Over the weekend a friend mentioned that she rotates through the same handful of tried and true dinner recipes week after week, and she’d really like to diversify.  Meanwhile, I am so smitten with the overwhelming amount of recipes in the world that I haven’t made the same thing twice in months.  Regardless of how mouth-watering, nourishing, trouble-free, and fail-proof a dish is, I can’t bring myself to remake it, knowing a new recipe out there will go unmade.  The “what if” is unbearable.  For example, last night’s pan-seared swordfish steaks with shallot, caper, and balsamic sauce over easy mushroom orzo were overflowing with flavor and came together in a snap.  It was the kind of dinner over which you try to talk about your day with your husband, but the conversation inevitably returns to “this is so, so good.”  But look long and hard at those caramelized shallots and that tart, rich balsamic vinegar dripping over the steaky fish, because due to my innovation fixation, you’ll probably never see me cook it again.

Here is this week's supper plan plus Sunday's Valentine's Day spread.