Looks good, doesn’t it? The first recipe from Plenty, Sweet Potato Cakes, was definitely a hit!

I did a few minor substitutions (like plain nonfat yogurt for the Greek yogurt, green onions for the cilantro in the sauce, and jalapeno for the red chili – and twice the amount of that which in my opinion still wasn’t enough kick).

Aside from the need to steam the potatoes in advance and let them sit to drain for an hour (which they didn’t very much in an hour), this came together really quickly and easily. I think you could make up the sauce and the potato mixture in advance and then cook them as a nice appetizer when company arrived.

It says “serves 4″ but gives no indication how many it should make – though it did say to make them roughly 2 inches in diameter by 3/8 inch thick. But I much prefer to be told that it will make 12, which is what it made for me in the end, so that I know I’m divvying it up right.

That would mean that 3 of these would be a serving. This was basically dinner for us, so we each ate 4, and decided that was really too many. One or two as a side dish or appetizer is a much better way to eat these.

These were delicious and the sauce was a perfect complement. I took some to my neighbor and she gave them the thumbs up as well. She claimed she couldn’t even be bothered to get a fork; she just ate them with her fingers!

I’m thinking these would make a great substitute for the traditional sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving!

I’m eager to pick out another recipe to try, but I’m off to Connecticut tomorrow and then back home again to California on Wednesday. Wish me luck!

I am super excited about this new cookbook I just got – first new cookbook I’ve bought in AGES!

It’s all about vegetables. Mostly. But also other delicious things as well. Just because it’s all about vegetables, doesn’t make all the recipes healthy, however. I do tend to balk at ones that list 2/3 cup of oil as one of the ingredients. Might not try that recipe right away.

But what to try first?? I thought I’d make it easier to pick something by choosing from the first chapter, Roots, but I’m afraid that’s not a huge help. Here are just a few that I’m considering:

Sweet potato cakes

Surprise Tatin

Royal potato salad

Roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes with caper vinaigrette

Sweet potato wedges with lemongrass creme fraiche

Which one looks and sounds best to you??

Some dear friends of ours gave us a fabulous gift for Christmas this year – a West Indian Dinner from Culture Kitchen SF. I’d never heard of this San Francisco business before receiving this box, but I’ll definitely be interested in trying this again!

They do both in-person cooking classes in a variety of cuisines and dinners in a box. Our Indian dinner came with recipes, rice, dal, and all the spices needed to make a complete Indian dinner. All I had to buy were the perishables – chicken, dairy products (yogurt and heavy cream), and the fresh vegetables.

January was a super busy month and I never had time to devote to all the chopping and preparation this meal was going to require. But as soon as the Bobbin’s Nest brick and mortar store was closed, I put the making of this feast on the top of my list of things to do!

Once everything was chopped and organized, this meal came together amazingly easily. In the above photo you can see the entire spread – chicken tikka at the top left (best chicken tikka I have EVER had, by the way!), moong dal on the bottom left, spiced vegetables in the center (broccoli, carrots, potato, and red pepper), and saffron rice with cashews and golden raisins on the right. Accompanied by cilantro for garnish, a red onion pickle for the chicken tikka, and my requisite plain yogurt (the key to tolerating spicy food, in my opinion).

And here it is on my plate! This was really spectacular. The recipes are all keepers, and the bonus is that I actually own most of the spices already, though there are a few that I’ll have to make a trip to the Indian market for (I don’t have amchur powder, tava masala, or asofoetida, but I’m sure they’ll have them).

I’m looking forward to making this meal for company sometime!

Love the combination of summer fruit and cool enough weather that I can actually turn the oven on!

Peach and blueberry buckle, a la The Joy of Cooking. De-lish!

Also, my sewing machine is back from the spa and appears to be all better, so I’ll hopefully be returning to the previously-scheduled programming of sewing myself a summer wardrobe!