Today is a bonus day for us, because we’ll all get to meet two lovely ladies: Adrianna and Caroline. They’re the ones behind those incredibly mouthwatering recipes you see above, and together, they make A Cozy Kitchen.

Adrianna and Caroline met in film school at the North Carolina School of the Arts. “It was there,” they say, “in the depths of a depressing cafeteria, that we realized we had a love for food and cooking.” Both currently based in Los Angeles, their blog A Cozy Kitchen is a vast collection of recipes that range from pure comfort, elegantly simple, creatively exotic, and just about everything in between.

Clockwise from top left: Blood Orange Granita with Whipped Cream, Maple Bacon Pancakes, Cream Cheese Pie Crust, Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake, Fig Cinnamon Jam, and Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeno Biscuits.

 
 
 
They make a wonderful team because they seem to have just the right balance of shared tastes. When pressed for time, Adrianna’s snack of choice is bananas dipped in Nutella. Caroline’s secret (well, not so secret anymore) favorite food combo? Nutella on saltine crackers. They both need to have stock or broth always on hand. Caroline is Italian and can whip up a pasta dish in no time, and Adrianna? She loves to eat raw pasta. Which sort of counts as a pasta dish in no time too, right?

As much as they have in common, there are other things, too, that set them apart. For one, Caroline is (mostly) meat-free. Her favorite ingredients are typical Italian basics, like garlic, lemon, tomatoes, and cheese. Adrianna, on the other hand, loves salty and sweet, and confesses to eating those maple bacon pancakes above for dinner. I don’t blame her, but then again, neither would I pass up a chance to have any of their dinner recipes below.

Clockwise from top left: Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin, Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree, Fried Green Tomatoes with Jalapeno Cheese Grits, and Shrimp Scampi.

 
 
 
If you’re in the mood for a snack, they’ve got that covered too. From corn dogs to simple sandwiches to an amazingly delicious twist to regular popcorn, I wouldn’t miss the Nutella if I could enjoy any one of these snacks instead.

Clockwise from top left: Homemade Corn Dogs, Smoked Gouda Croissant with Tarragon Mayonnaise, Chocolate Popcorn with Sea Salt, Curry Egg Salad Sandwich, and Mom’s Holiday Cheese Dip.

 
 
 
Their recipe box is packed with so many wonderful recipes, and that includes drinks. Strawberry basil spritz? Check. Sangria? Check. Watermelon Limeade? Check. Toasted marshmallow milkshake? Oh yeah.

Clockwise from top left: Strawberry Balsamic Basil Spritzer, Stand’s Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, White Kiwi-Apple Sangria, and Watermelon Limeade.

 
 
 
Caroline says that she loves using cooking as a creative outlet, in the same way that painters or musicians use their art. “Except of course,” she adds, “I get to eat my results, and that’s really awesome.” For Adrianna, being able to “marry a few ingredients together and create a unique, shared experience with people you love” is what she enjoys most about cooking. I would like to go on record and say that, in my book, the collection of recipes below easily qualifies as high art, and that if they make these and share them with me, I will love them forever and ever.

And ever.

Clockwise from top left: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, Coconut Chocolate Pudding, Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sandwiches, Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse, and Vanilla Ricotta Doughnuts.

 
 
 
I’m going to stop right here because I need to go fan myself with something big. Like maybe a vat of that mousse.

In the meantime, I’ll let Adrianna and Caroline take over for a moment while I recover. You’re on, ladies!

 
 
Q: Any favorite chefs or food celebrities? Who inspires you?
Adrianna: My dad is a great cook who’s like this mad scientist in the kitchen; he’s always experimenting with things like his own puff pastry and French bread. I think his yearning to learn new techniques and skills in the kitchen is pretty inspiring.
Caroline: Well, my mom is the best cook I know, and a lot of my favorite memories from childhood revolve around the amazing food that used to come out of her kitchen. As for celebrities, my absolute favorites are Giada De Laurentiis and Ina Garten. Both use very simple ingredients and techniques to produce sophisticated and extraordinary meals. They make good food accessible to anyone, which is exactly how it should be.

 
Q: What is your go-to dish or meal?
Adrianna: My go-to meal is pasta that’s cooked like risotto. I learned the technique from Mark Bittman a while back and it’s super quick and easy. I can make it in 20 minutes tops and throw any random things that I have in my fridge in the dish. It’s awesome!
Caroline: Pasta with homemade tomato sauce. I could probably eat this once a day and never get tired of it. I’m a McGyver of tomato sauce; give me a can of tomatoes and a few pantry ingredients and I can always come up with some tasty.

 
Q: Do you have a memorable kitchen disaster?
Adrianna: Making soufflés. I tried to make a coffee almond soufflé last year and failed miserably. Souffles have the ability to put me in tears, but I keep telling myself I’m going to master them one of these days.
Caroline: It isn’t actually my flop, but the most memorable one is when my fiancée tried to make mac and cheese and forgot to cook the pasta first. It’s still one of my favorite stories to tell. As for me, I’ve forgotten to check something in the oven and burned it black, or gotten halfway through a recipe before realizing that I skipped a step or am missing an ingredient, but there are almost too many incidents to pinpoint just one.

 
Q: Is there anything else that gives you trouble in the kitchen?
Adrianna: Making custards can be quite tricky. I feel like I have it down now, but there were a few times where I made milky scrambled eggs. Yuck!
Caroline: I’m probably the only vegetarian that can’t cook tofu. In fact, I have meat-eating friends who cook tofu better than I can. Not sure what my issue with it is, but nowadays I’ve given up trying and just avoid cooking it.

 
Q: Okay, enough of kitchen troubles. Let’s end on a high note! Give us one of your favorite kitchen tips that you wish you’d always known.
Adrianna: I wish I always knew the secret to searing scallops or a piece of fish. The cardinal rule: never use frozen scallops or fish. If you do, make sure they’re super dry. That ensures you’ll get that beautiful, caramelized crust.
Caroline: I wish someone had told me that recipes are meant to be a general guidelines, not set-in-stone rules. It isn’t important that you sauté the garlic for precisely 60 seconds, and a recipe isn’t lost if it calls for a 15 oz. can and you only have a 14.5 oz. one. Once you become familiar with ingredients and with your own taste, it’s easy to improvise and adjust recipes as you cook.

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Thank you both for taking the time to answer our questions!

 
If you’re looking for inspiration or just need a reason to stare at all kinds of scrumptious food, head to A Cozy Kitchen to see all the incredible recipes that Adrianna and Caroline have posted. From breakfast fare to vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, appetizers, and decadent desserts, there’s sure to be something there for everyone. The photography is simply gorgeous too, so you might want to keep a fan handy. I’m still using mine.

 
This week, our featured member is a self-taught home cook who got her love of food from the southern women she grew up with, then fed it with endless hours of Food Network while her husband was deployed in Afghanistan. She’s funny, creative, passionate about the quality of food that she makes, and incredibly talented. Generous too, for sharing the recipes in her recipe box with us. Let’s all say hello to Natalie!

Natalie (Perrys’ Plate) is a full-time wife and mother. She met her husband in Russia (she says it’s a long story, but maybe we can prod her to spill some of it) and they’ve been married six years. They have two little girls, and live in California while her husband finishes chiropractic school.

Natalie confesses that she spends more time thinking about food than she likes to admit. All that thinking must be part of the reason she can get so creative with her dishes. A few weeks ago, she ran a Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto week in her blog, Perrys’ Plate, after realizing that her husband didn’t like sun-dried tomatoes and being stuck with a large warehouse-club-sized jar of it. So she made pesto, then proceeded to create six different dishes using the pesto. It made me hungry for sun-dried tomatoes all week.

Left column, top to bottom: Easy Homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Swiss Chard and Sun-Dried Tomato Skillet Mac. Center column, top to bottom: Spinach, Bacon and Feta Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce, Sun-Dried Tomato Tuna Melts, and Balsamic Grilled Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. Right column, top to bottom: Creamy Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Fettucine and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus.

 
 
 
Natalie graduated from BYU with a degree in Travel and Tourism and a minor in German. “I should really get the award for the most useless diploma for a stay-at-home mom,” she says. She loves spending time in the kitchen because it allows her “to taste and create a lot of different things in a relatively short amount of time, compared to, say, furniture restoration or needlework.” As a bonus, it makes her feel like a multitasking superstar to be able to get creative in the kitchen while also feeding her family.

Clockwise from left: Coconut Curry with Cauliflower, Carrots, and Chickpeas, Steak-Inspired Slow-Cooked Beef, Spicy Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash over Creamy Polenta, and Grilled Chicken Salad with Chipotle-Lime Vinaigrette.

 
 
 
When it comes to specific ingredients or favorite foods, Natalie loves bacon, and is almost convinced that it can find a home in any recipe. She especially likes it with sweet potatoes or butternut squash (her Bacon, Kale, and Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritoslook absolutely scrumptious). She can’t do without fresh onions and garlic, saying “I feel blind/baked/armless without them.” She also loves the brightness that vinegars and fresh citrus bring to a recipe.

Clockwise from left: Natalie’s prize-winning Coco-Kiwi Mango Salsa with Cinnamon Crisps, Nutty Lemon-Herb Brown Rice with Avocado, Mayo-Free Egg Salad, and Garlic Bread with Bacon, Greens and Provolone.

 
 
 
As for professional chefs or food celebrities, she likes Tyler Florence. “He emphasizes the importance of quality ingredients and goes the extra mile to create the best flavors in a dish.” Of course, having grown up with those food-loving southern women, she is also greatly inspired by her Grandma Inez, who taught her not to be afraid of bacon grease. Grandma Inez also taught her some pretty wicked looking desserts, including an “Impossible Pie” that creates its own crust. One thing Natalie is adamant about: “When I want a dessert, I want a dessert.”

Of course, some of her breafkast items look good enough to be eaten as dessert, too.

Clockwise from left: Grandma Inez’s Impossible Pie, Grandma Inez’s Pineapple Pie, Toasted Coconut Cheesecake Cups, Spiced Carrot Waffles, and Blueberry-Lavender Ricotta Pancakes.

 
 
 
Those are just a few of the goodies in Natalie’s recipe box. But enough of me talking. Let’s get to my favorite part of these posts, when we ask all kinds of questions and hear directly from our featured member. The floor’s yours, Natalie!

 
 
Q: What is your go-to dish or meal?
A: I make a lot of sweet potato fries because my kids inhale them, and I often marinate and grill chicken to cut up and throw on some salad greens. (Luckily my husband is a salad man. When we go to a restaurant, he’s more likely to order a salad and I’m the one who gets a burger and fries. We frequently have to switch our plates around after the server leaves.)

 
Q: What is the strangest food or food combo that you enjoy?
A: Oh my. When I was living at home we’d mix a little ranch dressing into some cottage cheese and dip Baked Lays into it. It’s a lot more amazing than it sounds.

 
Q: Do you have a memorable kitchen disaster?
A: During the first semester at college, my roommate and I wanted to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving. We got to the point where we needed to put the turkey in the oven bag, so one of us held the bag (just open over the floor, like a trick-or-treat bag … do you see where this is going?), and the other “dropped” the turkey in. The bottom of the bag gave out and the turkey ended up sliding across the kitchen floor. We laughed, rinsed the turkey off and grabbed another bag. (Thank goodness those come in pairs.) No harm done.

 
Q: What gives you the most trouble in the kitchen?
A: It has to be melting and dipping things in chocolate. I’ve had so much chocolate seize up and rarely do the things I dip end up looking smooth and shiny. It’s a huge mess.

 
Q: What is your favorite kitchen tool?
A: Hands down, my Lamson-Sharp santuko knife. It makes cooking so much more enjoyable when you can slice through produce effortlessly. I am quite clumsy, though, and have almost cut clear through the tip of my thumb, halfway into my thumbnail. Twice. In the exact same place. (The second cut is healing as we speak.) I make a conscious effort to tuck my thumb in now when I’m chopping.

 
Q: Give us one of your favorite kitchen tips that you wish you’d always known.
A: Using open ramekins for salt. I can’t believe how much of a time saver it is. I hated digging out my salt box every time I needed more than a shake. I also like feeling the salt in my fingers and having more control over how much goes in.

 
Q: What food item do you always make at home and never buy at the store anymore?
A: I make a big batch of roasted garlic pasta sauce and freeze it into quart-sized Ziploc bags. I use it in pasta dishes as well as on pizzas. It’s great. I also make my own taco seasoning. I should really post that on Tasty Kitchen. No one has put cocoa in theirs yet, have they?

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Thank you for answering our questions, Natalie! And I know I won’t be the only one waiting for that taco seasoning recipe.

 
To see all of Natalie’s recipes here at Tasty Kitchen, check out her ever-growing recipe box. Then head to her blog Perrys’ Plate for even more of her dishes, wit, and mouthwatering food photography. Natalie says she loves to cook something new every day, and if you’re the same way, your family will love you for making her dishes some of the new additions to your repertoire.

 
She’s a food writer and recipe developer whose passion for food is unmistakable. So is her creativity, as well as her pursuit of authentic Italian recipes, like her Chicken Marsala that you see above. Her name is Paula Jones. We know her here as bell’alimento, and today, we’ll all get to know her a little better.

Paula, as you probably already know, loves any and all things Italian. She was born in Georgia, but with a father in the military, she had the great opportunity to travel wherever the Air Force sent them. One of those assignments was Italy, and for her it was love at first sight (or love at first landing). After years of living there (she’s fluent in Italian) and subsequent trips to visit, she’s learned quite a bit about authentic Italian cuisine. She shares her recipes with us here at Tasty Kitchen and in her blog, bell’alimento. (Bell’Alimento is Italian for “beautiful food.”)

Her approach to food is anchored in the belief that beautiful food doesn’t need to be complicated. She loves using simple, quality ingredients, which is evident in some of her simple recipes below for common homemade items.

Clockwise from top left:Limoncello, Homemade Vanilla Extract, Lemon Curd, Homemade Ricotta, and Mascarpone.

 
 
 
Paula loves the creativity in cooking. She says the process of preparation, bringing ingredients together, stirring, simmering and cooking that results in something that the entire family can enjoy together is both therapeutic and rewarding. I say that if I had any of the main courses below, even just the eating part would be therapeutic and rewarding. She has more than the typical Chicken Marsala and Chicken Cacciatore in her recipe box. Believe me, she’s got much more.

Clockwise from top left: Pepper Encrusted Steak, Roasted Leg of Lamb, Lobster Risotto, Chicken with Olives, Chicken with Rum, Lamb Stew, and Veal Chops.

 
 
 
She also has the sides and starters to complement any main course. From soups to salads and vegetable sides, any one would make a light meal in itself.

Clockwise from top left: Peas with Pancetta, Polenta Cakes, Tuscan Onion Soup, Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Craisins, Cauliflower au Gratin, and Stuffed Mussels.

 
 
 
Of course, an Italian recipe box wouldn’t be complete with pasta. She’s got an impressive selection there too, ranging from elaborate seafood linguine to a spaghetti dish so simple it only calls for four ingredients.

Clockwise from top left: Fettucine Profumate, Spaghetti Aglio Olio e’ Peperoncino, Seafood Linguine, Pasta alla Norma, and Pasta au Gratin with Vegetables.

 
 
 
Paula also has a wicked sweet tooth. Although her Microplane grater is hands down her favorite kitchen tool (she grates a lot of cheese), her KitchenAid stand mixer is a close second. Which is a good thing, because then we get to enjoy some of the delicious desserts below from her recipe box.

Clockwise from top left: Cannoli, Struffoli (Honey Balls), Lemon Gelato, Crostoli, and Panna Cotta

 
 
 
But do you know what she loves most of all? That one thing that she always has to have on hand? Nutella. In fact, if she were starving and only had 3 minutes to make something, she’d make a Nutella Strawberry Panino. I, for one, am glad she’s a self-proclaimed Nutella-holic. Just … just try to look at the collage below and tell me it doesn’t make you want to grab a jar yourself.

Clockwise from top left: Nutella Creme Brulee, Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies, Chocolate Torte with Nutella Mousse and Raspberries, Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cake, and Panna Cotta alla Nutella.

 
I rest my case.

Paula shared a few other interesting personal tidbits about herself, so let’s hear from her directly and get to know more about the awesome lady behind all these wonderful recipes!

 
 
Q: Tell us a little more about yourself.
A: I try to convince my family daily that we need a vacation home in Italy. I am addicted to my cell phone, I love Cinnamon Altoids, and don’t ever leave the house without lip gloss! I have a shoe and bag problem. I am fascinated by all things hot pink (both my laptop and cell phone are hot pink). Something that few people know about me is that I am enamored with the PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association). Gasp. Yes, it’s true. Really. My favorite bull is Chicken On A Chain! I would love to secretly go to the PBR Finals to cover what the cowboys are eatin’, but don’t tell.

 
Q: Do you have any favorite chefs or food celebrities? Who inspires you?
A: My mom and grandma were huge cooking inspirations. I learned what a pinch, a smidge, a dash and a little bit were from them!

 
Q: What is your go-to dish or meal?
A: Spaghetti alla Carbonara any day of the week.

 
Q: Do you have a memorable kitchen flop?
A: Well, I try to put those out of my mind, but my family assures me there have been some. Most recently, it was a fish dish that they made me promise not to ever make again.

 
Q: What gives you the most trouble in the kitchen?
A: Making gravy. I just can’t do it, much to the dismay of my very southern mother.

 
Q: Is there something that you always make at home and never buy at the store anymore?
A: Pesto, and now jelly! I have recently started canning and am hooked! Who knew it was this easy? Clearly my grandmother’s generation was on to something. Next up, I’ll be tackling canning tomatoes from my garden.

 
Q: Give us one of your favorite kitchen tips that you wish you’d always known.
A: Don’t be afraid to experiment! Some of the best meals are accidental.

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Thanks, Paula! And now, I’m off to Google “Chicken On A Chain.”

 
Take a peek into the bell’alimento recipe box here at Tasty Kitchen. It’s bulging with mouth-watering recipes that your family is sure to love. Then visit her blog, bell’alimento, for even more of her cooking. Oh, and in her spare time, she also freelances as a contributor for another Paula: Paula Deen.

  She’s an Illinois native who, in her profile, lists shopping as a hobby, sea salt as her favorite food, and this baker isn’t afraid to say that she loves to make brownies from a box mix. She’s funny, spirited, and she’s definitely come a long way from her early years of marriage when she […]

  Our featured member this week is a Southern belle, through and through. She says that she’s almost always barefooted in the kitchen because of her Southern upbringing, where little girls in beautiful hand-sewn dresses walked around in bare feet. Everyone, say hello to barefootbelle! Barefootbelle is Dorothy Bradshaw, born and raised in Montgomery,…