Winter Wonderland

While it's not exactly a winter wonderland here in Toronto - yet - we've never had a winter without one and I kind of look forward to the first big snowfalls.

Sure, it turns slushy and annoying after the first week, but the initial blanketing of the land gives such a magical hush. You almost don't want to walk in it, to keep the pristine nature of the snow.

For those of us in snowy winter climes - now is the time for some serious comfort food. Long braises, roasts, stews, casseroles, and lots of starch. Hot chile, hot chocolate, and anything else with the word hot in it is also appropriate.

But not all of us intrepid I♥CCers live in snowy locales, in fact some of us live in downright warm places.

For them I have two messages - a) please make up the guest bedroom for me, and b) feel free to make a dish that reminds you of ice and snow. Something ice cold like gelato or ice cream would be perfect.

So grab your Tessa Kiros cookbooks, whip something up with Winter Wonderland in mind, and post on or by Sunday, January 1st.

Link up a permalink to your I♥CC post with Mr. Linky, below.

Need more information about linking or what the heck a permalink is? Check out our Welcome page.

*images from google images


I Heart Cooking Clubs *Winter Wonderland* Participants

1. Kim - Finnish Mustard 2. Heather~ Finnish Mustard & Baked Ham

3. Donna- cheese hand pies 4. Deb in Hawaii--(Vegan) Sausage & Potato Goulash

5. Natashya - Lasagne! 6. Andreas - New Year's Cake

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Holiday Goodies

 

Holiday goodies draw you in...their festive colors, their sweet and spicy scents, the care with which they were made...you can just feel the love. 

Cakes, cookies, brownies, chocolates, fudge, candies, breads, nuts, syrups and sauces...just to name a few.  Share the love with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, or even Santa.  Holiday goodies make the best and most heartfelt gifts of the season.    

 Please make and post your Holiday Goodies dish by Sunday, December 25th.  Please link your post, using Mr. Linky below.  Please leave a comment after linking so we are sure to see your dish. 

If you missed the Potluck last week, please head HERE to see all the dishes we shared.

Don't forget...we are cooking the recipes of Tessa Kiros right now, so be sure to make sure you are sharing a Tessa Kiros recipe.

We wish you the happiest of holidays!

1. Michelle ~ Honey Cakes (Melomakarona) 2. Kim - Banana Bread 3. Heather- Double-Vanilla Meringue w/ Sugared Cranberries

4. Donna- Chocolate cranberry cookies 5. Deb in Hawaii--Raspberry Sauce 6. Couscous & Consciousness - Finnish Mustard

7. Natashya - Gravlax with Dill Cucumbers 8. Yvette- Chocolate Cake w/ Icing

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December Potluck with Tessa Kiros!

It's time for our December POTLUCK!

POTLUCK week means that it is your chance to make the Tessa Kiros recipe of your choice. Maybe it's something warm and snuggly for a winter's day, a quick & easy dinner creation for a busy December night, festive holiday fare, or sweets for your cookie plate?

It's all good and it's all up to YOU!

The only thing we ask (why yes, we are picky like that!) is that you pick a Tessa Kiros recipe and make and post it by Sunday, December 18th. Make sure you link up your POTLUCK creation using Mr. Linky below. Don't forget to leave a comment after you use Mr. Linky to link your post, just to be sure we don't miss your fabulous POTLUCK dish. If you are new to IHCC, just click on our Welcome post to get all of the details.

If you missed our A Study in Scarlet last week, be sure to head on over and see all of the gorgeous red dishes everyone brought!

See you at the December POTLUCK!

I Heart Cooking Clubs *December Potluck with Tessa* Participants

1. Heather- Pumpkin Jam 2. Deb in Hawaii--Rotini w/ Red Pepper & Anchovy Sauce 3. Kim - Garlic and Black Pepper Broccoli Gratin

4. Couscous & Consciousness - Chicken with Coriander & Spinach Rice 5. Michelle ~ French Fries with Salt, Pepper, and Oregano 6. Natashya - Milk Rolls

7. Andreas - Beans with Olive Oil 8. natalia

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A Study in Scarlet

Red fruits and veggies are packed with antioxidants such as lycopene and anthocyanins which help fight heart disease and prostate cancer and could help reduce the risk for stroke and the leading cause of blindness in older people, macular degeneration.  Antioxidants also soak up damaging free radicals.  Don't forget to add red wine into that category!  Even lean red meats are a nutrient-dense protein and a source of iron, zinc, and minerals including vitamin B12, niacin, and vitamin B6.  As in all things- moderation.

So whaddaya say?  Are you convinced to break out those scarlet-hued foods?  Be it beef or lamb...red apples, bananas, cherries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, beets, radishes, pears, tomatoes, onions, chiles, beans...or a bottle of pinot noir, chianti, burgundy, cabernet sauvignon, or merlot...or anything else that fits the bill...head into the kitchen and start seeing red!  We can't wait to see what you come up with this week!

Make and post your A Study in Scarlet post by Sunday, December 11th. 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 Bean There, Done That 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!

*All images sourced through Google Images


I Heart Cooking Clubs *A Study in Scarlet* Participants

1. Michelle ~ Reddened 2. Deb in Hawaii--Cranberry Syrup 3. Yvette - La pizza rossa

4. Heather- Dark Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies 5. Couscous & Consciousness - Stuffed Aubergines 6. Kim - Kokkinisto (Reddened)

7. Natashya - Beet Gnocchi 8. Andreas - Peppers with Feta

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Bean There, Done That

Beans. They seem so pedestrian. And yet - they are the workhorses of your pantry.

I know, you stocked up on dried beans for economical nutrition and the upcoming zombie-apocalypse and haven't been using them as often as you thought you would. That's okay. The beans forgive you. Beans are cool like that.

They wait patiently for you to remember to soak some overnight to make a dish, some even hang out in cans in case you forget.

I like refried beans. That's why I wanna try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're just wasting time. You don't have to fry them again after all.
Mitch Hedberg

Beans offer good nutrition and body to a dish, and work magically with rice, corn and other grains. And herbs love 'em. Just ask them.

So get out your Tessa Kiros books and find a recipe featuring beans! Cook it up, post it, and link to Mr. Linky (below) to show it off!

In the meantime - have you had a chance to check out all the posts from last week? We had an outstanding Attitude of Gratitude going on!

Get your bean on and link a permalink up to Mr. Linky on or by December 4th.

~

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

All photos from google images

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Bean There, Done That* Participants

1. Yvette - sausages and beans 2. Kim- Cannellini Bean Puree 3. Michelle ~ Baked Giant Butter Beans

4. Deb in Hawaii--Cannellini Beans w/ Olive Oil 5. Natashya - Cannellini Beans in Tomato Sauce 6. Heather - Farro & Cranberry Bean Soup

7. Torwen - Cannellini Bean Puree 8. Donna-Green bean souffle loaf

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Attitude of Gratitude

Which foods are you most grateful for?

Do certain recipes come to mind when you think of a bountiful table? 

Please make and post your Attitude of Gratitude dish by Sunday, November 27th. 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 Orange Skies 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!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends!

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Attitude of Gratitude* Participants

1. Mika-Ludi's Chicken 2. Deb in Hawaii--Sage & Rosemary Mashed Potatoes 3. Heather - Chocolate Orange Pull-Apart Bread

4. Michelle ~ Olive Bread 5. Natashya - Pão Buns 6. Kim- Baked Butternut Squash with Butter and Sugar

7. Yvette - Chocolate & Cranberry Biscuits 8. Donna-Bussola 9. Andreas - Mixed Pulses Soup

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Orange Skies...

Orange is the new black this week with our Orange Skies...theme.

We will be making any Tessa Kiros recipes where orange-hued ingredients are featured in either a starring role or as part of a strong supporting cast.

Whether you choose recipes with oranges and citrus, salmon or shrimp, pumpkin and other squash, sweet potatoes or even red lentils (Hey, they look orange!), post your orange celebration by Sunday, November 20th.

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 our Potluck 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!

Oh yeah, apparently Orange Skies... is a song. If you are feeling trippy and want to get your psychedelic-folk-rock, carnival-and-cotton candy-loving, funky-self on, you can check out this link to the video courtesy of Natashya. ;-)

We can't wait to see your Orange Skies... creation!

***Photos courtesy of stock.xchng and Kahakai Kitchen

I Heart Cooking Clubs *Orange Skies-Tessa Kiros* Participants

1. Deb In Hawaii--Carrot Soup 2. Mika-Eggs with Bread and Butter 3. Heather - Mandarin Orange Jam

4. Yvette - Chicken drumsticks&wings with Orange tomato glaze 5. Kim-Little Spinach and Carrot Ramekins 6. Kitchen Flavours - Carrot Salad with Cardamom, Ginger and Lemon

7. Natashya - Carrot Soup 8. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Winter Squash Pizza 9. Andreas - Pumpkin Pizza

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