Though she is often cooking for one these days, Alicia still like to cook in big batches to freeze. Not only does she have her dinner with most of the work done, but she has food to share.

Batch-cooking meat speeds dinner to the table faster than you can call for takeout, and it’s so much healthier. Today’s Italian Stewed Beef is a slow-cooked wonder that can simmer on your countertop all day.

Now that Thanksgiving is over and we are heading into the biggest gift-giving season of the year, we want to share a treat that is as wonderful to distribute as it is to keep and enjoy at home.

Today’s offering, part of our “foods to be thankful for” series, is a hearty bean stew with the spicy flavors of hot Italian sausage and piquant fennel.