Xmas Smashed Pea Pasta

Dear Turkey,

It's Christmas. You haven't gone outside all day. You just ate an entire box of Russell Stover Candies (oh, that was just me?), and then you took a nap. You want to eat something simple/light/seasonal-but-also festive (oh, that was just me? you made a goose [you know who you are]?).

My mom had this recipe on her "must make" mountain organized pile since...well, I just checked the date and it was published in 2006. Anyway.

Seriously, this recipe was worth saving. I made just a few changes to the recipe (My mom: do it exactly like it says. Then she went outside). I am going to make it again asap.

Festive Cranberry Cupcakes

Dear Turkey,

Holiday party food: I want something easy to make (I have a toddler), something that I don't have to mess around with/warm up/wash dishes when I get there, something that looks festive, and something that can be an appetizer/bread/dessert/whatever it is I'm supposed to bring.

Also, I had a bag of cranberries in my freezer and I wanted to make something like a pound cake, but I didn't want to have to worry about bringing a whole cake somewhere, and I had two parties to go to this weekend (yup, two, I'm popular). I found this recipe and I was pleased that it met all of my holiday party food criteria, plus the cupcakes (or muffins, if that's what I'm supposed to bring!) are really festively beautiful in a kind of cool and different way, and the whole cranberries counterbalance the sweet buttery cake.

Another Ethiopian Stew! (Sorry!)

Dear World,

If you don't like Ethiopian food as much as I do, just stop reading and tune in next time (or the time after, whenever I just give up and go to the Ethiopian restaurant).

This is a stew that we found in the awesome, awesome, Sundays at Moosewood. It doesn't taste exactly like anything I've had at Ethiopian restaurants, but the tomato base and smoked paprika does make me feel like I'm almost there. And it's just really easy/healthy/delicious, even if you're not going to go all out with the whole nine yards.

I Want to Make Good Ethiopian Food

Dear Ethiopians,

You are probably sick and tired of listening to me talk about how I wish I could cook your national cuisine. You could solve this problem by writing many helpful comments on this post.

In the meantime, here is an update since my last Ethiopian adventure.

Leek PR

Dear Turkey,

I think that leeks are my favorite vegetable. But I have a certain neighbor that I needed to get on board.

Typical neighbor CSA stress rant: "I pretend to like leeks! I make leek soup, I make potato leek soup, I make potato leek broccoli soup, but I just don't like them!"

Me: "maybe it's time to get away from soup."