The "A" List of 2013 - Food Faves According to this Blog

Yep, despite my best writing efforts about thoughtful topics, by far the most visits here are generated by my recipes. Unlike the Tom Cruise character in A Few Good Men, I can handle the truth!

So here are the top winners... with one DEFINITELY leading the pack.

APPLE FRITTER RINGS - TRIPLE WOW. This one boggles me. YES, they are amazingly good. But oh my, there is a lot of good food out there. Nevertheless, this recipe has been pinned on some Pinterest pages, and that's all she wrote. I've had visitors from all over the world with that recipe -- I'm talking thousands. Go figure. So here it is again. They are little hand-held apple pies of goodness. If you haven't tried them yet... you crazy.

ALMOST ALFREDO. Yet again, so painfully simple yet so incredibly delish. I probably have this once a week. When you come home and you're baffled as to what to make for dinner, this is the go-to.

ARROZ NEGRITO (just like Gallo Pinto or Black Beans 'n Rice, y'all). This is my most requested "um, could you bring that to dinner?" whenever we have a picnic or potluck. The best thing about it is that you can make it in a rice cooker ahead of time, then bring it in the same pot. I have some friends who make a community meal each week for their neighborhood, and this is apparently the most popular and certainly easiest to make for a large group. It stays warm, and it also multi-tasks -- it pairs well with someone else's main dish, or it serves as a hearty appetizer with warm tortilla chips or tortillas.

I'm getting hungry. Off I go to make somethin'....

Fall Updates 2012: Day Four

Despite my schedule getting that much busier as I juggle a class at APU and teaching at Westmont, I still get to cook nearly every night of the week -- and never you fear, my Big Three are still front & center: gluten-free, organic and seasonal.

Before I continue though, I must share this: on Twitter yesterday I saw this tweet and it made me laugh out loud. It came from someone running a fake Chris Rock account, but nevertheless:

Most people don't realize this, but you can eat organic, all natural, gluten-free food without telling everyone around you.

Fantastic! Mr. Fake Chris Rock, rest assured that I do realize this, and yes, I see that I am being made fun of. Totally fine.

As I was saying, I'm still cooking up a storm... Summer was fantastic, full of berries, chard, endless zucchini, all sorts of tomatoes, red peppers, eggplant, cauliflower... the list goes on and on. As fall vegetables take hold, I shed a tear at the loss of my beloved red peppers and raspberries, knowing I must wait many months for their return. Sigh.

Meanwhile, I will simply stuff my face with other lovely delectables! Tonight I made a favorite of mine from last year, Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash. Uh-mazing still. But I've added a few more to the recipe box, and rather than stretch them out, I will list them all here... I have found them through various sources, and will only share the links here, for you to explore yourself. Trust me, they are a wonderland of yummy-ness.

Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf - I don't know which part of this I like most, but toasted walnuts have become my new last-minute flair for several meals.

Farmer's Market Chowder - I'm a little late to the party on this one... you may have to use canned corn at this point, but it's still definitely worth it.

Risotto-Stuffed Mushrooms - Oh my heart this is fantastic! But I tweaked just a tad and it worked perfectly... rather than make this as an appetizer I stuffed the risotto into meal-sized portobellos. Trust me. Perfection.

Butternut Squash Risotto - Last but not least, my first butternut squash of the season awaits on my kitchen counter. Oh the joys!

My List of Leftover Likes

I have a relatively new relationship with cooking, having only discovered that I really love it when I went on sabbatical for 3 months in November 2008. Finally, after going on a break from a then 27-year career in youth ministry, I found out that life could be more than microwave meals, breakfast-for-dinner and leftover pizza from the youth event the night before.

However, I am not an aspiring chef, nor do I fan through my cookbooks daydreaming of what to make next. Perhaps there is not a fine, haute cuisine name for what I do, but my goal is simply to make it work with whatever is in season. After a visit to local food stands, I surf Mr. Internet for interesting recipes, or even improvise once in awhile. Successful recipes have been posted here previously. It has actually become a form of spiritual discipline... rather than eat whatever sounds good at the moment, I want to enjoy God's provision and eat according to his timing, not mine.

So I see a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers as the seasonal manna from heaven that has been provided for this week (or more!). Each meal is a new challenge and experiment. Here is what I have tried so far. I entertain hopes of a dialogue here -- pass on the leftovers recipes that you are using as well:

• Lunch yesterday: Turkey salad (diced turkey mixed with 2 tsp of mayo and garlic salt) on toast, topped with just a bit of cranberry spread.
• Dinner last night: Turkey & Mashed Potato Pot Pie. To. Die. For.
• Breakfast this morning: diced ham (we had both ham and turkey on Thanksgiving) scrambled with eggs.
• Anytime: leftover pecan pie (thank you housemate for making it with a gluten-free crust!)

What's ahead? I plan on making a big pot of turkey & rice soup tonight after cooking the carcass for a few hours and getting some broth... Turkey tetrazzini later in the week...

Talk to me - what are you cooking?