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.
My latest Cucina Fresca assignment was to come up with a simple egg-based casserole that could be adapted to use whatever vegetables, herbs, or cheese you might have lying around the house. As usual, I went a little too far …
A few months back, during one of our video conferences, I got it in my mind that I wanted to make something with lentils. I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted to try lentils. It was agreed that …
Sometimes, I set out to cook thinks that are completely reasonable and not remotely related to my southern upbringing, and most of the time I succeed. Other times, without even realizing it, I make barbecue sauce. That’s what happened here. …
I am including this recipe as a Cucina Fresca recipe because I think that people should know it’s super easy to make, and doesn’t need to be so fancy like it is over at Foodnetwork.com. It’s not that I don’t …
Zucchini bread is one of those lovely versatile foods that you can eat with breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and still have it be the perfect thing to eat. You can eat it with soup, salad, butter, you name it, it’s …
As many of you already know, Jennie is the boss of me. That’s right. I fear her wrath. And since she and I have a GMS video conference scheduled for tonight, and I was supposed to post about this shrimp …
This recipe was easy to make, although around these parts easy doesn’t always mean quick. As I am trying to be truthful with our recipes, I decided today I’d time myself and see how long it took to make dinner. …
