Some people love recipes. They scrutinize over every measurement and make sure they have every ingredient on hand. They collect their favorites and pin up recipe cards to read while creating their masterpieces.

I am not one of those people.

I wish I were, for I am often tinkering with a meal from start to finish. Sometimes, it ends in disaster. Other times, I am happy with my "creation." Over the years as the OP food editor, I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of cooks: ones like me and meticulous recipe-followers. I apologize to the latter if the recipes I post here aren't detailed enough, or if I just mention how I "threw together" a meal. I will try to get all the stats as much as I can.

See, for me, a recipe is just the foundation. I like to build and develop it until it fits my needs and my family's tastes. I like to throw in vegetables whenever I can and improvise on the measurements --- a pinch of this, a dab of that. It feels good to be creative, but sometimes I kick myself for not writing things down.

Today, I played around with a recipe found in recent article that was about the use of cinnamon to add an exotic taste to savory dishes. I thought about following it exactly for a change, but I only had about half the ingredients and wanted to add veggies. So, I carried on as I usually do, gathering and concocting my own "version."

Here is what I did:

Curried Beef Stew My Way
In a large bowl, I mixed a generous amount of curry powder, 1 cup rice milk, 1 teaspoon powdered ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. I then cubed about 3 pounds of flank steak and tossed in the dressing and then covered the bowl and put it in the fridge. About 20 minutes later, I sliced some carrots at an angle as well as a medium onion. I heated a small amount of canola oil in my large saute pan and tossed in some garlic and two cinnamon sticks. I added the veggies a few minutes later, then the meat mixture. I stir-fryed until the meat was brown then added a can of diced tomatoes. I added some salt, brought to a boil, then covered and simmered for about 40 minutes. While it was cooking, I made some white rice. It came out aromatic and lovely.

Here is the original version, for you recipe-followers. I'm curious to find out how it would taste with all the components. I'm sure the yogurt alone is an improvement. I opted for rice milk because my little one is dairy-free.

Cinnamon Beef Stew
(Makes 4-6 servings)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon soy sauce (be careful to use a gluten-free brand)
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
3 pounds flank steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cinnamon sticks, about 2 inches each
3 bay leaves
2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
Salt, to taste

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, paprika, curry powder, garam masala, soy sauce and ginger. Add the beef and turn to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate to marinate several hours or overnight.

When ready to cook, in a Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the ghee or oil. Add the onion and garlic, then saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, and continue to cook until the onions brown, about another 5 minutes.

Add the beef, marinade and tomatoes. Increase head to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, then season with salt.

Recipe comes from The Associated Press. It was adapted from Nirmala Narine's "In Nirmala's Kitchen," Lake Isle press (2006).