Time to Cook, part 2

Last week I posted that I had selected some recipes to try out to get back into cooking after a period of baking. I made skillet gnocchi and chunky vegetable soup. This week I made Mediterranean macaroni & cheese and spiced dal with cilantro yogurt. Both were definite winners!

Please excuse the dimly lit photograph above. This mac & cheese contained fresh basil, olives, and feta--just a few of my favorite things. This recipe is one I'll definitely make again. You can find it here, where you can also find much prettier photos. I made it as written there, but I also threw in some chopped fresh spinach because I had some on hand. Next time I'll add more for an extra boost of veggies.

The spiced dal with cilantro yogurt is much more photogenic! I found the recipe here. So good! Sometimes I forget how yummy and sweet cooked carrots are. Curry powder, cilantro, lemon, and yogurt all together with red lentils. Plus it's pretty easy to make. (The hardest part for me is cooking rice. I can never get that quite right.)

Sometime soon I'll post the nommy cocoa-molasses cookies I made, and my birthday cake, which I am making later today!