We challenged ourselves to do more recipe creation in 2011, and more importantly, to document our results. Improvisational cooking has never been a challenge for us, but writing recipes that can be shared and recreated was not our strong suit. So we made a list of goals — ways in which we wanted to learn and grow in the kitchen — and challenged ourselves to 3 new recipes per month.
We named it the Cucina Fresca Challenge of 2011. That’s Italian for “fresh kitchen” for those of you keeping track of our fake Italian-isms. With only two months to go, we’re (mostly) on track, and writing our own recipes has been a boon for our kitchens, our tummies, and our taste testers. There have been a few missteps, of course, and a lot of creative scheduling.
As the blog went bi-coastal in the summer of 2011, our recipe planning, and even some of our cooking, became an activity accomplished largely through the power of video chat and other technologies. Still, we roll with the punches, and we think you’ll be pleased with the results.
Cucina Fresca was all about highlighting our favorite foods and our favorite ways to cook them. Since next year’s challenge will be about expanding our horizons and getting out of our comfort zone, I jumped at the chance to make …
We just couldn’t let the fall season pass us by without cooking our favorite fall vegetable. There are a million delicious ways to prepare Brussels sprouts, but this recipe is my favorite because it uses my favorite flavors –cumin and …
Brunch is my favorite meal. Any excuse to have brunch or make brunch is an opportunity I will NOT miss. A while back, the LA family was hosting a brunch. It might have been in honor of a visitor. It …
This month, we wanted to focus on what’s readily available to us – pumpkin, of course! We wanted an easy way to incorporate pumpkin into not just dessert – although this would certainly be a sweet dessert, it can also …
Stuffed mushrooms are one of those decadent appetizers that people love to eat, but are too intimidated to make. I think we’ve been programmed to assume any “stuffed” food item is inherently difficult and therefore fancy. Guess what? This is …
As part of our general awareness of football season, Jennie and I have been thinking about football party snacks that we don’t like very much and trying to find ways of making them more delicious. Jennie showed us her seven …
