F is for Fettucine: Pumpkin Fettucine (Jennifer)

Hello sweet readers!

Happy week-after-Thanksgiving! I hope you ate your fair share, and perhaps a little more of Thanksgiving stuffing, pie, and mashed potatoes! Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays because there is no pressure to give material things...only to give thanks and be grateful, neither of which cost a dime but certainly mean so much to those on the receiving end of our gratitude. On this Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for many things, particularly my family, friends, and of course, my co-blog author-in-crime, Jessica. Without her, I wouldn't have hundreds of food photos stored on my computer, nor this lovely compilation in the form of a food diary right here on ye' ol blog. She's awesome!

A few weeks ago, the school that Jessica and I work for hosted a Harvest Potluck to celebrate Thanksgiving and you know, the harvest. The word "potluck" always seems to bring both joy and anxiety to my heart. I love cooking for others, including family, friends and co-workers, but at the same time, the idea of cooking for your peers is a little nervewracking. What if no one likes it? What if you catch people exchanging sideways glances at each other, as if to non-verbally say "Who brought this mystery dish?"

Luckily, when I brought a dish a few weeks back to our Thanksgiving Harvest Potluck, I didn't see many, if any, sideways glances about who brought the mystery macaroni. In fact, if anything, I heard positive feedback from those who wanted the recipe, and that's always a good sign. So, when Jessica gave me fettucine for my "F" recipe, I decided to re-create the Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese recipe I'd made for the potluck a few weeks ago. Hope you like it!

F is for Fontina Cheese: Quinoa Risotto (Jessica)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear readers, this week, I'm thankful that I'm able to eat great food. I'm lucky that I don't have a lactose intolerance, an issue eating wheat, or any other condition preventing me from cooking and baking the recipes that catch my eye (and taste buds!) at this point in my life.

I'm also thankful that you are out there reading these recipes! Our blog wouldn't be nearly as fun without your feedback and loyalty, so thanks. I'll also do a quick shout-out to Jennifer, I'm thankful she's willing to be this blog's other half, it would DEFINITELY not be as fun without her. Thanks for putting up with me :)

Ok, enough of me being sentimental...on to the recipe!

F is for Fig and Honey filled Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! And a special thanks to all of our troops at home and abroad who work so tirelessly to keep our country safe!

This week's recipe features figs! You know, like Fig Newtons? When I think of figs, I think of a really decadent fruit. Maybe because figs are just special that way. I usually only see them used in fancy recipes, alongside other fancy ingredients. I rarely see them in their whole and natural state at the grocery store (and this week was no exception--you'll see why after the jump!), and instead usually spot them being purveyed at farmers' markets alongside other fresh and organic ingredients.

If you've yet to try figs yet, now is a good time to start! According to this Whole Foods webpage, figs are really great for you--high in potassium and fiber with tons of other health benefits!

Did you know there are different varieties of figs? Who knew?? (Thanks Whole Foods for being so informative!)

Black Mission: blackish-purple skin and pink colored flesh
Kadota: green skin and purplish flesh
Calimyrna: greenish-yellow skin and amber flesh
Brown Turkey: purple skin and red flesh
Adriatic: the variety most often used to make fig bars, which has a light green skin and pink-tan flesh

Now, for the recipe....

F is for Feta Pasta Salad (Jessica)

Dear Food Fans,

I'm back in the US! After all the amazing (and filling and rich) food I ate in Singapore (besides that questionable oyster dish...), this week, we're going healthy. I needed something light and summery heading into Memorial Day Weekend.

One of the food blogs I read frequently is Kath Eats Real Food. We often talk about Kath at my office because she makes food that sounds delicious and healthy and we're more than a bit jealous that she has all that time to devote to each meal (check out her tribute to oatmeal!). For the more typical gal on a 9-5 work schedule with (what feels like) endless other commitments, I often have to stick to recipes that I can make quickly after work or on the weekends.

This Feta and Veggie Pasta Salad was quick and light, perfect for during the week!