Eat Like a Rabbit

Paul declared this creation great. He especially liked the crust. I really enjoy the flatbread as well. I just happened upon some Naan hand-stretched flatbread at Costco. I love making sandwiches out of it or serving it instead of French bread alongside pasta. I think it looks and tastes fabulous.

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.

This pasta recipe comes at the end of a number of fall recipes. I read in "Reader's Digest" last week that prices on produce actually go down when the product is hot and in season because there is plenty of the product, and they have to move quickly before they spoil. I found this to be true with apples because last week they were $0.44 higher at Costco than they were this week. So, be on the lookout for produce in season. You will save money and enjoy richer flavor.

When I first acquired my "Moosewood Restaurant New Classics" cookbook, I feared it would be a waste because I felt the recipes took too long to prepare, but my patient mother-in-law pointed out that there was an excellent fajita recipe in the book. It did call for tofu, which we omitted because we didn't have any. I'm sure we could have substituted another veggie meat, but I didn't think of that at the time because it was getting late to eat anything resembling a dinner. Other vegetables and flavors included onions, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes. I did have grated sharp cheddar available and served the fajitas with salsa and multi-grain chips.

Paul said this was the best risotto he ever had. He actually isn't much of a fan of risotto, but quite enjoyed this. I think this is my second favorite risotto ever; my favorite being in a quaint spot in Italy many years ago. You just can't beat the surroundings! But for home products, this is the best and most successful. And I have experimented a few times, which goes to prove not everyone becomes a cook overnight.

The recipes I checked out had many different seasonings to add. I passed on those. Aside from the long cook time, this is very easy.

Baked potatoes are good for you and have so many options for changing the style and taste. Our microwave even has a "Baked Potato" setting on it so I can turn it on and forget about them until it beeps telling me they are perfectly done. Granted, most people say microwaved baked potatoes are technically steamed, but they still taste soft and rarely mushy. Real ovens take around an hour to bake completely and risk overcooking. I have been told loading a crockpot down with potatoes yields very nice baked spuds. Note, that when there is a big crowd and spuds are small, the more toppings, the farther the dish goes.

After a long plane ride home from Texas, we called my father to meet us at this restaurant. This visit was far superior to the previous one (not that the last one was horrible).

I love scrambled eggs. Who doesn't? As a child, I watched my grandparents put chives in theirs and it made me sick. Now, I can't eat my eggs plain. Paul put his eggs on top of his English muffin, poured Cholula Sauce over it, and garnished it with Raspberries. All of my items were neatly separated. The differences between a husband and a wife! I will say, I was out of spinach this day. I missed it.

Paul bought me a new cook book that recommended some strudel recipes as show-stoppers. I didn't have the ingredients, but I used what I had on hand and was so excited with the results. I had a few extra pastry sheets and choose to make the Vegeburger Bites, which I have written about before. The purpose for using all the pastry sheets was to clean out the freezer. They are expensive; so I try to buy them from the Pepperidge Farm Thrift Store. I love using them because they taste like I've slaved all day!

This post's guest photographer is Garrett Nudd, an excellent and talented photographer, but an even better friend.

I came across some mini-kabob sticks while in Sarasota for our anniversary. Ever since, I was very excited to make some and did a good bit of research before I finally put the meal together. I served the kabob with steamed brown rice and the Pad Thai sauce from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home."

This meal was much easier than I expected, and except for the delay of threading the sticks with my designer-husband, a fast creation as well. I did find a note somewhere in my research to soak the sticks in water before use to prevent splitting. This was my first step of the meal.

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.

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.

I was so excited when the idea to make this came to me. When I was growing up in Louisiana, I visited a restaurant that made superb calzones. My last trip home was devastating because the restaurant had changed its menu and the calzones were not the same as they had been. So, I decided to make up the recipe at home and was so proud of the results. It was the exact taste I was looking for.

Don't get nervous, I use a soybean based vegetarian alternative to regular chicken. It comes in large rolls from health food stores and is very versatile. We find many uses from slicing like lunch meat to dicing for enchiladas to shredding for chicken salad.

I was feeling guilty about not having cooked a good, solid meal in a week as we had eaten out a lot with friends and had been on vacation. So when I came across a new variety of frozen vegetables in the grocery store, I took a chance.

I prefer Bird's Eye vegetables to other frozen vegetables because most of them come with some form of seasoning already added. You are actually allowed to experiment with flavor. In this case, we had sugar snap peas, asparagus, carrots and red bell peppers in a lime cilantro sauce. The dish could be microwaved or steamed on the stove. I chose the stove--however, you must watch the meal more closely in that case.

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 simple picnic-style Sunday afternoon meal. Most of the time, it's good for large groups. However, if you do not have capacity for cooking a large amount of onion rings and keeping them warm, perhaps you should reconsider the menu. Nevertheless, I enjoyed making this meal because of its unusual situations. Read on.

Paul likes his Asian food the way he likes it. Sometimes, I have items that must be used and a stir-fry is about the best place to do it. So, there have been times I tell him he must eat what is served. I can't threaten him with cereal cause he'd be happy to eat cereal for dinner any night (and we have!)

Sorry, we were too excited and hungry to take a picture of this one.

I chose the easiest recipe I could find for Tempura on foodnetwork.tv. I battered frozen green beans, fresh julienned carrots, fresh eggplant, and frozen broccoli. Obviously, I defrosted the frozen veggies slightly. I used the sauce from Moosewood Restaurant's Pad Thai recipe and served it with brown rice.

The result of the first concoction was so delicious, I was afraid it was a mistake. For my parents, I made the recipe again replacing the green beans and eggplant with zucchini and onion rings. The result was the same. However, my mother did turn up her nose when she saw me mixing the sauce. Upon trying it with the meal, she decided it was good.