This time last year we were gearing up for Valentine's Day, so we had a firestarter of Baked Alaska to show you! Plus we had a series on Kenyan food, some winter recipes, and another session of knife skills. And to round it out there was a look at ten kitchen improvements for renters, and heart-shaped foods for Valentine's!

Posts pictured above are in bold below.

• Heat and no heat: Flaming Baked Alaska and tips for Indian food with less spiciness.

• Caffeine test strips - wow! Plus Salad Wrenches.

• What are your rules for eating in the car?

• Winter recipes: Rustic Winter Stew, Creamy Garlic Soup, Sticky Toffee Cakelets, and Glazed Pear Muffins.

• More knife skills: The Claw!

• Kenyan food: Irio, ugali, sukuma wiki, and mandazi.

• An inspiring pink party for Valentine's Day. Plus Chocolate desserts, heart-shaped food, and sweet and gooey caramel desserts.

• Do you watch cooking shows on YouTube?

• A blind taste test of expensive canned goods: Is that $15 can of tomatoes worth it?

• A very sexy rice cooker and a 6-sided cookie cutter.

• The secret of really good matzoh ball soup.

• 10 Kitchen Improvements for Renters.

• Full archive from this week a year ago.

Previous Year Ago Lookback: Oreo Cake, Vegan Soups, and Valentines for Food-Lovers