Monthly Featured Chef: Diana Henry!

It's time for August's Monthly Featured Chef Event! The week each month where we go back and revisit one of our previous wonderful IHCC featured chefs. 

Whether you cooked with us when this chef was featured, or joined the fun later on, we hope you will enjoy cooking along with them this week.

We cooked along with Diana Henry at IHCC from October 2014 through March 2015 and she quickly became a favorite of many of our members. Raised in Northern Ireland and cooking from the time she was just six years old, Diana has multiple cookbooks, a regular column at U.K.'s The Telegraph, and a great online presence. She's a travel lover who develops delicious recipes with global flavors.  
 
Make and post any Diana Henry recipe (or recipes!) by Sunday, August 14th. If you cooked along with Diana at IHCC, or you have cooked with her before, feel free to share your favorite Diana recipes in your post. 

Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after linking so we don't miss out on your dish.  

New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed out on our Herbalicious theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out the herby Curtis Stone recipes that we shared.

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Farewell Diana Henry!

It's a bittersweet time here at IHCC as we bid farewell to our current chef, Diana Henry. Diana has treated us to some truly wonderful dishes.  We've shared everything from healthy to decadent, classic to exotic, sweet to savory.  We've made family-friendly dishes as well as sophisticated adult meals. It's been a true adventure in the kitchen with Diana!

This week we celebrate Diana Henry one last time. As we say Farewell Diana Henry, feel free to share a new recipe and/or share your Diana Henry favorites. It is always fun to see which recipes were your favorites!

To join in our Farewell party, simply post and link your dish by Sunday, April 5th! Please remember to link your image and leave a comment after you link so we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you!

If you missed out on our March Potluck last week, please click the link to see how we celebrate all our chefs, both past and present!

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And lastly, remember that next week we will be cooking with The One and Only, Jacques Pépin!! Stay tuned to the IHCC site for a whole new look as we prepare to go French!

 

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March Potluck!

Feeling lucky??? 

OK, Are you feeling Potlucky??? 

It's Potluck week!!! That happy week where you can choose any recipe from any of our IHCC chefs! That's right, choose any Diana Henry recipe you like, or if you prefer take the opportunity to revisit any one of our previous ten IHCC chefs: 

Nigella Lawson

Mark Bittman

Giada de Laurentiis

Jamie Oliver

Tessa Kiros

Rick Bayless

Madjur Jaffrey

Yotam Ottolenghi

Donna Hay

Nigel Slater

It's all up to you!

To join in the March Potluck fun, just post and link your dish  by Sunday, March 29th. 

Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish. 

New to IHCC? Need help linking up? Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you. 

If you missed out on our Suitable for the Screen theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the dishes everyone made.

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Suitable For The Screen

No matter whether comedy, mystery, drama, thriller, musical, fantasy, westerns, sci-fi, or horror is your genre of choice, we all love a movie night at home or a night parked in front of the TV.

And a good movie night deserves good food - whether it be delicious snacks (popcorn, spicy nuts, chocolate, etc), or something more substantial that you're happy to eat in front of the screen.

This week we're exploring the theme Suitable For The Screen, and you will be sure to find a Diana Henry recipe that fits the bill.

So get those cookbooks out or look at any of the appropriate online sources, choose any Diana Henry recipe that you'd like to nosh on while you're watching your favourite movie or TV show, and post your dish by Sunday 22 March.

Please remember to link a thumbnail image below, and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your post.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Mystery Box Madness theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the wonderful dishes everyone made.

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Mystery Box Madness: March 2015!

 

Each month we choose a variety of ten mystery box ingredients from which to cook.  It's up to you to select at least three of those ingredients and chose a recipe featuring those ingredients from one of our eleven IHCC chefs!  We love to see which chef you chose to cook with, which ingredients you select, and the reason (or story) behind the recipe you share! Are you ready for March's challenge?

Here are your March 2015 MBM Ingredients:

Bacon
Mushrooms
Thyme
Cucumber
Cumin
Leeks
Apricots
Pistachios
Ricotta

Orange Flower Water

Your dish should contain at least three of these mystery ingredients, and you get to choose any dish from our current guest chef, Diana Henry, or any one of our previous ten IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson
  Mark Bittman
 Giada de Laurentiis
  Jamie Oliver  
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless  
Madjur Jaffrey
Yotam Ottolenghi
 Donna Hay
 Nigel Slater

Which mystery ingredients and chef are calling out to you?

If you are up for the challenge, make and post your dish by Sunday, March 15th.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Heavenly Scent  theme last week, be sure to click on the picture links and check out all the wonderfully aromatic dishes everyone made!

And, if you have a suggestion for future Mystery Box Madness ingredients we would love to hear it! Please leave a comment on this post below.

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Heaven Scent (+ An Exciting Announcement!)

Certainly we eat with our eyes, but equally important to our senses is our sense of smell. Our noses capture those enticing aromas that trigger our memories, make our mouths water, and pull us into a dish. 

You might even say that those aromas are Heaven Scent

Images in collage from Freeimages.com

This week we are making those Diana Henry dishes that are aromatic and heavenly smelling. Sweet or savory,  ...what heaven scent aromas will capture you?

Post and link your aromatic dish by Sunday, March 8th.   Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
 
New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.    

If you missed last week's February Potluck, be sure to click on the links and check out all of the wonderful dishes everyone made. 

***Exciting Announcement***

World-renowned chef Jacques Pépin is turning 80 this year and we want to celebrate! 

To honor the master, we will be cooking along with Pépin at IHCC for the next six months, beginning on April 6th, and lasting through October 4, 2015--and we invite you to join us!

There is a little something for everyone with Pépin's vast collection of over 20 cookbooks, plus his numerous online recipes. Not only can we learn the art of French cooking and practice classic techniques, Jacques Pépin cooks a variety of other cuisines and even has recipes for quick and easy dishes perfect for busy nights. A chef's chef, he is revered and admired by so many and we are excited to cook along with him!

Photo from Kahakai Kitchen (& Jacques Pépin's recipe for Tomato Chowder with Mollet Eggs can be found here.)

If you aren't familiar with Jacques Pépin, check out his biography, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, (it's a fascinating read with recipes) or look him up online--many of his videos are on YouTube, including some of his classic pairings with Julia Child. April's Jacques Pépin themes are now up on the sidebar so you can start planning. (April's Mystery Box Madness Challenge ingredients will be coming soon!)  

As Chef Pépin likes to say, "Happy Cooking!"

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February Potluck!

Oh, yes ... we all love a Potluck around here!

And, what's not to love, when Potluck means not only do you get to choose the recipe, but you also get to choose the chef.

That's right, choose any Diana Henry recipe you like, or if you prefer take the opportunity to revisit any one of our previous nine IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson

Mark Bittman

Giada de Laurentiis

Jamie Oliver

Tessa Kiros

Rick Bayless

Madjur Jaffrey

Yotam Ottolenghi

Donna Hay

Nigel Slater

That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern and "modern Australian" recipes to choose from.

To join in just post and link your February Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday 1 March.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Curds & Whey theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous dishes everyone made.

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Curds & Whey!

 Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

*artwork courtesy of http://www.mothergoose.com

   This week we are making Diana Henry dishes featuring or containing Curds & Whey, or their more modern interpretations--yogurt, labneh, cottage cheese, feta, ricotta, and other cheeses. (And hopefully dishes that are free of any curious spiders!)

   Post and link your Curds & Whey dish by Sunday, February 22nd.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
 
New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.   

  If you missed last week's February Mystery Box Madness, be sure to click on the links and check out all of the wonderful ways our ten mystery ingredients got used.  

 

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Mystery Box Madness: February 2015!

Each month we choose a variety of ten mystery box ingredients from which to cook.  It's up to you to select at least three of those ingredients and chose a recipe featuring those ingredients from one of our eleven IHCC chefs!  We love to see which chef you chose to cook with, which ingredients you select, and the reason (or story) behind the recipe you share! Are you ready for February's challenge?

Here are your February 2015 MBM Ingredients:

Cabbage
Mustard
Yogurt
Freekah or Bulgur Wheat
Za'atar
Tomatoes
Sausage (any kind)
Carrots
Basil (fresh, dry, any kind)
Almonds

Your dish should contain at least three of these mystery ingredients, and you get to choose any dish from our current guest chef, Diana Henry, or any one of our previous ten IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson
  Mark Bittman
 Giada de Laurentiis
  Jamie Oliver  
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless  
Madjur Jaffrey
Yotam Ottolenghi
 Donna Hay
 Nigel Slater

Which mystery ingredients and chef are calling out to you?

If you are up for the challenge, make and post your dish by Sunday, February 15th.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Eats Meets West theme last week, be sure to click on the picture links and check out all the healthy, happy belly dishes everyone made!

And, if you have a suggestion for March's Mystery Box Madness ingredients we would love to hear it! Please leave a comment on this post below.

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East Meets West

Photo courtesy of Deb at Kahakai Kitchen

This week we're exploring the theme East Meets West ... Choosing Diana Henry fusion dishes with a global influence.  In recent years many Asian ingredients, previously unavailable in many parts of the West, have exploded onto the market.  Mysterious curry pastes, miso, fish sauce, lotus root, all manner of noodles, Vietnamese rice papers, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and so many more wonderous ingredients, which were previously unheard of, are now readily available in supermarkets and Asian specialty stores that have popped up in just about every town.

What's even more exciting is that, as well as exploring the use of these ingredients in traditional and authentic ways, we have also found ways to embrace these ingredients and use them in ways that bring excitement and flavour to many more Westernised dishes.  If you live anywhere on the Pacific Rim in particular, you will have discovered these fusion style dishes in abundance.  And now it's your turn ...

Get those cookbooks out or look at any of the appropriate online sources, choose any Diana Henry recipe for a dish that is the perfect marriage of East Meets West, and post your dish by Sunday 8 February.

Please remember to link a thumbnail image below, and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your post.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Veggie Variations theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the wonderful dishes everyone made.

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Veggie Variations!

Ah Veggies...

So many varieties--so good, and so good for you! 

This week we are celebrating those Veggie Variations!

Photos used in collage are from www.freeimages.com

Choose one of Diana Henry's many meat-free, veggie-filled dishes and show your veggie love! 

Post and link your veg-filled dish by Sunday, February 1st.   Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.
 
New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.   If you missed last week's January Potluck, be sure to click on the links and check out all of the wonderful ways our ten mystery ingredients got used. 

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January Potluck!

It's time for our January Potluck!! This week you can choose any recipe from any of our IHCC chefs! That's right, choose any Diana Henry recipe you like, or if you prefer take the opportunity to revisit any one of our previous ten IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson

Mark Bittman

Giada de Laurentiis

Jamie Oliver

Tessa Kiros

Rick Bayless

Madjur Jaffrey

Yotam Ottolenghi

Donna Hay

Nigel Slater

That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern and "modern Australian" recipes to choose from.

To join in just post and link your January Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by January 25th, 2015.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed out on our Along The Spice Trail theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the spicy dishes everyone shared. 

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Along the Spice Trail

This week we're on the spice trail ... Choosing Diana Henry recipes that use exotic and aromatic spices.  Spices come in a dizzying array of colours and flavours - those which bring warmth, sweetness, earthiness, woodsiness, and even mind-blowing heat.  These are the ingredients which add nuance and complexity of flavour to dishes, both sweet and savoury, and evoke memories of meals and places past.

So get those cookbooks out or look at any of the appropriate online sources, choose any Diana Henry recipe for a dish that's Along the Spice Trail, and post your dish by Sunday 18 January.

Please remember to link a thumbnail image below, and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your post.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Mystery Box Madness theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the wonderful dishes everyone made.

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Mystery Box Madness: January 2015!

Here comes our third Mystery Box Madness challenge and the first one for 2015! 

We have some fun Mystery Box Madness ingredients for January and are looking forward to see what tasty dishes those who 'take the challenge' come up with!

Here are your January 2015 MBM Ingredients:

Potatoes
Buttermilk
Flour
Paprika
Onion
Leafy Greens (Any Kind)
Lemon
Honey
Prawns/Shrimp
Feta

Your dish should contain at least three of these mystery ingredients, and you get to choose any dish from our current guest chef, Diana Henry, or any one of our previous ten IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson
Mark Bittman
Giada de Laurentiis
Jamie Oliver
Tessa Kiros
Rick Bayless
Madjur Jaffrey
Yotam Ottolenghi
Donna Hay
Nigel Slater

Which mystery ingredients and chef are calling out to you?  

If you are up for the challenge, make and post your dish by Sunday, January 11th.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Happy, Healthy! theme last week, be sure to click on the picture links and check out all the healthy, happy belly dishes everyone made!

And, if you have a suggestion for February's Mystery Box Madness ingredients we would love to hear it! Please leave a comment on this post below.

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Happy, Healthy!

Time to make those good for you dishes that taste great and make your belly happy!

So pick your best Happy, Healthy Diana Henry recipe and join in on the fun.  Post and link your happy and healthy dish by Sunday, January 4th. 

Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you. 
 
If you missed our December Potluck last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all of the wonderful ways we celebrated our IHCC chefs!

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December Pot Luck!

Oh, yes ... we all love a Potluck around here!

And, what's not to love, when Potluck means not only do you get to choose the recipe, but you also get to choose the chef.

That's right, choose any Diana Henry recipe you like, or if you prefer take the opportunity to revisit any one of our previous nine IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson

Mark Bittman

Giada de Laurentiis

Jamie Oliver

Tessa Kiros

Rick Bayless

Madjur Jaffrey

Yotam Ottolenghi

Donna Hay

Nigel Slater

That makes for a veritable smorgasbord of English, American, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern and "modern Australian" recipes to choose from.

To join in just post and link your December Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday 28 December.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Party Pleasers! theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the fabulous party pleasers everyone made.

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Party Pleasers!

No matter what or how you are celebrating this year, there is sure to be a Diana Henry recipe for you!

This week it is all about Party Pleasers!

Those recipes that are perfect for family gatherings, block parties, potlucks, cocktail parties, romantic dinners for two, or whichever way you like to celebrate in December. 

So pick your best Party Pleasing Diana Henry recipe to join in the fun. Post and link your party dish by Sunday, December 21st.  

Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.  

If you missed our December Mystery Box Madness Challenge last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all of the wonderful ways our ten mystery ingredients got used. 

Note: Your hardworking IHCC hosts have been a little behind this month but we managed to finally decide on January's Cooking Club Themes. They are now posted on the sidebar, along with January's Mystery Box Madness ingredients. (Thanks Joyce for your suggestions--you can see we used a few!)  ;-)

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Mystery Box Madness December '14

It's time for our second Mystery Box Madness.  The first MBM challenge was so much fun! It was so interesting to see which chefs were celebrated, as well as the ingredients chosen, and the way in which those ingredients were combined! This month's Mystery Box Madness ingredients are equally exciting and we can't wait to see how the ingredients lend themselves. 

chocolate

cherries

cinnamon

rolled oats

couscous

pomegranate

curry

coconut milk

lentils

hot peppers/chiles

You get to choose any dish from our current guest chef, Diana Henry, or any one of our previous ten IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson

Mark Bittman

Giada de Laurentiis

Jamie Oliver

Tessa Kiros

Rick Bayless

Madjur Jaffrey

Yotam Ottolenghi

Donna Hay

Nigel Slater

So where's the challenge? - your dish must contain at least three of our mystery ingredients!!

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?!  So put your thinking cap on, get those cookbooks off the shelf, and make and post your dish by Sunday, December 14th.  Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Gifts From The Heart theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the homemade treats with made from the heart!

If you have a suggestion for January's Mystery Box Madness ingredients we would love to hear it! Please leave a comment on this post below.

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Gifts from the Heart!

This week we're making Gifts From the Heart ... exploring Diana Henry recipes for food gifts and other goodies that are perfect for holiday giving.

Cakes, cookies, chutnies, jams, chocolates, pickles, special vinegars, mustards, even homemade liquors, are all perfect for seasonal gift giving.  Like most cooks, we love to give and receive homemade edible gifts for Christmas, and we're sure that within the pages of your Diana Henry cookbooks, or online, you will find loads of inspiration to make some special holiday treats for your family and friends.

So get those cookbooks out or look at any of the appropriate online sources, choose any Diana Henry recipe suitable for a  Gift From the Heart, and post your dish by Sunday 7 December.

Please remember to link a thumbnail image below, and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your post.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.

If you missed our Pot Luck theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the wonderful dishes everyone made.

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November Potluck at IHCC!

 Ahhhh... POTLUCK!!! It's our favorite week of the month! 

Potluck means  that YOU choose the recipe, YOU choose the chef!
 

That's right, choose any Diana Henry recipe you like, or if you prefer, take the opportunity to revisit a favorite of our previous ten IHCC chefs:

Nigella Lawson

Mark Bittman

Giada de Laurentiis

Jamie Oliver

Tessa Kiros

Rick Bayless

Madjur Jaffrey

Yotam Ottolenghi

Donna Hay

Nigel Slater

Oh the possibilities!!!

To join in just post and link your November Potluck dish from any one of our IHCC chefs by Sunday, November 30th.  

Please remember to link a thumbnail image and leave a comment after you link so that we don't miss out on your dish.

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Check out our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.  

If you missed our Sweet Cloves & Liquid Gold theme last week, be sure to click on the links and check out all the wonderful garlic and olive oil-filled dishes.

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