Eat Like a Rabbit

Our good friend, Garrett Nudd of garrettnudd.com has an opportunity to be promoted from guest photographer to guest blogger. Garrett also has his own blog (garrettnudd.net), which is so exciting, it needs no guest writers.

When I was little, we were a family of habits. Every Christmas Eve we had dinner at Don's Seafood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, followed by presents with everyone under the tree at my grandparents. The next morning were presents at our own homes, and back to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's for dinner, football, and time around the billiard table. Now, Christmas's are celebrated in Florida. Sometimes at Disney, sometimes volunteering somewhere. We are no longer driven by our habits, but by our memories of the years we had together.

I have a standard daily lunch. Some of the doctors shake their heads that it doesn't sound like much or isn't balanced enough. Other staff tease me. And even others tell me I'm out of my mind and that hommus tastes nasty. But these are the same people that happen across hommus in the grocery store and think about me.

I really had a hard time finding a simple and appealing recipe for tabouleh. I finally found an excellent one. I served this as a series of "dips" for a buffet meal to a group of 20. People asked for the recipe when it was over and I overheard one educated individual say "That green stuff is good, too." Tabouleh and a hommus side went well with warm un-pocketed pita bread. I noticed a good number of people making sandwiches out of it.

The idea for this refreshing "Last Rose of Summer" drink came as I was reading a Southern-style cookbook at Tuesday Morning. I had the ingredients and it seemed like a great way to stop and think back on the summer and look forward toward winter. I made enough for about 6 servings. It was just strong enough to leave room for adding sparkling water for that extra kick.

The first time I had a pomegranate salad dressing was in an underground restaurant in Budapest. I was disappointed, but still thought it was a good idea. Last week, we had a few pomegranates leftover from breakfast, and I decided to find a recipe to make a dressing for our parents as we had both sets over for lunch after church. The closest thing I found was a strawberry salad dressing in "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics." I substituted Pomegranates for the Strawberries but kept the rest of the recipe consistent. It was fabulous.

Guacamole is a favorite for us. However, we tend to differ on how to make it. Fresh cilantro is better than dried cilantro. Lime is better than lemon. And never use mayonnaise!

One of my EMTs said this was his favorite squash. So, I purhased some on Friday. By Saturday, we were eating lunch at some friend's house and were served Spaghetti Squash. He answered all of my questions about preparation. And I excitedly created this fabulous dish on Sunday. With a salad, French bread, and pan-fried scallops, I was in heaven.

These are the absolute cutest cheeses I've ever seen. They come individually wrapped and in large numbers in Costco's Special Cheese section. Paul can easily take one to work. They look adorable sitting beside a dinner plate. And they make an ordinary salad definitely look unusual. The cheese is very soft and mild. I love to sprinkle a bit of black pepper over the cheese to highlight its true white color.

Just in time for a Labor Day feast, we acquired some fresh corn on the cob and a recipe from foodnetwork.tv for lime cilantro butter to spread over the corn before wrapping in foil and roasting. The product was wonderful. I think that result was fabulous, even if not exceptionally healthy with the large amount of butter.

When asked what he wanted for lunch Garrett (Nudd of Garret Nudd Photography) said something about cheeseless pizza. I told him I try to have pizza once a week because it is healthy, often well balanced, and can be fast when we are on the run. He asked how long it had been since we had pizza. I estimated two weeks. He gave me a big smile.

I'm quite proud of this recipe. I chopped up baking potatoes, diced up a small onion, minced or chopped a few cloves of garlic and cooked the potatoes on medium with just enough olive oil to keep the potatoes from sticking to the skillet. About 7 seven minutes before the potatoes were done, I harvested three large sprigs of rosemary from our herb garden and chopped the leaves into the skillet.

This was such a fun creation, with no basis of thought. I was just trying to use leftovers. I absolutely love the olive bread from our local Maitland Farmer's Market, but it is rather expensive at over $6 a loaf. I only get it on special occasions. The zucchini also came from an outdoor stall.

This is such a great, truly simple, and full-flavored recipe. We found it in the "Moosewood Simple Suppers" cookbook. We had given my mother-in-law the book for a holiday or birthday, and she repaid us with this meal.

Possibly, this idea came from allrecipes.com. I won't take the credit for it, but I do recommend it. I'm not generally a fan of oatmeal cookies, but with the additional ingredients, I will eat them with no additional encouragement.

I am very proud of this recipe. Becoming a vegetarian is a challenge, especially when some veggie meats don't taste the same as real meat. In my case, I prefer the meats that don't taste like meat because I'm a vegetarian because I don't like the taste of meat. For that reason, this recipe amuses me. I actually don't like this recipe because I think it tastes too much like meat. I recommend this as a taste-test for one who is debating making the switch.

Don't freak out! You don't need an ice cream freeze for this one. All you need is a blender, great serving dishes, and possibly a freezer-safe container to put the ice cream in. As for the taste, it's a fresh mint, not a fake, strong mint. Caution: the chocolate chips my be quite hard when cold. Eye appeal is great because it's a white background with brown and bright green specks in it. I was very proud of this. The recipe below serves two.

I love this sandwich. I have no idea what real bacon tastes like, but I've served it where I volunteer and this looks and smells better. This is great for lunches or for a quick dinner.

Chicken Noodle Soup has always been a favorite to me. My mom has had this recipe forever and when my grandmother had a day care center, she cooked it for the kids. And the moms could never understand why their kids refused to eat the soup they warmed from a jar. Those were good memories.

Nachos don't normally come under the heading of excellent food for the body. But maybe it's just the way they are put together. When done using fresh ingredients, there isn't too much you can say against them. That being said, if it were served with a salad or had a salad on top of it, it would look perfectly appetizing and healthy.

I created a cookie bar for a Sunday afternoon party I was hosting. Basically, it's a tray of simple cookies with a variety of icing or toppings. The idea may sound juvenile, but it has an air of maturity because of the toppings of choice. Obviously, there are options that can make it a fun, albeit messier, dish to serve at a children's party, too.

I must confess, every time I buy a carton of eggs, I wish I won't use them quickly so I can have an excuse to make egg salad. I learned sometime somewhere to eat sprouts instead of lettuce on my egg salad sandwich, and now I prefer it 100%. Fresh tomatoes and good wheat bread make the sandwich look and taste gourmet.

Firstly, I guess I lied. I said I would never make mashed potatoes another way after having the Garlic and Rosemary ones. However, I made these mashed potatoes for a pot luck and know that most people like creamy, skinless potatoes with basic flavors. Secondly, I started this recipe using the Barefoot Contessa's "limited time availability" recipe on foodnetwork.tv. (As an FYI, this recipe is only published around the time a show airs due to legal reasons.) However, when I tasted her product, I was disappointed and chose to edit it my way.

Both of these recipes came out of The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet which you can purchase through Amazon.com via our website. We're quickly becoming fans of zucchini and greatly enjoyed this feast. The variety of colors was spectacular and the speed to fix the meal gets great reviews.

We're big fans of Mexican, and generally don't mind a visit to Taco Bell when it's good. However, since Taco Bell has come out with a line of products in grocery stores, we prefer to do Taco Bell at home. We use the vegetarian blend refried beans and on occasion their medium taco Sauce. Most of the time Paul likes his Cholula sauce instead. It has a stronger vinegar taste.

This was an easy dessert that is best put together immediately before serving. Also, to conserve energy, I only make it when the oven has already been used for another part of the meal or for a baking project.

Do these look fantastic or what? This recipe came from foodnetwork.tv. I don't plan to make mashed potatoes any other way ever again. Even better are the leftovers as potato pancakes or hash browns.

I love bruschetta. There are many varieties for creations from my "Moosewood Cooks at Home" cookbook. We had an excess of tomatoes this day, so I created my own. I wrapped the entire loaf in aluminum foil and placed it in the oven at 350 degrees to warm. If it were just the two of us, I would place a few slices in a regular toaster. Toasting to dark makes the bread crumble-y and not toasting enough makes the bread a bit tough so when you bite into it the toppings fall off. We regularly test slices of bread while heating to ensure it's the right texture.

This is a little something of my own. The idea came from Bosphorous, a restaurant in Winter Park, Florida. I liked the concept of the dip at the restaurant and could not find a recipe on line; so, I made one up. It must have been good because it went for a potluck and none of it came home!

Trader Joe's always has interesting products to try. Some people complain that just when you find the perfect product, the store changes its selection. Other shoppers find it literally the "spice of life".