before i start describing this delicious quiche, which we’ve made three times in the past month, i have to admit that i had never used phyllo dough before, nor had i made a quiche in my adult life (although i’m sure i helped make some when i was a kid). so you can imagine that i was pretty excited when i saw this recipe in the april 2009 edition of vegetarian times. i figured the recipe would expand my culinary repertoire, and i would finally get to try my hand at utilizing phyllo.
early this fall, my dad and bonnie visited us to watch my talented sister perform with the santa cruz symphony. they arrived laden with gorgeous home grown veggies. my dad’s mouth watering signature dish is something that lies between caponata and ratatouille, and thus the vegetables he grew lent themselves well to making this dish.
a few weekends ago, we attended a fall barbecue thrown by my mom and willie. there were amazing quantities of delicious food, lots of good people and conversations, and paddle boats to have fun with on the lake – all which made for a fabulous fall afternoon.
yep, it’s officially fall, dear readers. and with the seasonal change, i decided to attempt to cook my first soup from scratch to keep us warm on the crisp fall nights. soup is a dish that i have had made for me from scratch by my parents, but something i’ve never attempted to make from scratch on my own because the stuff from the can usually fulfills any soup desire i might have
i am really quite biased against mixes. let me be blunt – i hate to use them because i think that i could put together something better from scratch, and i’m particular about flavors, ingredients, etc. the only thing i make from a mix is falafel (and hummus, on one occasion…ok, and pancakes once or twice. shoot, my statement is really falling apart here – i sound like a hypocrite!!).
but seriously, to me, falafel is a magical delicious food that either comes from a box or a falafel eatery. period. but in this month’s vegetarian times, there was a recipe for making falafel from scratch, and i figured that if there was ever a time to tackle this delicacy, this was it. so i put the ingredients on my grocery list, headed out to the store, and surprisingly quickly and easily blended myself some delicious falafels.
