Driving back the winter chill--one meal at a time!

I had some friends over for dinner the other night, and tried some new recipes, which turned out fantastic, and I thought I would share.

I bought the cookbook "Homemade Winter" after seeing the review on this website, and specifically because I wanted to make this:

I know that some of you are thinking. "Hey, that doesn't look vegaquarian to me!"  You would be right.  I have not yet learned how to make it through a dark cold winter without a certain number of essential comfort foods, and beef stew is one of the essentials.  I am, however, doing my best to otherwise maintain my aforementioned diet, and still only eat meat rarely.

So the above picture is of two recipes from the book:  The French beef stew, and the garlic mashed potatoes.  (Both recipes are on the website linked above).  These were both excellent, and I served them just as pictured above with the stew on top of the potatoes.

On the side, I served up these little yummies:

I bought the Brussels sprouts fresh (on the stalk) and then used the recipe I found here to make this dish.  Honestly, I think that even if you think that you don't like brussels sprouts, you might change your mind when you try this.  It was excellent, and paired well with the stew and potatoes.

I also served a salad, pickled beets, olives, and dinner rolls.  The dinner was a huge success.  If you're planning a little party for the holidays, and aren't sure what to make, give this a try.  You won't be sorry!
Cheers!