White As Snow

The view outside your kitchen window is white as snow.  You smile to yourself because this is a cook's dream.  Your favorite room, your kitchen, has the best view in the house.  A view of beauty and wonder, stillness and peace, magic and nostalgia.    

You remember the days when you couldn't wait to get out there and roll around in the snow with your friends.  But now you are older and you are content to stay inside where you are snug and warm.  The snow still calls to you, but the kitchen calls louder. 

You start off your adventure with a cup of coffee, or maybe even a hot chocolate.  Of course you need that dollop, or two, of freshly whipped white cream.

 As you putter about you imagine all the ways you will enjoy your day in the kitchen. The scent of fresh bread baking is the first thing to cross your mind. You can picture yourself slicing into loaf of white bread and slathering it with butter, peanut butter, or jelly.

Later on for dinner you'll enjoy a comforting dish blanketed in a lovely white cream sauce.  Or, maybe today is the day for a glorious side of buttery white mashed potatoes?  Pizzas and pastas laden with cheese. Or perhaps the stillness of the day challenges you to try that fancy fish recipe.  You know the one.  The one where the flaky white fish is bathed in a flavorful sauce.  

 But then your sweet tooth gets the best of you and you realize that you must have dessert.  You start daydreaming about vanilla cakes, meringues as fluffy as the clouds, and warm and spicy rice puddings and before you know it your decision is made.  Or is it? 

Please make or post your White As Snow recipes by January 22nd.  Don't forget to link your post of the week with Mr. Linky below and leave a comment afterwards so we don't miss you gorgeous recipe. If you're new to IHCC, just click on our Welcome post to get all of the details.

If you missed out on our rice is nice recipes then visit here.

Outside it is white as snow.  What are you making in your kitchen?

I Heart Cooking Clubs *White As Snow* Participants

1. Heather - Italian Sausage & Potato Frittata 2. Kayte - Baked Fish Parcels 3. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Winnie the Pooh Waffles with Honey

4. Natashya - Skordalia 5. Deb In Hawaii--Skordalia 6. Michelle ~ Fusilli con Cavolfiore (sort of!)

7. Kim -Baked Feta 8. Andreas - Braised Endive 9. Donna-Gelato al limone

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Rice is Nice!

It's a simple, humble grain, but rice is the the most important staple food for a large part of the world's population.

Rice is Nice!

Rice is versatile. There are many different kinds of rice to choose from. Different colors, textures, sizes, and tastes. A rice for everyone

This week show how Rice is Nice! by picking a Tessa Kiros recipe that features rice.

Make all that Nice Rice a main course, a side dish, or even a dessert. Just make it a Tessa Kiros recipe, and post it by Sunday, January 15th.

Make sure you link up your Rice is Nice! 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 rice dish. If you are new to IHCC, just click on our Welcome post to get all of the details.

If you missed spending last week, Under the Tuscan Sun, be sure to head on over and see all of the delectable 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 *Rice is Nice* Participants

1. Andrea at Nummy Kitchen -- Mushroom Risotto 2. Kayte - Spinach Rice 3. Michelle ~ Shrimp & Spinach Brown Rice Risotto 4. Deb in Hawaii--Tomato Rice

5. Natashya -Tomato Risotto 6. Heather~ Smoky Tomato Risotto 7. Donna-fried risotto balls 8. Kim -Fried Risotto Balls

9. Couscous & Consciousness - Artichoke & Italian Sausage Risotto 10. JamieK

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Under the Tuscan Sun

photo credit: 100 Layer Cake

Even though my toes are frozen inside of my socks as I sit here, just saying the word...Tuscany...makes me feel all warm and toasty inside.  The landscape, the sun, attitude, the food.  Sigh.  It's been my "main destination" for as many years as I can remember.  I want to stroll through the vineyards, plucking fat, sweet grapes from the vine.  I want to press the nectar from fresh olives.  I want to tear off a hunk of a Tuscan boule and eat it with some locally made cheese and salami.  And I definitely want to find myself a pig with the snout of a truffle detective!

photo credit: Purple Chocolat Home

Tuscany...to me...is all of this and so much more.  Giant sunflowers, bowing their heavy heads.  Rice and gelato and beets and mushrooms and chickens and lemons and fragrant herbs and a colorful veggies galore!  So what do you say?  Wanna cook up a Tuscan inspired meal and set a gorgeous Tuscan-scaped table amidst the vineyards?  I'll be the one with a bottle of vino in one hand and a bottle of olive oil in the other...drunk on sunshine and happiness.

What will you bringing to our Tuscan table this week?  Check out Twelve: A Tuscan Cook Book by Tessa for lots of food and inspiration!

photo credit: Tuscan Traveler

Make and post your Under the Tuscan Sun post by Sunday, January 8th. 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 Winter Wonderland 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 *Under the Tuscan Sun* Participants

1. Chicken alla Pizzaiola 2. JamieK 3. Natashya - Fusilli con Cavolfiore

4. Heather~ Pane co' Santi 5. Andreas - Osso Bucco with Gremolata 6. Kim - Risotto with Artichokes and Sausage

7. Couscous & Consciousness - Cappuccino Fredo/Coffee Granita 8. Deb in Hawaii--Zuppa di Ceci

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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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