Braised Lamb with Bitter Chocolate, Rosemary, and Syrah

Sometimes, despite all the planning, the wearing-thin of cookbook pages, the carpal-tunnel-clicking through epicurious, I'll find out the hard way that it's what I didn't plan for that determines whether my food ultimately succeeds, or merely sucks. Typically, I'm undone by good, old fashioned pilot error; typically, but not always, because sometimes it's the black swan crapping on my mise, and it's just such an exception to the rule that inspired this edition of Meat, Braise, Love: A slow braise of shoulder of local lamb with bitter chocolate, rosemary, and bad-ass Syrah.

Cookie Brownies | Holiday Cookies

It's a brownie. It's a cookie. It's a brownie cookie, the best of both worlds. What is especially great about these is how soft and chewy they are, as well as all the from-scratch taste.

Soda Cracker Toffee Bark | Holiday Cookies

Okay, suspend disbelief for a minute. This one sounds crazy, but like tomato soup cake, ends up remarkably well. The salty soda crackers give the toffee a solid base and add some savory to what could be mind-bendingly sweet.