Start it off with some Turkey Bacon Quiche…

How about some Roasted Corn and Edamame Salad?

There’s always room in my heart for some Roasted Vegetables:

Woah, what about Turkey Bacon and Gorgonzola Stuffed Mushrooms?

And then some Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes?

Let’s wash this all down with some Cherries in the Snow:

Or maybe some Date, Almond and Coconut No Bake Cookies!

I really enjoy cooking from beginning to end.  Well, perhaps not the cleaning dishes part, but I love getting inspired at the grocery store, selecting my ingredients, getting overwhelmed by the colors of fresh produce, the smells of herbs, and letting a recipe evolve that way, from being inspired through my senses.  I am one guilty girl of going grocery shopping while hungry, and biting off more than I can chew when it comes to cooking.  Whereas I could easily buy a readymade sandwich or dinner, I walk away with raw ingredients for a seven course meal.  Perhaps this is my neurosis, but it really is satisfying to cook.  Nourishing your body, and your families body with something you created and conceived (even if it’s a riff off a common, everyday dish),  is a wonderful (and practical) way to share the gift of imagination and creativity.  Here are some of my recent dishes:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs

Well I am still mostly gluten free, and I always notice a difference when I eat gluten, but there are those times around the holidays when one must try different things to feel somewhat connected to the rest of the dietary world.  So my holidays baking commenced and there was a lot of flour going around in the kitchen. Luckily that part of my life is over, for now, and I am back to my habits of eating well and feeling good.  But one must every now and then gander in those unknown territories, of “Will this hurt me later?”  or “I know this doesn’t agree with me, but it taste’s soooo darn good”.

One favorite recipe, which I stumbled onto because I had some lemons laying around, is a spin on Russian Tea Cakes, and this recipe uses lemon and almonds instead of the usual vanilla and walnuts.  But, I must say, they are dangerously good, and absolutely scrumptious with coffee.  Oh my!  I am feeling love sick as I write.

For some reason, ever since I transformed my diet from being mostly dominated by one grain (wheat), I’ve suddenly gotten bitten by the baking bug.  Which sounds completely wrong, right?  It’s been a challenge and taken some research, but I’m happy to say, all these recipes are certifiably delicious and gluten free!  You don’t have to sacrifice your sweet tooth, when you sacrifice gluten.

Click on the picture to go to the recipe!

Eggs are so versatile (and beautiful to look at) it’s time we compile some of ArtistsCookbook best dishes that use eggs into one convenient blog entry.

Christine’s Winter French Toast with Warm Buttered Rum Apple Compote leaves us wondering what kind of lunch would want to follow this breakfast up?

While it may look eerily familiar, Brian’s Poncho McSquatmuffin rises above all other egg sandwiches in the triumph of its flavor and texture and. . .why can’t it be Saturday already?!?

Yes, this is me.  My Egg in Hole is a hole in one.  Lovely to look at, fun and exciting to dip, great for all ages.  This is the perfect breakfast for those who have a place to be, but have a minute to spare.

Here are some recent recipe submissions that make me starving just looking at them!  Click on the photo to go to their recipe.

Sorry for the absence of my writing and presence!  School has been very busy and I was spending every minute for a while there preparing for an art exhibit.  So now, I am culling over photos of recipes I never submitted and trying to play catch up.  I do in fact eat, and still take pictures quite regularly.  I would love to get more of a variety of recipes on here, so if you haven’t yet (and I’m pretty sure most people haven’t) I would love for you to submit a recipe.  You can do so here!

Beyond that, here is a compilation of some recent additions to the recipe vortex. Click the photo to go to the recipe page.

The holidays are a great time to experiment with baking, and trying out new recipes.  So it was quite my excitment to foray into the world of making sweets, and more specifically candy.  I tried out many recipes which I will post here, but this next one, took the center stage pretty early on in my kitchen.  Meet the Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffle.  This was a hit out of all the truffles I experimented with.

Check out the recipe here!

Well I know that Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to lean heavy toward the meat and dairy food groups, but I want to let it be known that just because you are vegetarian or vegan doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your favorite dishes of these holidays completely. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Case in point: Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes
I made these yesterday (my first time ever making mashed potatoes in my life) and I have to say they were and are extremely yummy! They are creamy and garlicky and everything you need in mashed potatoes. We ate them with the Tofurkey that comes with stuffing and gravy thats all vegan, not that I’m always vegan, but I guess you can say I’m bi-tarian.
I always love getting the garlic mashed potatoes at Cheesecake Factory and now that I made these, I know my future has many mashed potato nights ahead, without having to leave the house.
Check out the recipe!

The Flamin’ B.B.T:

Chicken Salad Surprise:

Brian’s Greek Salad:

We of course know boys can cook, but it is very much associated historically within the umbrella of women’s work.  Unless it’s like the art of cooking, and the guy is a chef.  I remember watching “Three’s Company” when I was little, and how Jack being a chef was always something that somehow tied into his pretending he was gay.  Maybe in a way he paved the way more for men to get into cooking?  We all remember what happened when Lucy and Ricky traded roles for the day, and how the kitchen was a complete disaster! Well anyways, I am very pleased to show off these boy recipes!  And I don’t think any kitchens were hurt in their making.