Whew.  The holidays are over. The relatives have gone home, the friends are on diets, and some of the culinary pressure is off.  This week, we’re taking one fond look back at the best of 2012, with a few recipes for when you’re scaling back, cutting down, and easing off.  But don’t worry, it’s only temporary

The Perfect Pantry

The Perfect Pantry has a bang-up Round-Up of her best recipes from last year.  They’re not complicated or arcane, but they’re varied and interesting.  We’re trying Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Turkey first.

Spoon Fork Bacon

Now, on to what could be breakfast, could be dessert, or could be a snack, from Spoon Fork Bacon.  It’s a Persimmon Cranberry Baked Oatmeal, and it’s genuinely nutritious and just sweet enough.

Cook Republic

A great recipe is a wonderful thing, but a recipe that explains itself – and teaches you something – is even better.  Make Cook Republic’s recipe for Moroccan Spice Chickpea and Spinach, and you walk away with an idea of what makes something Moroccan, as well as a spice mix you can use another day.

TasteFood

When we think “stew” we think “beef.”  It’s not our fault, honest – it’s what we grew up with. So we love this lightened-up Shellfish Stew with Red Wine and Fennel from TasteFood.  We’re not giving up on beef, but we definitely want to mix it up.

The Novice Chef

We suspect that The Novice Chef ain’t such a novice.  And she definitely has nerve – because that’s what it takes to use instant potato flakes in gnocchi.

To our mind, it’s a perfect use for a convenient, inexpensive pantry staple: Gnocchi in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce

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