Continue reading »]]> Valentine’s Day weekend was full of entertaining and F-O-O-D. As you may recall, one of my goals this year was to cook at least one new recipe a week to expand my culinary repertoire beyond boxed dinners and Bice Nachos (chips, cheese, bell peppers). I have enjoyed some fabulous recipes and even made Baba Ghanoush (although, I think I like saying it more than eating it).

I recently tried two new recipes. The first – King Cake. I attended a Mardi Gras Ball (yes, it is sanctioned as an official “Ball” even though it is not in New Orleans), in which each attendee brought a dish to share with the table. I decided no Mardi Gras Ball would be complete without a King Cake, so I found a couple of recipes and merged them together to make a fabulous (and rather large) cake. It was scrumptious. Cream filled, with a hint of lemon in the icing, and decorated perfectly in the customary Green, Gold and Purple colors. (This is the part where I want to kick myself. I forgot to take a picture of it!)

Next up on the menu was garlic mashed potatoes. I have never made this wonderful side dish (I usually serve plain mashed potatoes loaded with butter and milk – YUM). Since Sunday was V-Day, I decided to invite some good friends over for a low-key meal including steaks, chicken, and the works. I poured olive oil on two heads of garlic, sprinkled salt and pepper on both and roasted them in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The results were amazing. (And thanks CC for doing the mashing!) If you haven’t tried this little number before, I suggest doing it TONIGHT. You won’t be disappointed!