A birthday meal for Kathy

My sister Kathy came to visit us this weekend. Her birthday is on Monday, so we decided to celebrate it while she was here. She wanted a special dinner, and I told her I’d cook anything she wanted me to (except for Beef Wellington, I just couldn’t commit to that). She chose this recipe for Short Ribs Braised in Porter Ale with Maple-Rosemary Glaze that I had made before. I decided that I wanted to braise with wine instead, so went to epicurious and found this recipe which sounded pretty good. It was! Restaurant quality I would say.
I did use 3 1/2 tablespoons of the herb mixture on the ribs. I considered putting the rest of the mixture on the pot (I think there must be another use for the mixture or they wouldn’t ask to make so much), but ultimately didn’t. Not sure if it’d have made a difference. I also didn’t put the vegetables on the blender after cooking. I’d already messed up enough plates and I didn’t have to have more dishes to wash (we don’t have a dishwasher). The sauce was a little chunky but still delicious.
In all, I’d make this recipe again in a heartbeat.
I served it with mashed potatoes, and, before the meal, my Mixed Green Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette, which is delicious and a favorite of Kathy. For dessert we had birthday cake.