February 13th Round-Up!

It's Friday the 13th today, but I feel lucky because it's also time for another Tyler Florence Fridays and we have a lot of yummy Tyler recipes to share.

First off, please give a warm welcome to TFF's newest member, Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina.

And lets get to those recipes!

Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, we will start this week with some desserts. First up, Karen from Something Sweet By Karen is showing her love through chocolate (my favorite way!) and with some gorgeous-looking Truffle Tarts with Raspberries. With Oreo chocolate crusts, bittersweet chocolate and a raspberry tucked away inside, these are the perfect little decadent treats.

Self-described "Brownie Slave", Gabi from The Feast Within chose Amaretto Chocolate Brownies recipe for a variation on her favorite treat thanks to her trust in his recipes. Tyler's recipe made a thicker brownie than Gabi is used to and we have to wait for the full report until after they cool, but the quick taste she took before work found them to be "full of chocolaty-Amaretto goodness".

Christy from Enjoying My Favorite Things must be on the same wavelength as Gabi, she went for his Amaretto Brownies too! Although a bigger fan of his Rocky Road Brownies, Christy liked this recipe and may have found a new favorite ingredient in the Amaretto (although she felt like the recipe could have used more of it). She felt they were a really good brownie too.

Cinnamon Bun Babka was this week's pick for Andrea from Nummy Kitchen and what a plump babka it was. Following the advice from comments on the Food Network site to double the filling made it tough to maneuver the bread but Andrea still loved the amazing flavor and soft texture of this bread and wants to try it again, Tyler's way, with a bit less filling.

Natashya of Living In the Kitchen With Puppies loves her beets and loves Tyler for helping her on her quest to work through a giant bag of them through his Beet Cakes with Sweet Greek Yogurt recipe. Moist, delicious and similar to a muffin or coffee cake, Natashya used her own homemade yogurt on top, drizzled them with honey and garnished them with a beet chip and declared this a make again recipe. Tyler would be proud!

Also in the mood for sweets was Pam from Sidewalk Shoes who chose Ginger Spice Cake for the most excellent reason that she had everything she needed to make it in her pantry (don't you love it when that happens?!). The ginger cake, and it aroma when baking were amazing, and the warm, sweet, tart, earthy cranberry sauce, put it over the top. Gorgeous!

Joanne from Eats Well With Others, who had a Tyler Florence Monday this week with Grilled Marinated Strip Steak which she served with some roasted red potatoes and peppers. A departure from her usual veggie fare, Joanne adapted Tyler's spicy, sweet savory rub and assuaged her red meat cravings with a delicious meal. (Since Joanne's camera was acting up, she thought you would like to see Tyler's version of the dish).

Jenny at All Things Edible went for Tyler's Lasagna Bolognese from his Dinner at My Place cookbook. Jenny chose to let lots of beautiful pictures of the lasagna going together do the talking for her but I think she really liked this one! Check out the photos on her post, it certainly looks delicious.

Megan from My Adventures in Baking was in an Italian frame of mind too and picked Tyler's Tagliatelle Bolognese this week. Megan was so busy baking this week, she enlisted her hubby to make the dish and it turned out great! A hearty, meaty, delicious recipe that made plenty to freeze for later meals and some for her daughter's gourmet lunch box too.

Our newest member, Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina is kicking off her first TFF entry with Tyler's Brick Chicken with Apricot Couscous. Finding the recipes online, she really liked the moist chicken's delicious flavor. The sauce, which wasn't too heavy and the couscous, (she substituted the dates she had on hand for the apricots) were great too. Dinner and her first entry were a big hit!

Donna from My Tasty Treasures has some BIG love for Tyler and now some big love for his Chicken Francese. It was the perfect lemony, tender and juicy chicken dish, served with some of Rachel Ray's Ratatouille Veggie Sauce for a true Food Network Dinner. You can read more about this dish and about Donna's Tyler fantasies on her post, but be warned...it's pretty steamy in her kitchen!

Not all of Tyler's Chicken dishes got a rave review this week, Kristen at locallcfoods,wasn't feeling the love with Tyler's Chicken Pot Pie. The roux might have needed a need a bit more thickening time as she ended up with a bit more "soup" than pot pie, resulting in some soggy bottom crust. Her kids enjoyed it but Kristen and her husband both found it a bit bland and wanted more flavor.

Kim from Stirring The Pot, continues working her way through Tyler's Cookbook this week with a variety of recipes: Bacon-Wrapped Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy, Crepes Suzette with Kumquat-Butter Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Zucchini Ricotta Bruschetta, Rosemary-Garlic Mozzarella Balls with Roasted Cherry Tomato Dipping Sauce and the new staple in her house Chicken Parmesan. You can check out all the details on the recipes and her reviews at her site.

Muneeba from An Edible Symphony made her husband very happy by making Tyler's Ultimate Chili Cheese Dogs so he could "chomp down on some man-food" while watching sports on the big screen. This spicy, hearty recipe made the best cheese dog either Muneeba or her husband had ever eaten, causing her to rate it as a solid "HOME RUN!"

Susy from Everyday Foods also was in the mood for chili, in this case, Tyler's Mexican Pork Chili. Susy liked the combo of the pork and spices and especially the fried tortilla strips and melted cheese. It was the perfect thing to have waiting for her husband's return from a trip; they both loved it!

Michelle from Big Black Dog was craving some mushroom soup so she selected Tyler's Wild Mushroom with Roasted Fennel and Chestnut Soup to make this week. She was happy to find a new favorite, the best mushroom soup (by far!) she has ever tasted. Michelle really loved the flavor the roasted fennel and thyme gave this rich and delicious soup.

I went the quick and easy route this week with my travels and chose Tyler's Cucumber Raita to go with some turkey-falafel patties I made. I liked Tyler's recipe, it was flavorful with a nice kick from the red chilie and the cumin flavor went well with the falafel spices. Quick, easy and healthy, a great sauce for meat or veggies and makes a good dip too.

That concludes this week's round up. As usual lots of great recipes to share! Thanks to everyone for participating.

Don't forget about our February Megan's Challenge (details are here). Megan picked an awesome choice this month that you won't want to miss: Potato Gnocchi with Peas, Prosciutto and Ricotta.

Have a wonderful and lucky day!