My Favorite Recipes

Hello, happy weekend!

Yes, I am reusing a picture from last spring...I miss peonies!

I have a big day today, first a driving lesson, than an open house at a local art school (I am looking into options to transfer), then studying for my first midterm exam in 6 years. All of these things make me just a bit nervous, and when I am nervous, I crave sugar. So, yes, it is not even 9am and I am already hitting the chocolate chip cookies. Don't judge...We've all been there, right? I hope?

Well this probably means I won't have time to cook anything for the blog today (maybe tomorrow, if my studying goes well, or I just need a break). But since I have a few new readers around here (Hello! Nice to see you!) I  thought I would start the weekend off with a quick post featuring a few of my favorite recipes I have posted over here in the last year. This blog did begin as a cooking blog, even if my obsession with home projects got a bit more focus in recent months.

So here we go, my 5 favorite recipes from this blog:

1.  Zucchini & Thyme Tart - with a basic, buttery crust, fresh summer vegetables, fresh thyme and two types of cheese, I adored both the making (I used my mandolin slicer!) and the eating of this dish. It was pretty simple, but turned out beautifully. I have made this 2 times since, and look forward to the summer influx of zucchini to start making it again soon (Ok, I am hopeful about that whole groundhog thing...).

2. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili - I love this hearty, flavorful meal not only because it is easy to make and lovely to share with friends, but because it is actually vegan, making it a great option to make when you are serving people with different dietary restrictions. There is no meat, dairy, eggs, or gluten, plus lots of protein and nutrients. You can't go wrong. Also, that night somehow evolved into a dance party for three...

3. Chocolate Fudge Tart - I love this. I brought it to Christmas dinner as well, but added 1/2 a teaspoon of orange extract to the chocolate, mimicking the the orange infused taste of the whipped cream- so that even those who couldn't didn't eat the cream could have that delicious chocolate/orange combination.

4. Lemon Bars - A simple but delicious classic, I love these too much to leave them out.

5. Butternut Squash Soup with Pears and Cumin - This silky, rich tasting soup is made with delicious fall flavors, and low fat yogurt. It is healthy, but still complex and rewarding. I served it for some family and friends, and found out a few weeks later that one of the friends had made this soup again because she loved it so much!

Wow, picking 5 was really hard, and there were a lot of recipes that I almost included here, and posts that were my favorite to write that I feel I should have mentioned. My 1 year blogiversary is coming up, so expect another favorites round up soon!

Spell check thinks "blogiversary" isn't a word- pfft!