas. There’s almost nothing I like better in my crock pot than a chick pea stew. They soak in the flavors and they’re so hearty.

Speaking of eggplant, if you missed my recipe test drive of eggplant moussaka in the crock pot the first time around, give it a look. We adored this recipe and it was so, so easy.

Savory bean and spinach soup sounds so hearty and nutritious. And when it comes out of your crock pot and it’s ready to serve, you sprinkle cheese on it. It’s all good when covered in cheese.

Now this recipe is unlike any I’ve done before, but how could butternut squash and tomatoes, joined by leeks, white beans, bacon and cheese not be scrumptious?

Crock pot chicken and apples, with its orange and marjoram flavors sounds delicious, but I’ve never liked boneless, skinless chicken breasts done in the crock pot. They end up with a uniquely disgusting texture unlike anything edible. I may exaggerate a little, but I would recommend using boneless, skinless thighs at the very least, and probably a bone-in chicken part would be even better, like drumsticks.

Ah, so here’s a recipe that does it right. This crock pot chicken cacciatore calls for bone-in chicken thighs which will be truly succulent when slow-cooked, red wine and lots of Italian seasoning.

Here’s another rich chicken stew that uses chicken thighs. There’s just a bit of whipping cream in this recipe, but I’d replace it with plain yogurt or sour cream because they are cultured products and easier to digest. The sourness would also add to this dish, which is already flavorful with lots of lemon and fresh parsley.

Some meats that do well in a crock pot are slow-cooked beef and pork, and this coffee-braised pot roast with caramelized onions sounds heavenly.

I’ve been planning on making pulled pork in the crock pot for Owen’s birthday party for a while now, but this recipe for BBQ beef may just win out. Do you suppose I could do both?

I love that this beef stew recipe includes green beans and pasta, and you can cook it all right in the crock pot. You don’t even have to dirty an extra dish to cook the pasta, and you all know how much I love to save a dish!

It took me a long time to find a good crock pot chili, so I developed the recipe myself! This one’s got three kinds of beans, ground meat (I like buffalo) and green pepper, an ingredient that adds so much to chili, I find.

What do you mean, that’s only eleven recipes? Don’t forget to click on the link to my earlier article, five healthy slow cooker meals — that makes sixteen!

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Entertaining midday is a luxury many working folk don’t get on a regular basis, unless you throw a weekend luncheon. But I’m telling you, this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy good food and a small group of cherished friends or family. From the show-off-the-new-house-to-the-aunties luncheon, to the I-don’t see-my-girlfriends-enough-anymore luncheon, there is always an occasion to have someone — anyone! — over to enjoy some savory lunch fare. I admit, I got out of the habit when Owen came along, complete with midday naps that squashed the happy luncheon party.

My love for the luncheon has ironically come back in recent months, and I have to give all of the credit to Owen. Our local moms’ group has gotten into the habit of throwing a monthly pot luck lunch, and damn, we are having fun! The kids are old enough that they play well together and we can chat and visit and enjoy the recipes that turn up every month. And dare I say you might, on occasion, find some wine at our buffet?

If you love lunch as much as I do, I hope you’ll enjoy this luncheon menu I put together from some favorite recipes that crossed my path recently.

I love that Richard Olney’s garlic soup is a thick and creamy one without any cream. Instead, this recipe uses eggs to thicken and bind, and who doesn’t love the taste and health benefits of an egg? I thought of Kona and her obsessive love for garlic with this soup… here’s betting she’ll either try this recipe or devise something similar just to partake in the yummy goodness of garlic after reading this post.

This isn’t just your average mushroom quiche: this mushroom and fontina quiche is chock-full of five cups — five cups! — of assorted wild and gourmet mushrooms. If you loathe the culinary fungus, then run the other way, but if you adore the earthiness of mushrooms and think they’d be great smothered in cheese and eggs, then join me in worshiping at the alter of Epicurious.

For dessert, how about a rustic tart? This crispy braeburn apple and almond sheet tart caught my eye because it’s light on wheat (just a few sheet of phyllo) and includes delicious almond meal instead. Which, incidentally, is made into almond cream. Yeah, yum.

Really, can you think of anything more delicious than soup, quiche and a seasonal dessert? OK, something with chocolate… maybe in the next menu!

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

Are any of you familiar with Cathe Olson? I discovered her long ago, when the nearly-five-year-old was just a wee one, first starting on solid foods. She’s got a wonderful cookbook out called Simply Natural Baby Food, which really takes you into preschool and beyond with creative, healthy recipes for feeding your family. She was deceptively delicious long before Jessica Seinfeld burst onto the scene… four years before, in fact.

Recently, a number of her recipes have crossed my path and I thought dedicating a whole column to her recipes would be worth it, especially if you’ve never had the pleasure.

Honestly, I didn’t imagine in my wildest dreams that a recipe for vegetarian Shepherd’s pie would ever catch my eye. And then I saw Cathe Olson’s: lentils, winter greens, miso… that’s gotta make the taste buds sing sweet, sweet songs.

I adore broccoli, any way you cook it or not cook it. Broccoli can do no wrong. So when Cathe Olson made my favorite cruciferous vegetable into a vegan soup, I was enamored. The only problem? Cashew creme, which is delicious but a huge no-no in this house. Probably Owen is so allergic to it because it was my creamy soup go-to while I was pregnant, so I’d use a combination of almond milk and plain yogurt to get the creamy texture this broccoli soup recipe calls for.

Millet used to be a favorite of ours, but we really don’t eat grains that much anymore. I may just revisit millet to make this healthy millet granola recipe. No sugar, only agave or maple syrup, and tahini, sesame seeds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. Talk about your healthy fats and nutty flavor.

Yummy… honey-curry dressing! I can just taste this slathered on a salad brimming with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Finally, Asian noodle salad with toasted sesame is a flavorful, versatile dish with some surprises… not your average Asian ingredients.

Which Cathe Olson recipe will you be trying first?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

Somehow, more one-dish meals have crossed my path again this week. What is it about autumn that brings the busy and the cravings for the stews? I guess between school starting and the weather getting cooler, we just can’t win. Gone are the days of grilling in shorts. Instead, I’m glad to have my half-zip fleece pullovers and a hard-working oven to warm my kitchen.

Something about Shepherd’s pie just says comfort to me, but I’ve got to admit that sometimes the lack of creativity turns me off of making it. This recipe for curried sweet potato Shepherd’s pie sounds like it will satisfy my need for comfort food as well as innovative flavors, with the curry powder and the switch-up of potatoes.

I adore lamb. It is such a rich and flavorful meat, and it’s fun that it can go so many ways. It’s great cooked in a French country style with lots of rosemary, or how about in this Moroccan lamb and chick pea stew? Coriander, cinnamon, cumin and paprika spice this one … sounds good to me.

I found another recipe for baked ziti, a dish that has somehow evaded me through the years. This recipe for sausage and pepper baked ziti is full of veggies and would be perfect served with a gourmet mesclun salad.

Spicy curried lentil stew with cashew nuts has almost every aromatic spice in it that you can think of, so you know it’ll be tasty. I just need to find the perfect nut to substitute for the cashews, so we don’t end the meal with Owen’s anaphylactic shock. It’s all fun and games until the EpiPen comes out….

Any recipes that caught your eye this week?

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All appetizers, all the time… that’s what’s cooking this week. Last weekend my siblings and I threw a surprise retirement party for my Dad and I was in charge of appetizers. I wanted to do something fun and different so a-hunting I went for fresh and new recipes.

I didn’t make all of these, but I’ll be sure and report which I did make and how they fared with the crowd.

Chickpea pizza is an appetizer recipe I couldn’t help but file away for another day. This one’s gluten-free and sounds just perfect for my wheat-sensitive kid, with lots of fun flavors to please even people who can eat everything.

Sugar pumpkin, feta and cilantro quesadillas didn’t make the cut for the retirement party, but only because my dad is infinitely weird about cilantro. Since I was catering to him that day, it just wouldn’t have been right to make an appetizer that I lusted after.

Cherry tomatoes stuffed with marinated feta seemed so simple to make, but don’t discount the giant pain in the tutu it is to scoop the flesh out of a cherry tomato. Other than that, it was easy and worth it. I liked having a cold appetizer that was pop-able.

Oh yes, I made the prosciutto filled with happiness, and happiness they brought to everyone who sampled them. You can’t go wrong stuffing that salty meat with toasted pine nuts, currants, gorgonzola crumbles and arugula, probably my favorite green in the universe.

I also made eggplant rolls, stuffed with pesto and mozzarella cheese. They were delicious, but I didn’t get the recipe online, so I’ll share it with you in another post at some point.

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

Remember when I posted all of those freeze ahead meals? I’m still on my one dish kick. I guess I’m not so much scouring the internet for one dish meals, but when they cross my path I can’t help but perk up and take notice.

Well, I certainly noticed these casserole and soup recipes this week. The other theme, besides being cooked in one dish? Flavor, and lots of it.

I was getting crazily addicted to one-dish recipes when I was researching my freezer meals, so of course a tamale pie recipe was going to catch my eye. Flavorful beans with chili powder and cumin are enveloped in a “crust” of cornmeal. I’m on it.

Black bean sweet potato chili with avocados sounds so delicious to me. Rich with spices like cumin and chili powder, enhanced with miso and cilantro, this one will be warming my bones this winter.

It’s that Heidi Swanson again, tempting my taste buds with her version of green soup with ginger. I absolutely adore leafy greens (except collard greens, which skeeve me out) and this soup looks so satisfying.

I can’t think of a recipe that would turn the four-year-old off more than very spicy pumpkin butternut coconut curry soup; that’s not quite true. He hates squash and spicy, but loves coconut, so a mild version of this might pass muster.

Anything notable make you perk up this week?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

Recipes associated with different countries found their way to me this week, which is always fun. I love just about any food with an ethnic flair, and it almost doesn’t matter what country. Although the meat and potatoes that the Irish tend to embrace is not creative enough for my liking, even with our McCommonality.

You see this recipe for beef brisket braised in porter? This is what we’re making for our Oktoberfest this year. I’m nearly giddy with the prospect of serving German food that isn’t pork. This recipe is from the October Bon Appetit, and they actually have an entire Ocktoberfest menu idea.

I’ve proven in the past that I’m completely addicted to bean salads, so it’s probably no surprise to you that this recipe for Turkish bean salad caught my eye. It’s very simple with really no unique anything going for it, but I like the fact that it’s made with kidney beans; not many bean salads are.

Now, we don’t eat a lot of grains here and I’ve got many beloved recipes for chili, so I’m not sure if I’ll ever actually try this recipe for millet chili. It was interesting to me, though, and knowing the texture of millet, I can see it working. I think I’d rather just have meat and beans in my chili — why add extra carbs?

As bad as it is to take a vegetable and cook it in heavy cream, I’ve always loved creamed corn. I especially like this update using a Mexican cheese and fresh cilantro.

Can I try these swiss chard ricotta gnudi with fall mushrooms with spelt flour? I bet I can. It’s a lot of cheese, but it might just be worth suffering through the post nasal drip just once.

What recipes did you drool over this week?

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Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

I’m just not sure what theme I ended up with this week, though perhaps “yummy recipes” is good enough. They are mostly side dishes — rice and veggies — with the exception of a succotash recipe that even a four-year-old could love.

In the interest of always trying to sneak in more veggies in a fun food, these zucchini bites caught my eye. They are basically very eggy cheese biscuits, almost like a quiche with the crust mixed in. I know my kiddo will love these, and they look easy enough to make.

Yeah… cheese. These mini provolone popovers remind me of the savory spinach and feta muffins I made a while back. I love the idea of making them in mini muffin pans, and I just happen to have some new ones, so I’ll be trying these very soon.

What do you think of a pineapple rice recipe? First off, it makes me think of Psych, but then I wonder. Heidi Swanson rarely, if ever, hits a stinker, so it probably is divine. I think I’d serve it with some Asian grilled salmon.

Edamame succotash with shrimp is so easy to prepare and my kid loves edamame, corn and shrimp… this just might be his dream dish if it were a finger food.

Green beans with poppy seed dressing add just the right amount of oomph to a side dish. We love green beans with mustard, and this recipe adds the nuttiness of the toasted poppy seeds. Sounds like a winner to me.

The local Asian buffet has the yummiest mussels in black bean sauce, which I’d never attempt to make at home, but broccoli in black bean and garlic sauce? That sounds easy enough.

What recipes did you take notice of this week?

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