Small Plates

The smaller the better. Small is beautiful. Small is the new big. Biggy Smalls. It's a small world, afterall. The best things come in small packages. Yup, this week size does matter! This week we're talkin' SMALL PLATES! That almost doesn't look right...maybe I should have said small plates! Now, that doesn't mean head into the kitchen, cook something up and put it on a little plate although it doesn't mean not to, either. Think appetizer. Think just the perfect size for a taste...tease your palate, if you will. Think something you've always wanted to make, but didn't want to eat it all yourself, so you make it into tasting portions.

You decide which way you'd like to take it! A sit down with a lover... A day of kitchen experimentation... or a veritable tasting feast for your friends and neighbors... You know the old saying... So, break out the dip! Dig out those saucers and mini-plates that you don't use often enough. And maybe even try something new...something you toyed with tasting, but didn't want to eat it all yourself. Call them what you will...tapas, mezze, pupus (I especially like this one), hors-d'oeuvre, smorrebrod, zakouski, canapé, appetizer...what SMALL PLATES will you dazzle with this week?

If you haven't seen what Traditions everybody cooked up last week, be sure to head over and find out!

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Find any of Nigella Lawson's recipes, either in her cookbooks or online, cook it and make sure you post it by January 3rd. And of course don't forget to link up with Mr. Linky so that everyone can find and see your dish.

***Oh! I thought I'd mention that the small plates collage at top is made up of photos by IHCC members (clockwise starting in upper LH corner: girlichef, Adventures with the Woods, BigSisLilSis & Living in the Kitchen with Puppies)!
I Heart Cooking Clubs *Small Plates* Participants

1. Leana - Caramel Croissant Pudding 2. DebinHawaii--Halloumi Bites 3. Natashya - Small Tomato Tarts

4. Kim -Stirring the Pot 5. Tina Marie~ Cocktail Sausages 6. debbmarie - Hasselback Potatoes

7. Gonna want seconds-Prosciutto Bundles

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Traditions

Traditions.
The things that we do during holidays and special occasions, both small and monumental, that make them personal and special to us.
Whether you are carrying on long family traditions or making new ones, food often takes center stage.

Christmas of course is a huge event this week, and there are many other winter holidays to celebrate all over the world as well. Regardless of the holiday, they celebrate family, love, giving and sharing. And don't forget food!

Find any of Nigella Lawson's recipes, either in her cookbooks or online, cook it and make sure you post it by December 27th. And of course don't forget to link up with Mr. Linky so that everyone can find and see your dish.

If you haven't had a chance yet, check out December's Pot Luck! I think this has been an exceptionally good one. I had a rather large portion of each.

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please 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.

And Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

December Potluck!

It is time to Potluck for December!

Potluck is our monthly "anything goes" theme where you cook up whichever of Nigella's dishes that you want to and post it to share with the rest of the IHCC group.

Whether you are trying out holiday party dishes, looking for something simple and easy, or are trying to sneak some salad into a month full of decadent dishes, there is a Nigella dish for you out there.

Find any of Nigella Lawson's recipes either in her cookbooks or online, cook it and make sure you post it by December 20th and of course don't forget to link up with Mr. Linky so that everyone can find and see your dish

If you are still craving cookies, don't forget to check out all the treats from last week's Cookies and Dessert Exchange--although I gained weight just looking at them!

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please 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.

Happy December cooking, see you at the Potluck!

Cookie Exchange!

Woohoo! It is that time of year again, time to be nice to neighbours, family, and co-workers.. ok, some of you might be nice to them all year round, saint-like beings that you may be, but at this time of year we go the extra mile.
Baking, sharing, laughing.. there is something about the holidays that can bring out the best in us. And bring we shall - this week's I Heart Cooking Clubs theme is Cookie Exchange! Bars, squares, cupcakes and other goodies are also perfectly wonderful and acceptable.

So grab your Nigella cookbooks, or search for one of her recipes online, and bake up something wonderful for sharing. And who knows? Maybe someone will bake something nice for you this year!

Post your Cookies or Dessert Exchange on your blog any time this week by Sunday the 13th of December and link your post up to Mr. Linky so that we can all share in your treats!

Oops, sorry about that extra R. I got over excited, apparently.

Well who wouldn't? We are talking Cookies here! Shortbreads, sablés, drop cookies, oatmeal, chocolate chip, glazed, sprinkled....

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please 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 for all the details.

While you're at it, make sure you have had a chance to check out all the wonderful Goddess Goodies from last week!

"Goddess Goodies"

"The trouble with much modern cooking is not that the food it produces is not good, but that the mood it induces in the cook is one of skin-of-the-teeth efficiency, all briskness and little pleasure. Sometimes that's the best we can manage, but to others we want to feel not like a postmodern, post feminist, overstretched modern woman but, rather, a domestic goddess, trailing nutmeggy fumes of baking pie in our languorous wake. So what I'm talking about is not being a domestic goddess, exactly, but feeling like one." --Nigella Lawson

As we are fast approaching peak holiday time, most of us are busy, stressed, perhaps a bit more harried than normal. What better time feel like goddesses, domestic or otherwise, to channel our inner Nigellas and enjoy some Goddess Goodies, our theme for this week.

Nigella says "Cooking is about balance and harmony" and Goddess Goodies are those foods that make us feel good--the treats that delight and sustain us.

For some it may be something sweet, for others something savory or earthy...maybe something light and ethereal, or perhaps something thick and creamy...something decadent...or something healthy. Only you know what your inner goddess desires!


So look through your cookbooks or browse online for the perfect Nigella Lawson recipe that captures the spirit of your inner goddess. Post your Goddess Goodies creation on your blog through Sunday, December 6th. If you didn't get a chance to yet, stop by and take a look at last week's amazing and delicious Side Dish Superstars!

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please 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 for all the details.

Side Dish Superstars!

This is a huge cooking week for many in the States...with Thanksgiving lurking so near! Now, we pretty much all know we're going to cook a turkey...maybe the same way we always have...maybe a new recipe or brine or rub or cooking method. But definitely turkey. Of course, you don't have to be celebrating anything this week to contemplate what's going to be on your plate this week. Start with your meat (or main dish...sorry vegetarians)...
I love to eat turkey love to eat tur-ur-key (thank you Adam Sandler)...BUT there's just something about planning around that turkey...looking beyond that main dish...finding that perfect...
Oh yeah...the side dish!! Or side dishes, if you will. Those are what truly make the meal. And endless possibilities! I just know that you can find a fabulous Nigella Lawson recipe to fit into this weeks theme:Scour the websites...pour through your books...and come up with a fabulous side dish to share here at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week! And if you missed this months Potluck, be sure to head over and check out the goodies that everybody shared.

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please 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.

November Potluck!

Welcome to November's I Heart Cooking Clubs Potluck!!

One week a month we celebrate a cooking free-for-all, cooking up any of Nigella Lawson's dishes that tickles our fancy and sharing it up with the rest of the group.

What will it be? Romantic dinner for two? Treats for the office? Delicious Friday night feast? The choice is yours.


So look through Nigella Lawson's recipes in her books or online, cook up something that looks great to you, post it by November 22nd and link up to Mr. Linky so that the rest of us can share with you!

And hey, did you get a chance to check out all the delicious Man Food from last week? Mmmm, makes me hungry just thinking about it! (The food, I mean!)

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please 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.

Happy cooking, see you at the potluck!

"Man Food!"

It looks as though a wonderful "Autumn Harvest" was had by all. Check out the many delightful dishes shared last week here.

This week we bring you "Man Food" and we promise we are not trying to be sexist here at I Heart Cooking Clubs. But there are some foods that men just love (and many women too of course!).

"Man Food" is usually thought of as being simple, hearty, big flavor and filling--think meat and potatoes, hearty vegetables, filling stews, anything grilled or really whatever suits your (or your man's) food fancy.

Nigella has plenty of "Man Food" style recipes to chose from online (see the links to her website and the Food Network on the side bar), or in her books, so join us for some fun this week!

Although Alton Brown defined "Man Food" on "Good Eats" once as "Food best consumed in a La-z-boy", you don't need to have a man or a recliner sitting around the house to take part in this one.

What you do need is a Nigella Lawson recipe to post on your blog by November 15th...and to link the permalink of your I Heart Cooking Clubs post for this week with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your version of "Man Food." Please 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.

Autumn Harvest

I hope everyone had a safe and spooky Halloween! Check out our Spooky Treats and Spirits here.
This week's cooking club theme is Autumn Harvest.
A celebration of the bounty of the earth, generally before the cold or cooler weather sets in. Autumn harvest may mean something different in your part of the world, and we look forward to learning about it!

Eat the Seasons lists the following produce as being in season in North America now:

VEGETABLES
bell peppers, beet, broccoli, broccolini, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cauliflower, celery root, chard, collards, fennel, garlic, leeks, parsnip, potatoes (maincrop), pumpkin, rutabaga, salsify, spinach, sweet potatoes, sunchoke, wild mushrooms

FRUIT & NUTS
almonds, apples, chestnuts, cranberries, pears, persimmon, pomegranate

There may be more in your area, check your local resources if you are unsure.

"Our deep respect for the land and its harvest is the legacy of generations of farmers who put food on our tables, preserved our landscape, and inspired us with a powerful work ethic."
James H. Douglas

So come celebrate the fruits of the land's long labours and cook up an Autumn Harvest dish from one of Nigella's books or online recipes.

Be sure to post them on your blog by November 8th...and then link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Spooky Treats and Spirits!

Fog...mist...dense, old trees...light of the moon...owls hooting...teeth chattering...leaves rustling... ...costumed bodies...outstretched arms...nervous giggles...eyes darting...bones rattling...cauldrons bubbling... ...distant cackling...black cats slinking...potions brewing...eery eyes glowing...teeth aching...arriving home to find...Yes!! Our theme this week is Spooky Treats & Spirits! So, put on your thinking caps...step outside of the box and whip up something SPOOKY!! What fun ideas will you come up with to twist a Nigella Lawson recipe into something fitting this time of year? We are eagerly awaiting your creations!!

Be sure to post them on your blog by November 1st...and then link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Did you make it to our Potluck last week? We had some fabulous treats...be sure to go check them out if you missed it!

October Potluck!

A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food to be shared among the group. The original meaning was "food given away to guests", probably derived from "whatever food one is lucky enough to find in the pot" Wiki.

I Heart Cooking Clubs will be hosting a potluck once a month and you decide what to bring!

A gorgeous stew to keep us warm? Big pitcher of margaritas to keep us festive? Leg of lamb with lots of veggies? Potlucks are the ultimate wildcard - you decide what to make. So look through Nigella Lawson's recipes in her books or online, cook up something that looks great to you, post it by October 25th and link up to Mr. Linky so that the rest of us can share with you!

In the meantime, make sure you have had a chance to check out all the delicious Midnight Sneaks from last week. Mmm, well worth sneaking a second helping!

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Happy cooking, see you at the potluck!

Midnight Sneaks!

In tribute to Nigella's famous late night trips down to her fridge to steal a bite of something delicious she made, this week our theme is "Midnight Sneaks". So what qualifies as a Midnight Sneak? Well...pretty much anything! A Midnight Sneak is any Nigella recipe that you would get up in the middle of night for, just to have another bite (or bites!) of it.

It might be savory, it might be sweet or even spicy. It could be a shared plate of pasta or a gooey creamy dessert--it's all up to you! Utensils are optional, in Nigella's world, fingers will do just fine!

So take a look through your Nigella cookbooks or online and find a Nigella recipe that you think is worthy of a stealthy late night visit to your refrigerator and post it on or by Sunday, October 18th.

Can't wait to see your late night crave-worthy selections!

If you haven't yet, take a look at all the amazing "One Dish Wonders" from last week--some truly wonderful choices!

Happy Cooking!

Link your I Heart Cooking Clubs post of the week's permalink with Mr. Linky, below, so we can all see your fabulous cooking club creation! Please leave a comment after, each week that you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Don't know what a permalink is? Please refer to the Welcome page.