Be My Valentine Cookies

My valentine really like oatmeal cookies, especially the kind with cranberries, so I generally bake those in the shape of hearts for him. A bit cheesy, I know, but oh-so-much-fun to make. I recently found the perfect recipe on allrecipes.com. I added dark chocolate chips, a pinch of nutmeg and freshly ground whole cloves and cinnamon so the flavor of the spices is even more intense. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the T (including recommendations to use all butter). Yum...

Haddock Bubbly Bake

Experimenting with new recipes is one of the first signs that my life is returning to its normal rhythm. I bought a pound of haddock rather impulsively this past week and although I've never cooked this type of fish before, I always imagined it would go well with something creamy. Since I have no idea how to go about making creamy fish short of fish chowder, I paid allrecipes.com a visit and found a menu on haddock bubbly bake that was rather popular but simple and straightforward to make. I am proud to say that my dish was a hit. I did make a few adjustments though, such as marinating the fish in a bit of salt and white wine, sauteing the onions and mushroom before layering them on the fish, and using a four cheese mix instead of just cheddar. I also paired the fish, contrary to the site's recommendations, with a bit of Spanish rice and spinach because I imagined the tomatoes in the rice would nicely complement the creamy fish. If I were to make it again, though, I might try asparagus instead of spinach as a veggie side. Something crunchier may make the meal's textures even more interesting.