Zucchini Ribbon Lasagna

This morning it was cold. It made it hard to climb out of my warm bed. I guess the chilly climate finally decided to come. In September the weather started to cool off, but then it changed its mind and it got warm again. The same thing happened in October. I thought for sure it would get cold by Halloween...but no, instead it was cool. We even had some rain in October. But today, the winds have finally changed. Now I can officially wear my cozy sweaters. Soon I'll have to start thinking about how I can avoid the flu season.

So in celebration of the cold, I decided to post this great zucchini lasagna recipe I found in my whole living magazine (A Martha Stewart Publication). Squash is in season so this dish is most appropriate. This delicious easy to make lasagna is very healthy and gluten free. You can even leave out the meat to make it vegetarian.



Source: Wholeliving.com.

Pear, Prosciutto, and Gorgonzola Pizza

Lately all of my recipes have been inspired by the fruits and veggies that I receive in my food co-op basket. A few weeks ago I received a nice batch of pears and I immediately thought of the Pear and Arugula Pizza I often get at Sammy's Woodfire pizza. So I figured I would try to make a version of that.



This amazing dish is such a delicious surprise since you would never expect pears on pizza. But trust me, its AMAZING!



But instead of using arugula, I used sunflower sprouts and purple basil. These are my favorite and I am always sure to pick up a small bundle at Molto's Farmers Market on Thursdays. But you can probably use any other kind of herbs like pea shoots.



Source: allrecipe.com

Pumpkin Festival

5 Feel Good Things

A feel good song:

Panna Cotta with Honey and Poached Pears

A normal day for me is waking up at 5:50 am to make the gym where I usually hit the snooze button and 25 minutes later I finally get up resigning myself to a short jog around the neighborhood. Then my day proceeds with work promptly at 9 am and when I finish at 6 pm, I either head to church to attend a Wednesday meeting, do my visiting teaching, or I drop by at a family members house to catch up. Otherwise, I head home to start dinner. With everyday jam packed with activities, finding time to relax has become challenging.



But lately I have discovered that when I find a quiet moment to myself, I really enjoy doing nothing. Sometimes it is for 2 minutes, other times it is for 1 hour. But either way, I allow myself a moment to sink into myself. Now don't get me wrong, I don't spend a whole lot of time doing nothing. I just give myself a time to take a mental break.



For a person who often thinks about the future and thinks about everything in the long run, a moment of doing nothing gives me a chance to appreciate the beauty of the present. I get to just let my mind wander to a warm and calm place. Without even realizing it, my mind took a mental nap. Then I snap back to reality refreshed ready to tackle the remainder of the day.

Bacon Wrapped Figs

Figs are a fairly new food to me. I have heard of them but I have never seen them in a grocery store here in Las Vegas. This past weekend at the Farmer's Market I decided to buy a pint so that I might find out why these expensive little fruits are so coveted by food bloggers across the nation.

I decided to try bacon wrapped figs. I figured it was hard to go wrong with anything wrapped in bacon. I was a little unsure how they would taste...but they were surprisingly pleasant. This recipe was really simple so I think it would be worth tweaking the recipe a bit. Just to bring out more flavor. After a little research, I found that you can also use prosciutto and pancetta in place of turkey bacon. Also I have read that mascarpone or ricotta cheese gives the bacon wrapped fig a nice sweet finishing touch.

Doughnuts Cookbook Now Available on Amazon

I am so excited about Lara Ferroni's new Doughnuts cookbook! If you have never heard of her, she is an amazing food photographer and she offers fantastic photo tips and tricks on her blog.

To promote her new cookbook, she created this really cool little trailer. Check it out!