On March 5, 2008, 5:12 pm peggy said St. Patrick's Day doesn't have to mean a cauldron of fatty meat bubbling away on the stove for hours, with over-cooked cabbage stinking up the house. You know--the kind of dinner that scares away children. (Americans dreamed up this combo, anyway. Both of my parents were born and raised in Ireland, where they had never even heard of serving corned beef with cabbage.) Here's a rather chic way to combine that Irish trifecta of cabbage, potatoes, and bacon into one mouth-watering dish. It's hearty enough for some as an entree, though I found a broiled fillet of wild salmon to be the perfect protein accompaniment. The jury is still out on whether I would again top the gratin with the farmer cheese suggested in the recipe--I'm thinking an Irish farmstead blue cheese might be a snappier way to go. Whatever you decide, skip a traditional dessert and enjoy another American invention instead: Irish coffee.

On March 4, 2008, 4:39 pm foodieprincess said When I saw this recipe on the cover of the March Food and Wine I knew I had to try it right away. Gnocchi is one of those great Italian ingredients that is severely underused. The recipe is a good one, the sauce is delicious and if you used store bought Frozen Gnocchi like I did you can skip steps 1-3 all together and still have a great meal. Don't forget to garnish with a little lemon zest if you use store bought gnocchi.

On February 8, 2008, 11:11 am peggy said This recipe will remind you how good flank steak can be--even when it's cooked right on top of the stove. I began the meal with a crisp green salad with garlicky croutons; then served the sliced meat and mushroom ragout over a soft mound of instant polenta (made in less than 10 minutes). With a nice glass of zinfandel, it made a surprisingly elegant weeknight dinner--and I never even turned on the oven! Finish off your wine with a good soft cheese and crisp Bosc pears for dessert.

On March 4, 2008, 4:37 pm foodieprincess said With all the controversy surrounding beef these days, I've been looking for alternatives for my meat and potatoes husband. I love Lamb chops and now that I've turned my husband on to them as well, I plan on experimenting a whole lot more with them. This recipe is a good one, full of great flavors. The only change I made to the recipe was substituting a little olive oil for the cooking spray which gave the chops even more great flavor.