Nutella Cheesecake Mousse Brownie.

photo by scott haydon

Scott asked me to make something with Nutella. He didn't really care what. And maybe I went a little overboard but the result was definitely worth it. Prepare to be delighted.

The Food Matters Project: Baked Casarecce with Brussel Sprouts, Apple & Gruyere

photos by scott haydon

Welcome to the fourth week of the great Food Matters Project. I'm having an excellent time participating in this project. When I first checked out the Food Matters Cookbook from the library all I could think was: oh but it's so basic. Now I see that the very nature of the majority of Mark Bittman's recipes leads to an unfurling of the creative culinary mind. You can see this quite clearly when you look at all of the different directions people participating in this process take when given a single recipe each week.

This week the assigned recipe is Baked Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts, Figs, and Blue Cheese. You can find the original recipe (and the host for this recipe) here.

The Food Matters Project: Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

this photo by scott haydon

Hi there, this is the third week of The Food Matters Project and I was especially excited about this week's recipe, Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut "Pesto", which can be found here.

I substituted the walnuts with almonds. And I really like the result. The basil, red peppers, garlic, almonds, and olive oil complement each other wonderfully. So far I've only tried it on a couple of crackers but I have plans on using it on some kind of pasta-type supper in the next couple of days.

Rogue Voodoo Donut Bacon Maple Ale (Bread).

all photos on this post by the great scott haydon

We were gifted a very special bottle of beer the other day from our friend Sandy. Rogue Ales collaborated with Voodoo Donut to make Rogue Voodoo Donut Bacon Maple Ale. The result is a beer that is truly something else. It is like someone stuffed a very sweet and savory breakfast into a bottle of beer and shook it up. It is a beer that I took one sip of and could only think - this beer is begging to be a baked good. I know what you're thinking, that this beer was co-created by a BAKERY, of course it would cause one to think of baked goods. I can't fault your logic there. But still! Let's make magic.

The Food Matters Project: Chipotle-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

photo by scott haydon

The kick-off recipe for the Food Matters Project, Chipotle-glazed squash skewers, was hosted by 20 Something Cupcakes and can be found here. Yes, the original recipe is a squash recipe, and yes, I made it with sweet potatoes instead. I like squash but I had sweet potatoes on hand so went with them.

I followed the glaze portion of the recipe without any adaptations. Instead of skewers, I cut my sweet potatoes into fries. I "marinated" the fries in glaze and threw them in the oven. I also made a dipping sauce for the fries. I have a favorite chipotle dip that uses many of the same flavors as the Food Matters recipe.

The Food Matters Project: Seasoned Popcorn

photos by scott haydon

Guys, I am really excited! I am participating in the food matters project (you can click the link to learn more)! I like the idea of branching out and trying new recipes and coming together with a community of people who love good food as much as I do. I DO have to admit, however, that one of the first recipes I'm attempting for the project, Seasoned Popcorn, isn't much of a stretch for me.

I adore popcorn more than most people adore anything.

Lemon Poppyseed Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies

photos by scott haydon

I am currently obsessed with lemons and poppy seeds. Last week it was a Poppy Seed Lemon Cake. This week I really wanted to bake a lemon poppy seed cut-out sugar cookie. But my internet was down and my choices (read: cookie cookbooks available in apartment) were limited. I ended up looking through my handy Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook and coming up with something I thought I could modify relatively simply. I was right.