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http://www.mental-chew.com/2011/09/chicken-tikka-masala.html I make this a little saucier, a little less salty and with more zing. Tikka, as it is called in our house, is a staple in our menu. I like to add approximately 2 cups of chopped fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, chard or zucchini are great) with the meat at the end. One dish wonder. My husband will usually grill the chicken while I work on the sauce and our timing is usually almost perfect.

Chicken Tikka Masala

http://www.mental-chew.com/2011/08/recipe-roundup-zucchini.html

Recipe Roundup - Zucchini

Well, we have zucchini and it is that time of year here where people start to lock their doors out of fear of the load of zukes that might be left in their car or just inside the front door. Our zucchini is beautiful this year and we will happily grill some each and every night. Both of my kids love it, it is so simple to prep and my husband grills it to perfection. Although I am posting a plethora of recipes from my favorite sites, straight off the grill is my fav. We cut them into approximately 3-4" sections, then into quarters.
http://www.mental-chew.com/2011/08/making-freezer-jam.html The berries are here! We have been taking full advantage of berry season whether it is at the grocery store snatching up a 1/2 flat of Skagit Valley berries or at the Farmer's Market eating up Sweet Earth Farm's delicious Tri-star strawberries that we just can't seem to get enough of into the mouth of a certain 4 year old. In years past, I have grabbed blackberries from our "berry orchard" (read: wild berries) at the end of our driveway and frozen a few gallon bags for over the winter. We are such berry lovers that they are always gone by mid-December and I am always promising myself we will gather more "next year". Throughout the years, I have always been envious of the families that had fresh berry preserves the whole year through while I was buying jar after jar at the store.

Making Freezer Jam

roasted garlic & brie soup

When I asked my 7-yr-old piano student yesterday to tell me what was new in his world, he rolled his eyes and matter-of-factly informed me that “Um….it’s cold outside again”. http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/roasted-garlic-brie-soup/
http://www.thechefanies.com/asparagus-gruyere-tart/

Asparagus Gruyere Tart | The Chefanies

I always thought puff pastry was for the real “experienced” chef. You know, the ones who go to culinary or baking school. I was wrong. This tart was surprisingly simple and a huge hit at our weekend Spring brunch. It can be made the night before which makes it a brunch hostess’ dream! You can also serve it at room temperature.
My husband has a deep and abiding love for feta cheese – so much so that I often tease him that feta is his favourite food.

Feta And Spinach Garlic Rolls (Low Carb)

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2011/05/feta-and-spinach-garlic-rolls-low-carb.html

The Pastry Affair - Home - Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

http://www.pastryaffair.com/blog/2011/6/10/garlic-parmesan-pull-apart-bread.html I once made the driest pancake in the world. I can see you sitting at home, staring at your computer screen, and scoffing at my bold statement. Driest pancake in the world? Yeah, right.
This Asian Noodle Bowl or Jap Chae is an adaption on a traditional Korean side dish. The name Jap Chae literally translates to mix vegetables. It was originally known as a Royal Dish. Fancy, I know. http://www.thechefanies.com/asian-noodle-bowl-jap-chae/

Asian Noodle Bowl (Jap-chae) | The Chefanies

Homemade Tortillas

Making soft delicious tortillas at home is surprisingly easy. In fact, once I started making my own suddenly all our dinners and lunches were rolled up in fresh tortillas. The dough is made from flour, shortening, water, and salt. I had all the ingredients on hand but the shortening.. which ended up only costing two dollars and has lasted through many many batches of tortillas. http://seddy5.typepad.com/blog/2011/05/homemade-tortillas.html

Reposting with a twist: How to clean a pomegranate without a mess

http://www.mental-chew.com/2011/10/how-to-clean-pomegranate-without-mess.html When I think of the Fall, one of the images that comes to mind is the eating of pomegranates. Those little rubies of juicy tartness that you can just pop into your mouth to wake up your tastebuds. Pomegranates are in season from September to February in the Northern Hemisphere, and we tend to eat them during October and November. Pomegranates are one of the current, trendy "wonder foods" that you are seeing pop into salads, cocktails, curries and more on food blogs. TV cooking shows and restaurants.
Another fabulous pick up from Heritage Farm . My fridge is happy and so is my harvest bowl. This week's share: Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Collard greens Cucumbers Garlic Head lettuce Herbs: Basil, parsley, korean mint, summer savory Hungarian hot pepper Kale Onions Potatoes Scallions Scarlet runner beans String beans: yellow and purple Summer squash Tomatoes: heirlooms, stupice and cherry Will you look at that list?!?! All I can think this week is pesto, pesto, pesto and bruschetta. We had our first dose last night with an incredible green salad.

CSA week of Sept. 20 - No Fail Pesto

This summer we bought a beautiful flat of nectarines and it didn't matter how many we ate, there seemed to be more and more filling the box. Reluctantly, after we made jam and ate until we were afraid they wouldn't last, we sliced them and froze them in 1 gallon Ziploc bags. As the months passed, I knew they were there, but I didn't want to deplete our summer fruit just yet. I finally came to the realization that it IS December, not August. Time to break out the summer gold. Last night we were having some of our favorite guests over for dinner and I knew they would be a good audience for an experiment.

Nectarine Custard Pie

My baby signed "more" today. Why you ask? She wanted more Butternut Squash Risotto. The extra dishes and hour of prep and stirring were well worth it.

Butternut Squash Risotto