Z is for Zucchini: Leek and Zucchini Pie (Jessica)

Hello all,

Here I am to write this post about this recipe and all I'm thinking about is all the other recipes I've made in the past year! A lot can happen in a year, but Jen and I have kept this blog constant through all of that. Did I ever tell you that she came up with challenge idea and I came up with the alphabet idea? Maybe I did, but did I tell you that I thought of it on a walk to the bathroom?? Oh yes, this idea was conceived in the opposite of a kitchen! Anyway, I've learned a lot about cooking, baking, and adapting recipes. Best of all, I feel comfortable in a kitchen now. No fear when it comes to recipes (ok, minimal fear...I still haven't tried tiramisu)! So, without further ado, here is this savory pie recipe, delicious!

Y is for Yellow: Yellow Curry (Jessica)

Happy May!

The past few days haven't felt particularly spring-like, what with the grey clouds and slight drizzle this week, but hopefully soon it will be warm and sunny again..like this afternoon :) Pretty soon, I'll be making more Spring-like recipes. In the meantime, this past weekend, I made Yellow Curry---a good cold night recipe.

Really, one of my coworkers made the suggestion for this and I had never tried a curry recipe before, so it seemed like a good opportunity! Combined with some brown basmati rice and naan (from the frozen section at Trader Joe's), it was ALMOST like we went out for Indian food. This recipe was pretty good, but beware: cayenne pepper is spicy! ;)

V is for Vegetables: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

Hello readers!

On the eve of another one of our April showers, I want to share with you a simple dinner I shared with the hubs on Monday night of this week, before the showers rolled in and ended the garden party. My secret ingredient this week was vegetables. Pretty open-ended, with scores of possibilities. My goal with the secret ingredient was to keep it simple. So, I started with the most simple of cooking methods: grilling. With the help of the hubs, who built an awesome fire, and my mandoline, which I used to slice (fairly) even pieces of carrots, zucchini and asparagus, we made a quick and healthy dinner that I'm certain you'll enjoy!

T is for Tomatoes: Tomato Vodka Sauce (Jessica)

Hi All,

As you saw last week, Jen and I were both traveling internationally! What a cool opportunity! I ate a lot of good food in Honduras (and some mediocre food), but since I've been back, I've been wanting to try this pasta sauce. I had the recipe (a photocopy of it anyway) in the giant disorganized pile of printed recipes that I've been collecting for years. I think I need a better way to organize them...hmmm, any ideas?!
Anyway, I'm not sure where this recipe came from, I think from a family friend back home...but it's definitely from a book (pg. 102 of a book in fact!). Sorry I can't be more specific...but give it a shot!

R is for Ricotta: Ina Garten's Turkey Lasagna (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

Oops, I've done it again. Yes, I'm sorry. This week you get only a photo of ricotta, not lasagna as this post's title suggests. But, if sometime in the near future I do make this recipe again, I'll upload that delectable-looking lasagna photo faster than you can say lickety-split!

I learned two things about myself over this past weekend. 1). I'm still learning when it comes to this whole "entertaining" thing and 2). I don't do very well with multi-tasking when it comes to cooking, talking and taking photos. Case in point: I forgot to take photos of the final product (i.e. the turkey lasagna), despite having mentally reminded myself dozens of times throughout the day, not just Saturday when the lasagna was first served, but also on Monday, when we ate the leftovers. But....I'm reminded that both days, instead of taking photos of the food I'd created, I was spending those moments with close friends and family who are both very near and dear to my heart. Sometimes that all that matters. : )

Q is for Quinoa: Quinoa Zucchini Lasagna (Jessica)

Hello All!

This week, I opted for something that would feed me for a while. Or at least for a few days! Cooking for one (mostly) is always kind of a pain, but it does mean that there are a lot of leftovers when I make a big recipe. This lasagna recipe definitely made enough for me to have lunch for 2 days and dinner for 2 days...yay for not having to buy lunch at work all the time! Seriously, it's way less expensive, and can be way healthier, to bring my own food and reheat it. Plus, lasagna is pretty much always appealing to me as it covers my favorite food groups: cheese and pasta.

What, not real food groups you say??


Meh, I don't believe it!

P is for Pasta: Pasta with Escarole, White Beans and Veggie Sausage (Jennifer)

Hi everyone,

Hope you all enjoyed your Valentine's Day and ate your fair share of chocolate! Isn't that the best part of Valentine's Day? Whether you bought the chocolate yourself or not. : )

Well, this week Jessica gave me an ingredient that could have been interpreted in any number of different ways. Pasta comes in such a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures and furthermore, can be dressed, coated or slathered in any number of different sauces. It's like you're Picasso trying to decide which color and which brush to paint with--the possibilities are endless!

I decided to go with a very simple, non-fancy way to eat pasta. Simple flavors, fresh ingredients, light sauce. No matter which way you decide to do it, pasta is a delicious, filling and hearty ingredient that would do for any kind of weeknight or weekend dinner! Buon Appetito!

L is for Lentils: Lentil Soup/Stew/Mush (Jessica)

Hi all,

I'm sorry to be so late in posting this recipe. I was thinking about all of you though, and didn't mean to ignore you!
Alas, sometimes things happen that are completely beyond our control. So when we finally can move back into the kitchen (an area where we do have some control), it can feel very nice.  I won't say much more at this point, so it's on to the recipe!

I is for Italian Dressing: Pork Chops with Italian Dressing (Jessica)

Dear Readers,

Happy (almost) holidays! I like this time of year. It feels festive and cheery, and there's so much good food to eat! Not to mention the increase in my social calendar because everyone wants to have a holiday party, excellent. I've also been accumulating fun holiday cards which I'm now proudly displaying over my fireplace. So what if the snowmen and snowflakes aren't really happening here in SoCal? Every day this week I've come home with goodies from the office and that's truly festive!

This recipe isn't holiday related. I know. But this is what I wanted to make!  It sounded good and filling and that's what I was looking for.
It could be festive, just dress it up with some little antlers or something....


No? Ok.

On to the recipe!

H is for Lemon-Honey Chicken (Jennifer)

Hello readers!

This post is going to be short. Like super short. Why, you ask? Because I don't really care for chicken all that much, so the less time I have to look at these pictures the better (sorry!).

I made this recipe for dinner one night last week. I took one bite (you know, so I could describe it on the blog) and gave the rest to my husband. He liked it. : ) I served it alongside a cheddar cabbage gratin, which I loved way more than the chicken (although the chicken was good, for chicken). Here's the cheddar cabbage gratin recipe, too!

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!

E is for Elbow Macaroni: Elbow Macaroni Baked Ziti (Jessica)

Hi there!

So I bet you're wondering what's up with the title of this post, right? What the heck is Elbow Macaroni Baked Ziti. Ok, here's the scoop: I made it up.  I have been craving something reminiscent of baked ziti lately. I think it's because it's colder and darker out...or maybe I just like pasta a bit too much. When Jen gave me Elbow Macaroni as my "e" ingredient, I got to thinking that I could use it in baked ziti! I opted for something on the healthier side, with vegetables, and everything was going along swimmingly until I had to pick a name for my creation. Hmmm, Baked Elbow Macaroni? Sounds too much like mac and cheese. Baked Ziti with Elbows? Sounds too zombie-esque, we're not actually eating elbows here, people! So in the end, we're going with Elbow Macaroni Baked Ziti*

*with vegetables.

ps. blogger.com does not recognize ziti as a legitimate spelling of a word...lame!

B is for Beets: Beet Quinoa Salad (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

So, this week has been a little crazy for a number of reasons, and Jessica kindly asked me yesterday about my forthcoming blog post. I looked at her like she was crazy...did I not post my "b" recipe? She subtly told me that I had not, and then I gasped and told her, "Well, I posted it in my mind!" Have you ever done that? Thought that you had really done something, when in fact, it was only ever complete in your mind? I do that with cleaning my house all the time...haha.

Anyway, with the last week being so warm in LA (cruel, I know, I'm sorry), I decided I didn't want to turn on the oven for the beet recipe, and instead made a beet salad with quinoa. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up, it was my last ditch effort to be healthy before the deluge of truffles, cakes, cookies,  and fudges (which I love, by the way). Enjoy!

Z is for Zinfandel Raspberry Chipotle Marinade (Jessica)

Dear Reader,

Guess what, we made it! Thanks for sticking with me for 26 weeks. Can you believe it's been that long? I certainly can't. This has been so fun (and delicious). I'm looking forward to our next challenge as we go around the alphabet again. Aren't you? :)

Now, I don't want to keep you from this delightful Z recipe, but I'll just say this briefly. This recipe came about because this past weekend, I helped a friend celebrate an important birthday milestone. He gathered a group in Malibu at a house for the weekend and we had a great time! Yes, I may have gotten a little sunburned at the beach, and a little overheated in the hot tub, but it was worth it.

I grilled chicken for the group of 10 for our Saturday night luau-themed party and made this marinade. It was a great choice! Oh, and props to everyone else who made AWESOME food all the rest of the weekend!

Y is for Yogurt Lemon Chicken (Jessica)

Yo yo yo,

How are you doing this week? Did you notice some rain? The change in temperature? Fall is afoot...
This week, to kick off October right, I was on a trip! Well, really, it was a conference for work in Denver, Colorado. BUT, I combined it with a fun weekend visiting friends in Boulder! If you don't know (as I didn't), Boulder and Denver are only about 30 minutes apart. And yes, because of the high altitude, water boils at a different temperature and you have to cook pasta longer. What a fun culinary fact!

Well, we didn't cook pasta this weekend, but we did make a yummy yogurt lemon chicken dish. One of the activities for the visit was cooking something that started with Y! Other activities included: eating beignets, hiking, eating ice cream, learning how to sew on a button, and visiting some open art studios. The challenge in choosing a recipe was that Becca's oven was broken....so no baking for us... Oh well, next time!

NEWS UPDATE: By the way, I'm sure you're wondering what's going to happen after next week. We're going to be at Z! We'll have completed our initial challenge! I can't give anything away yet, but rest assured, a big announcement is coming soon about the next phase of our blog. Don't worry, we're not signing off yet!

X is for Xochitl Soup (Jessica)

Dear Readers,

We've reached a monumental week! I'm sure you've been wondering for some time now what the heck we were going to come up with for the letter X. Yeah, not a lot of things start with X. Before I post the recipe that made it, let me share with you some others that just didn't make the cut!

-Xavier Steak: This is not a recipe. It's steak with toppings.
-Anything with Xanthan Gum: A substitute for people with allergies. Not a recipe and not tasty.
-Xacuti Chicken: This was actually the top contender until I realized it involved spending a fortune on unusual spices that would sit in my cabinet for years.

SO....when Shannon (a co-worker and writer of this lovely food blog--which we've listed on the right-hand side of our page) suggested Xochitl Soup and sent me a link, I was hooked! Now, on to the recipe!

V is for Veggie Burgers (Jessica)

Most photography in this post done by guest photographer Rob A.

Hey Y'all!

Hope you're having a good week! Today I bring you a healthy and yummy recipe for a main course you should try asap. This was my first time making veggie burgers and I think this recipe is "the one."
Don't get me wrong, I like meat...a lot...but sometimes I crave something lighter. Lately I've been on a quest for the best veggie burger around LA and let me tell you, I'm completely NOT into the soy burgers. They are "not to my taste" as Jennifer and I like to say. Just give me something that actually has vegetables in it...or beans...or lentils...mmmm, and I'm happy! So without further ado, here's a recipe for a delightfully soy-free veggie burger!

U is for Udon Noodle and Vegetable Soup (Jennifer)

Hello!

This week's letter was a challenge. U--really?? How many recipes/ingredients can you think of that begin with the letter "u"? It's kind of like a trivia question gone crazy. Jessica did a great post earlier this week of an Upside Down Cake, so I'm bringing on the salty/savory side of the letter "u" with Udon Noodle and Vegetable Soup.

This week's recipe was inspired by an excellent salad my grandmother brought to a beach cookout my family hosted a few weeks back. Her salad used soba noodles mixed with a sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey and a few other things like ginger and garlic. Yum! It was so good and a nice change from the ubiquitous appearance of beach cookout foods like macaroni salad or potato salad. I combined my grandmother's recipe with this recipe from Steamy Kitchen to get a pumped up version I like to call Udon Noodle and Vegetable Soup.

S is for Sage Pork Chops and Saffron Couscous (Jessica)

Salutations!

The recipes I made this week fulfilled a craving I had. Dear readers, this may be the first time I craved making something in the kitchen that wasn't some form of dessert! What?!as;lkdj;al?! I know. I agree. What's going on? Blame it on the heat, I must be losing my mind.

OR maybe I wanted a new challenge and decided a full-on meal was the way to go. I don't want you to think the only thing I can make is cookies! Either way, I was excited to use two scintillating spices this week (and some good alliteration).  :)