Goodbye Tessa ...and Thank You!

Can you believe that our six months of cooking with Tessa Kiros has come to an end?  I don't know about you, but I completely and totally fell head over heels for Tessa's food, style, and cookbooks in this time.  I was able to whittle down the amount of sticky tabs, paper scraps, and other bookmarks I had poking from every single one of her books...but I still have plenty more recipes I still want need to try.

This is our week to say goodbye to Tessa and to offer up a huge thank you for giving us so many delicious meals in our kitchens and here at IHCC over the past six months.  So go ahead and remove one more bookmark from the bunch and join us in our final Tessa POTLUCK!

Though it probably won't be weekly anymore (since I just won't have the time), I know that Tessa and I will stay close and she'll be brightening up my kitchen for years to come!

Though goodbye's are always hard, it does mean that we're welcoming a new chef into our homes for the next six months - and it just so happens to be my personal all-time favorite chef - Rick Bayless!  We hope you'll stick around and join us in our endeavor to know and love his food.

Make and post your Goodbye Tessa ...and Thank You! post by Sunday, April 1st. Don't forget to link your post of the week's with Mr. Linky below, so we can all enjoy your fabulous creation! Remember to leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Not sure what a permalink is? Check out our Welcome post.

If you missed the Getting a Little Nutty ...or Seedy! theme last week, be sure to head on over and see all of the delicious dishes everyone brought!  Don't forget, we're cooking through the recipes of Tessa Kiros right now...so if you've linked up, be sure that you've used/adapted one of her recipes for your post!

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Goodbye Tessa ...and Thank You!* Participants

1. Kitchen Flavours - Calamari w/ Lemon, Garlic, & Piri-Piri 2. JamieK - Hummus 3. Heather- Shrimp w/ Feta & Tomato (Garides Saganaki) 4. Small Shoes round-up

5. Kim- A Tessa Kiros Favorites Roundup 6. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Greek Bean Soup and White Milk Bread 7. Natashya - Keftedes in Pita 8. Yvette - Hazelnut chocolate balls

9. Deb in Hawaii--Vegetable Soup 10. Andreas - Pastitsio 11. Donna-maple syrup and vanilla ice cream

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Getting a Little Nutty, or Seedy!

Feeling Nutty? I know I am!

We do get a little nutty here at I♥CC, and we like it that way.

And we like to cook with nuts! We also like to cook with seeds. We are versatile that way.

So let's celebrate these little packets of protein and goodness this week and get nutty together!

 Nuts and seeds make great snacks...

 And are awesome to bake with!

Nuts and seeds are also awesome in savoury dinners, so get out your Tessa Kiros books and find a nutty or seedy dish that tempts you. Blog it and post it to Mr. Linky, below, on or by Sunday March 25th, and let us know how you liked it!

If you need help, read up on the Welcome Page.

 And did you get a chance to check out all the delicious and verdant Green dishes from last week?

*photos from our own Deb, Heather, and Kim!

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Getting a Little Nutty* Participants

1. Heather - Sesame & Pistachio Snacks (Pastelli) 2. Deb in Hawaii--Tomato & Walnut Pesto

3. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Greek Almond Halva 4. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Walnut Almond Baklava

5. Natashya - Pane alle Noci (Walnut Bread) 6. Kim- Baklava

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Go Green!

This week it's not just the beer that's going green.  It's the food too!

Whether you adorn your recipe with lots of fresh green herbs...

or gather up your favorite green veggies...

blend them, roast them, steam them, saute them...cook them any way you chose!

Just Go Green!!

Please make and post your Go Green recipe by Sunday, March 18th.  Need help with Mr. Linky?  Check out our Welcome page for help.  Also, please leave a comment after linking so we don't miss out on your green goodies.

If you missed our March Mezze Madness theme from last week, be sure to head over and check them out!

****Also, if you haven't already, check out this special announcement post about our next I Heart Cooking Clubs chef.  Start getting ready because we begin cooking with our new chef on April 2nd!

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Go Green* Participants

1. Deb In Hawaii--Broccoli Soup 2. Heather - Pipette con Broccoli 3. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Angel Hair Pasta with Zucchini, Mint, and Feta 4. Michelle ~ Creamy Spinach w/ Feta

5. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Spanakopita Rolls 6. JamieK-Herbed Olive Oil 7. Kim- Crostini with Asapargus 8. Natashya - Spinach Cannelloni

9. Andreas -(also) Broccoli Soup ;) 10. Donna- Garlic and pepper broccoli gratin

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March Mezze Madness!

It's March Mezze Madness time!

The word Mezze means sharing. In Greece, true masters of the mezze plate, these little bites of goodness are also known as mezé, mezés, or mezédhes (plural), and are small dishes that can be either hot or cold, and include spicy or savory flavors.

For our theme this week find a Tessa Kiros mezze recipe (or recipes!) and get your March Mezze Madness on!

Can't find a Greek mezze recipe that appeals this week? That's OK, you can still pick an appetizer, tapas, pupu, or small plates dish from another country/culture. It just needs to be a Tessa Kiros recipe, and it needs to be posted by Sunday, March 11th.

Make sure you link up your mezze post with Mr. Linky, below. Need help in linking? Check out our Welcome page. Don't forget to leave a comment so we can make sure not to miss your fabulous dish.

If you missed our Fight Scurvy-Eat More Citrus! theme from last week, be sure and check out all the spiced up recipes everyone made.

****Also, if you haven't already, check out this special announcement post about our next I Heart Cooking Clubs chef. Start getting ready because we begin cooking with our new chef on April 2nd!

*Plates graphic from Stock.xchng.com. Mezze photos from Living in the Kitchen With Puppies, girlichef, Stirring the Pot and Kahakai Kitchen.

I Heart Cooking Clubs *March Mezze Madness!* Participants

1. Kim -Garides Saganaki (Shrimp with Feta and Tomato) 2. Natashya - Dolmades 3. Deb in Hawaii--Tomato Salad & Cucumber Meze

4. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Focaccia all'olio 5. Yvette - Keftedes with fresh pita, tzatziki and cucumber meze 6. Michelle ~ Cucumber Meze, Roast Lemon Potatoes

7. Heather - Tiropita (Cheese Pies) 8. Andreas - Baked Feta 9. Couscous & Consciousness - Prawns Saganaki, Pita Bread & other mezedes

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Special Announcement!

We're swinging from the rafters over here at IHCC in anticipation of our next featured chef! 

photo credit: Chicago Magazine

If you can believe it, this month marks our final month of cooking with Tessa Kiros.  Is it just me or did the past 5 months just fly by!? 

Yes.  This is normally the time we would put a poll up on our sidebar with a list of three or four cooks/chefs (guys this time) to vote for in anticipation of our next six months.  Well.  We've decided to announce a SPECIAL FEATURE this go 'round.  You see.  All four of us - Deb, Natashya, Kim and myself are itchin' to spend a solid six month cooking with Rick Bayless.  Spring...summer...fresh ingredients...all begging to be turned into bright, flavorful Mexican dishes and beverages.  Can you blame us!?  So instead of taking a vote, we decided to announce RICK BAYLESS as our pick for the next six months.  We hope you are as excited to cook with him as we are.

And we promise...it's back to a vote for our next lady chef/cook pick!  There's a link on the sidebar to all of Rick's books on Amazon or here.  He's also contributed to many compilation books...has been featured in magazines...and has a great website - all of which feature a huge variety of things that we can cook/bake up over the course of six months.

Viva Mexico!