Get the latest recipes from Aimee http://www.grouprecipes.com/people/aimee We had some extra ground beef in the fridge, and I was trying to think of something good to do for dinner. My husband liked it so much, he told me to post it. =) http://www.grouprecipes.com/46974/inverted-shepherds-pie.html After years and years of experimentation, I perfected my iced blended recipe. These are way better than Starbucks, and when they melt (if they last that long) they won't get watery, they'll just be cold coffee, so there's no flavor degradation. You can use really any flavor syrup or anything you want to put in there... I've made these with caramel before too, and assorted hot chocolate mixes, but I usually do chocolate or vanilla syrup. Also, you can do the prep way far ahead, so if you have the ice cubes made, you can just throw 'em in and whip it up super fast. http://www.grouprecipes.com/45151/best-iced-blended-coffee.html This is my grandma's famous apple pie, for which I won "best of potluck" one time, so our family now adds the "award-winning." My grandma used to make the best pie for decades, then my mom took over, and now the pie recipe and responsibility are mine. I've made a couple slight changes for a better pie. http://www.grouprecipes.com/43100/grandmas-award-winning-apple-pie.html This is not my recipe, but one from a good chef friend, Lori, who helped me when I needed a side for my main course in my 7-course dinner. This was so amazing... even the pickiest eater there (who won't eat anything from cheesecake to lamb) liked this so much, he changed his mind about beets. And my husband who adores beets says this was the best he's had. Not only that, but it's also easy. http://www.grouprecipes.com/9185/balsamic-roasted-beetroot-with-garlic-and-thyme.html These are my infamous Raspberry Martinis. They're so good, even the guys don't mind that they're fruity, and they're so subtle, you can get drunk off them without tasting the alcohol. The best way to make these is with sparkling white cranberry juice, but I haven't seen it around for a long time. I think Ocean Spray put it out for New Year's one year, and I haven't seen it since. http://www.grouprecipes.com/9158/raspberry-martinis.html I play with creme brulee all the time, this was kind of inspired by Inn of the Seventh Ray's Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream. You absolutely *have* to try it if you go there. Anyway, thought the lavender and vanilla were a good combination, and thought honey might be a good combination. Really good served with fresh assorted citrus, oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, etc... http://www.grouprecipes.com/9141/lavender-honey-vanilla-creme-brulee.html What good is a 7-course dinner focusing around cherries without a cherry sauce in the main course? I'd originally wanted to make lamb, but with 8 guests, and lots of dislikes among them, the only option was goose. I roasted it as normal, with onions, celery, apples, and oranges in the cavity. I think the sauce would go excellently with duck as well. Also, I use frozen cherries in cooked things... no pitting, and it doesn't make that big of a difference if you have to cook them anyway. http://www.grouprecipes.com/8790/cherry-sauce.html This was kind of an experiment, but it turned out so wonderfully, I have to make it again. The texture was so smooth and rich, and the flavors were so intense... it was hard just to stop after the little bit I served as a palate cleanser between courses for my cherry dinner. Luckily, I saved just a little extra for later. http://www.grouprecipes.com/8787/cherry-orange-sorbet.html Most of the recipes I found were going to be a little less flavorful than I wanted them to be... I wanted to sautee the asparagus as opposed to just boiling it, or sticking it raw in the soup (eww), so I made up my own recipe for it. Served this at my dinner party in March along with my crabcakes. It paired really nicely together. Also, I'm not a fan of quick foods, I like to let my soups simmer till the flavors have fully combined, let them rest to bloom the flavors, and reheat before serving. Your patience is rewarded. http://www.grouprecipes.com/8782/cream-of-asparagus-soup.html I don't like crab. I had one crabcake in a nice restaurant I didn't mind once. When I was wanting to try something new, I thought I'd try my hand at crabcakes... I figured if anyone could make crabcakes I actually enjoyed, it would be me. I paired them with a cream of asparagus soup, and the slight lemon flavor and creaminess worked really well together. I wish I had some left over, as I wanted to try crabcakes benedict in the morning, but they all disappeared too fast. http://www.grouprecipes.com/8777/really-good-crabcakes.html