Food for Thought

It seems that Late Nite Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks are going to be responsible for the expansion of my experimentation in the kitchen. I was even more excited that I'm a fan of 101 Cookbooks when I read her post about spending the weekend in Portland and all the fun restaurants she visited...made me so homesick! To date, I've felt fairly comfortable throwing together a meal and being creative in the I-don't-have-a-recipe-but-can-make-Shepherd's-pie-without-it way, but I'm takin' it to the next level folks.

Not only have I kept my newly purchased little kitchen table cleared off, we've actually been eating our meals at it regularly. No more sitting on the couch and balancing a plate for me.

Fall and winter are my favorite times for cooking and baking because the warmth of the kitchen and the ensuing warmth of the food in your belly just isn't the same when it's hot outside. Summer is the time for watermelon and gazpacho, not Butternut Squash Enchiladas with Peanut Sauce or Chocoloate Zucchini Cupcakes. Sound wonderful? They are! And they're just a couple of the recipes I've used since becoming, what some people may consider, a little bit obsessed with reading food blogs.

The recipe for the Enchiladas was From Chez Jose restaurant, Portland, Oregon. Published in Oregonian FoodDay 2/23/99 (also 1994). Recipe by: Chez Jose restaurant, Portland, Oregon.

Next up, Caramel Apples a la Heidi Swanson; I just need to get a candy thermometer.