Savory and Sweet Crepes

For Labor Day weekend, the whole family got together in Minnesota.  This is our annual family reunion where we all get together are go to the Minnesota State Fair.  My mom and I always enjoy ourselves wandering in and out of all the buildings and finding the best (read least deep fried) food at the fair.  There are a few foods we have to have every year.  We always stop by the crepe booth and get the cranberry, brie, and almond crepe.  The chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick is another yearly tradition.  We also spend a while each years examining all the craft products like the gorgeous quilts and afghans.  We look at all the produce and baked goods and try to determine the judging criteria for a perfect potato or spice cakes.  It is a wonderful annual tradition.

As part of our family get together, Noah, my father, and I all cooked a dinner for all 14 people in the family.  Somehow we decided on crepes.  Now this is not something I would normally make for a large group.  Crepes take quite a bit of time, can be a lot of work, and are difficult to make well in just a skillet.  My aunt, however, happened to have an electric crepe maker that simplified the process some what.

Risotto with Leeks and Peas

I've always found risotto to be a beautiful dish.  Whether it stands on its own or acts as a bed for some seared scallops or other accompaniment, the creamy risotto is a sight to behold.  I think it is marvelous the way that the starch slowly cooking rice creates the creamy goodness.  Risotto is also very versatile.  You can add several different ingredients to the rice to fit your mood or whatever you are serving it with.

Zucchini Bread

Continuing on my theme of having too much zucchini, this Sunday's brunch was zucchini bread.  I tried four different recipes of zucchini bread, all of which were delicious and asked my friends what they liked and did not like about each.  This resulted in the following recipe, which I then used to make even more zucchini bread.  (How else am I going to use 20 zucchinis?)  But, since the first set didn't even last a full day, I don't think anyone minds me making more.

Pasta with Zucchini

This meal was very much a product of throwing together what was in the fridge.  Last weekend my dorm threw a party and made lots of kebabs.  Of course we bought giant quantities of the vegetables we needed from a restaurant supply store, which means that we have pounds of zucchini left over.  I also needed a fast meal since I had less than an hour to cook and eat dinner.  Consequently, this dish was created.  Despite the ease, the flavors came together very well to make a lovely dinner.

Sourdough Pizzas

My favorite pizza topping combination is a bit unusual.  Ironically, the first time I had it was in an airport, not a location known for its stelar food choices.  Traveling back after a term of college I got stuck in the Phoenix airport for several hours due to a massive storm front in the midwest.  With the extended layover I had time to figure out the best food options in the terminal and stumbled across La Grande Orange.  They have a great pizza called the Avocado Lovers which is topped with avocado, lemon zest, and fresh basil as soon as it comes out of the oven.  This might not exactly sound like the best combination but the slightly warm avocado provides the perfect counter point to the fresh basil leaves while the lemon zest adds a pop of flavor to the cheese.  After leaving the airport, I thought I would never have this wonderful pizza again, but it turns out that there is also a La Grande Orange pizza place in the LA area, and thus I have been able to eat this delicious pizza a few more times while at college.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are often overlooked in the cookie family.  They are a simple sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  They are not my favorite cookie (not enough chocolate) but I much prefer them to the frosted sugar cookies.  Someone requested I make a batch, and so two friends and I decided to make them.  My family's recipe comes from my Aunt Linda, a wonderful lady that past away some years ago.  It is very simple to make and results in a lovely buttery and cinnamon cookie.

Artichokes

I love vegetables.  When I am just cooking for myself, I often choose to simply have vegetables for dinner.  One of my favorites is artichokes.  They are a bit of work to eat, but easy enough to prepare.  You can simply steam the artichokes, but I find that the few minutes of extra time that this method takes is worth the effort.  You can eat the artichokes plain or with either of the two dipping sauces below.