Beatty's Chocolate Cake WITHOUT VEGETABLES

I have a half dozen go-to's in my baking repertoire and this chocolate cake never disappoints. My son, Matthew, knows that Chocolate Zucchini Cake is one of my favorites and insists every year for his birthday that I make him this chocolate cake with "no vegetables in it"! Picky picky picky! Either way, this cake can't be beat. The recipe was tried and trued by a friend who serves it at almost every gathering; always a big hit. The secret, I believe, is the buttermilk and the coffee in the cake. Don't tell Matthew; he wouldn't eat it if he knew! Bon appetit!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe

Kurdish White Beans and Persian Cafe Kebabs with Grilled Tomatoes

So my son and his vegetarian girlfriend gave me this beautiful cookbook for Christmas, Persia, by Naomi Duguid. Not only is it beautiful, but surprisingly delightful. Why, you ask, would I say "surprisingly"? If you have read any of my other posts you will know that I am in love with Yotam Ottolenghi. His Israeli fare is clean, absolutely to die for and extremely creative; genius in food form. The only problem....all of his recipes have at least 25 ingredients; no cooking for the timid! For two solid years I have worked myself into a lather every time I have guests over, racing to get through the menu I have carefully planned out yet leaving myself barely enough time to throw on my dinner dress, always forgetting how time intensive and ingredient heavy Yotam's recipes are. Naomi, I forgot how simple and delicious six ingredients could be! You have broken the shackles I have so proudly worn for the past two years. It is one thing to cook "Yotam". It is quite another to know when it is too over the top given your busy schedule. Either way, both chefs are amazing and I cannot wait to try more recipes in this book. Easter this year started with Kurdish White Beans made with small dried navy beans (one of our favorites) cooked, sauteed with turmeric and cumin and then mixed with crushed tomatoes and lime. Simple, delicious, filling! For the meat eaters in the family I made lamb kebabs with fresh grilled tomatoes. Again, six ingredients and absolutely delicious! The only problem was locating ground sumac, which was remedied by visiting an ethnic grocery store in our area (note I have now found a new store/restaurant that will probably become one of my favorite places). I used fresh ground lamb that I buy in the country, flatbread from the local Greek restaurant and fresh tomatoes from the local market. Easter rocked and even the girlfriend told me "Best Easter Ever"! At least on the food front I must have rocked. Thanks, Naomi, for making me look good!!!!!!!!

Giada's Cantaloupe, Red Onion, and Walnut Salad paired with Giada's Potato Pancakes

So it's Friday and the frig is looking kind of bleak after the Easter holiday as we have been working off of leftovers for the past week. I guess I am going to have to go to the market at some point in the next week. When faced with what I have to work with I found some potatoes, half a cantaloupe, some red onions and I knew we were good for at least one more night. A simple meal of Cantaloupe, Red Onion, and Walnut Salad dressed in a citrus dressing and Parmesan Potato Pancakes was the perfect answer. The citrus dressing was the perfect paring with the sweet cantaloupe, tart arugula and the tangy red onions. The potato pancake was both filling, yet light. I added some chopped bacon to give it a bit more flavor. Both recipes from Giada's Kitchen. This is the kind of meal I like to pull off when I come home, open the refrigerator door and figure out what I can make given what's before me. Buon appetito!

Cabbage Lasagna

Well, the weekly vegetable share we subscribe to at the local farmer's market is almost up for this season and I have been drowning in root vegetables and cabbage so I have had to experiment with new and creative ways to cook with apples, cauliflower, cabbage, parsnips, turnips, etc. Just when I thought I was over it I discovered Cabbage Lasagna. Now, I would like to say I thought this one up myself, but the truth is I saw it somewhere on Facebook and didn't have the mind to save the recipe. Evidently, this is not something new. I had never heard of it. When the tenth head of cabbage showed up I decided to wing it. I simply sauteed some ground lamb, a little bacon, some onions and a bit of garlic in a saucepan. Once that was nicely cooked I grated a head of cabbage and added it to the pan and sauteed it until it was all nice and soft with just a bit of crunch left. At that point I added a large can of crushed tomatoes, some Italian spices and once mixed put it in a dish topped with Parmesan and Mozzarella, baked for 45 minutes. Light, but filling. Honestly, how can anything with lamb not be delicious?! Here's hoping we get maybe one more head of cabbage before the CSA ends this season! Bon appetit!

QUICHE

 A friend once told me there are two foods that are totally underrated.....carrots and eggs. Well, I will agree with the eggs, but I am still on the fence about carrots...just another root vegetable of which I get pretty tired of by this time of year. Eggs, on the other hand, are an amazing culinary treat. One of my very best friends is a true French culinary chef and cannot stand eggs, which still astounds me! HOW can you enjoy cooking so much and refuse to eat eggs?! (You know who you are)! One of my favorite ways to clean out the refrigerator is to make quiche, a simple dish that is receptive to any and all fillings. When the vege scraps are all you have left and a few eggs, viola', you have quiche.....A simple recipe below is what I usually use:
4 beaten eggs
1 cup of grated cheese (whatever you have)
1-1.5 cups of milk or 1/2 and 1/2
Bake a deep dish pie shell per instructions, fill with mixture and veges, meats, etc., bake @ 350 for 50 minutes. Bon appetit!