I love it when you run across a blogger that is not afraid to have fun with their food and try new things. Michelle, from An Apron Away From A Straitjacket, is insanely hilarious and is quite the food porn photographer ;) (See here)

Like all devoted bakers Michelle was studying up on her ingredient substitutions. Reading that cottage cheese is often a superb substitution for milk in bread recipes she decided to try this concept out on her oh, so delicious cinnamon rolls. Consider that this is a yeast bread recipe and does take a fair amount of time, but don’t worry Michelle has provided us with some kitchen cleanup projects to keep us preoccupied while waiting for the rolls to rise. (Aren’t you just dying to go read her blog now??) The final result was pure delight! I’m sure these gooey cinnamon rolls were gone in no time!

Take some time this weekend to play with your food, and make these cinnamon rolls for your family :) Enjoy!

The incredible edible egg used to be the jingle that we associated with that protein-rich versatile breakfast food. Then it seems everyone started warning us against the high cholesterol yolks; we were told to avoid them. Now I keep hearing that eggs really are the power food we used to think they were; high in omega 3 fatty acids and more filling than a bowl of cereal, we shouldn’t fear them.

Well, I’m just going to listen to my taste buds this time; I have a feeling eggs are pretty good for me and I know they’re also quite tasty. I used to prefer them in omelet form, then I came across Dani’s Brown Butter Fluffed Egg Sandwiches! The brown butter fluffed part really caught my attention. I imagined savory clouds of fluffy yellowness served nicely over a toasted bun, the perfect breakfast that’s easy to take on the road!

Dani says there’s actually a technique to making fluffy eggs. So what’s the trick? She says you’re supposed to use a flat cooking utensil, think a big wooden spoon or maybe a spatula with a wide face. But don’t use a fork, she says! You won’t get what she calls ‘cloudy poufs’ if you use a fork! Check out what other tips Dani has to offer on her blog Catch the Spoon.

Chicken Claypot is one of my absolute favorite dishes! I used to eat it almost every week at a little Vietnamese restaurant before I moved. I have found no equal since and have put my search on hold in an effort to try my hand at cooking this delight. So far I have fallen short, but I have new hope now that I have Lan’s recipe!

Chicken claypot is a popular Asian dish made of rice, chicken, ginger soy sauce, sugar, and green onions. This recipe is low on ingredients, but full in flavor! The thing I love most about chicken claypot is how easily you can customize it to fit your taste and tolerance. You will notice on Lan’s blog, Angry Asian Creations, there are no measurements in her recipe (she has kindly provided them for us though). The tagline of her blog reads, “…all things I create are homemade and from the heart.” This is truly a recipe cooked from the heart, adding as you go and flavoring as you taste. I prefer mine a little on the spicy side, so I like to add a little extra pepper and sriracha sauce. I’ve also seen this dish made with broccoli, carrots and cauliflower.

Try out Lan’s recipe to get you started, and customize it to fit your personal flavor! Be sure to let me know if you come out with something amazing, writing about this is giving me a mean craving! :)

If apple pie is the poster-child of American dessert then I suggest that cheesecake is the runner-up. More specifically, Lynn’s Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake is the runner-up. Her combination of sugared apples paired with a creamy cheesecake spiced with brown sugar, apple cider, and cinnamon is sinfully delicious! Lynn says, “Don’t be put off if you can’t imagine the combination, it is excellent,” but I just don’t see how anyone could not imagine how wonderful this dessert is!

Lynn’s cheesecake experiment is perfect! Its fun to play around flavoring cheesecakes, but the most important tip is to keep it simple. Lynn used apples to add an interesting flavor layer, and kept her additions to the cream cheese minimal. If you really want to add some flair to your cake express yourself with a topping or creative decorating. I bet Lynn’s cheesecake would taste and look fabulous with caramel marbling on the top or with dollops of cinnamon spiced whipped cream! Yum!

Lynn’s blog, A Hot Dish, is so much fun to read, and she has quite the index of delicious recipes! Stop by and say hello!

Macaroni salad is a side dish that’s delicious on its own. We enjoy it at picnics, we take it to potlucks, and it’s perfect with sandwiches. But why can’t macaroni salad be enjoyed as a meal on its own? If you’re answer is something like “well, it won’t fill me up” or “I can just eat carbs!”, you’ll have to think twice about your response after you hear about Amy’s Shrimp and Macaroni Salad.

On her blog Tart Reform, Amy mentions that her twist on the ol’ macaroni salad offers a hefty amount of protein in every serving, 10 grams to be exact. And if you’re a fan of Old Bay Seasoning, then you’ll really love this stuff. On her blog, Amy talks about her love for the spice mix. It’s the seasoning that brightens up the flavor of her favorite sea food dishes, including her Shrimp and Macaroni Salad.

You’ll also find this salad packed with more traditional ingredients, like veggies! Carrots, cucumber, and onions get thrown into the mix; they add color and crunch. But what really sets this salad apart from the rest, for me anyway, is the shrimp!

No Christmas feast is complete without the dinner rolls! Whether those delicious, buttery rolls are simply part of your tradition or a necessary tool to assist you in cleaning your plate I think I can speak for us all when I say that its just not Christmas dinner without them.

While I must confess that some of those store bought dinner rolls are quite tasty, Christmas is a time for sending love to those closest to you, and what better way to show a little love than by making your dinner rolls from scratch. Wait! Don’t rolls your eyes or panic, Michele has provided us with an easy recipe for homemade rolls (no kneading required!). And for those of you who like to plan ahead they can be made up to four days ahead of time! Bake these rolls off just before your guests arrive to allow the smell of fresh bread to permeate the house. Mmmm….

Michele’s blog, A Big Cup of Tea, is full of easy Christmas recipes and the cutest teacher gift ideas! Be sure to stop by for a little inspiration!

With so many recipes on the web these days, how do you know which one to choose? Before, we might’ve chosen a recipe based on just the ingredients, but with delicious pictures accompanying those recipes, the competition can be pretty intense. In the end, you’ve gotta listen to your taste buds; it comes down to which one makes your mouth water the most!

The ingredients Marit uses are a bit different from the other stuffed zucchini recipes she came across before finding this one. This one is unique because it incorporates all of the ingredients she had on hand. So it’s not only delicious, it’s a recipe that came in handy at the right time… the perfect time to be corny and cheesy!

Yep, these Zucchini Boats are cheesy and corny in the best way possible :). Sweet yellow corn and blue cheese are the ingredients I’m referring to. If you’re wondering where that savory zest in the background is from, it’s from the lemon pepper that gives the boats a fresh kick of flavor. Don’t let Marit’s Zucchini Boat recipe sail away! Like Marit’s blog, Tasty Food, her boats are just that!

The holidays are always a happy time for all but our hips :( With all the amazing desserts and treats out there, this is no time to start dieting. After all isn’t that what the New Year is for? I’m sure you have been working up quite a sweat in the kitchen to burn off enough calories to have “just one more taste.” Go ahead, I wont tell ;)

Plutosangel really is “1 of a Grind.” She has been working tirelessly to bring us all the perfect cheesecake to ease our guilt. Her REALLY Low Fat Cheesecake substitutes low fat yogurt for cream cheese, and keeps the sugar to a bare minimum by using a sugar-free strawberry pudding mix made with skim milk. To top off this already amazing recipe, Plutosangel tells us that it is also incredibly easy to prepare! It doesn’t get much better than that.

Make this low fat cheesecake and keep on hand in the fridge to ward off those intense sugar cravings while you are baking up goodies for friends and family. If it’s really intense, just have one bite of fudge and 2 bites of the cheesecake…. that cancels out right? :)

It’s dinnertime and you’re on your way home from a long day at work, maybe reading this blog entry on your cell phone while you’re sitting in traffic…and even though it’s Friday, you know you’re going to have to make a run to the mall in the morning; it’s time to get those last minute Christmas gifts! Dinner is the last thing you want to worry about!

Well, it’s also the last thing you need to worry about. Whitney’s Chicken Stir-Fry Lettuce Wraps are perfect for anyone, she even says you can easily make them Vegetarian. Whitney mentions that you can substitute the chicken for tofu, maybe even add a few extra veggies! Unlike that pile of Christmas gifts buried in the back of your closet, you’ll actually enjoy wrapping these!

Between the office holiday parties and family gatherings, you know you haven’t been getting enough fresh veggies. Whitney’s Chicken Stir-Fry Lettuce Wraps are the ideal light meal, packed full of the veggies you’ve been missing. On her blog, Rookie Cookie, Whitney talks about throwing in a few Chinese noodles for crunch, check out her other tips!

Chicken Biryani is a trademark dish of South Indian home-cooking. As with most home-cooked dishes, each family puts their own twist on it to make it as original as their own family :)

Aparna has put her own spin on this dish and has produced something truly wonderful! Her recipe contains quite a long list of ingredients, but each flavor comes together perfectly to create a delicious Indian meal. If you have ever wanted to experiment with Indian cuisine, this is the perfect dish to get you started. This recipes takes quite a bit of time, but I guarantee that it is well worth the wait. Aparna gives great, detailed instructions on her blog, Sumi’s Weblog, and will have you feeling like a pro in no time!

Chicken Biryani is sure to wow your family and friends. Aparna even adds a bit of red food coloring to make her dish as beautiful as it is tasty! Sumi’s Weblog is packed with great Indian recipes and is a wonderful resource if you are looking for new Indian dishes to experiment with!