Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Marshmallow Triple Cream Ricotta & Marcarpone Cheesecake in a Brioche Puff Pastry Baklava Crust with a Double Layer ... ♥

... of Lemon Curd and Topped with Candied Raspberries and Toffee-Tossed Pecans and a Venetian Honey Hazelnut Butter Sauce!

And Happy April Fools Day! And Happy Second Birthday, A Veggie Venture!

On this oh-so-unlikely occasion, will you forgive a trip down memory lane?
A Veggie Venture's very first post, on a whim, on April 1st so that "my blog about vegetables" could all be dropped as April 1 Tom Foolery
The first comment, on Day Four.
The second comment, on Day 89. (Yes, new bloggers, it is possible to blog on, and on, completely without notice. And yes, dear readers, your messages and comments mean so much.)
My first Paper Chef entry. (I miss Paper Chef!)
Thinking about why food blogging is so special.
Cooking fennel in February and broccoli rabe in March.
And then finally, Day 365 at last, the end of cooking a vegetable in a new way every single day for an entire year.
After a long and may-I-say well-deserved break, the beginning of Year Two.
Hosting Sugar High Friday: the Surprise Inside edition.
Meeting all the St. Louis food bloggers and writing about food blogging for St. Louis' Sauce Magazine (oops, that story's no longer online).
The World's Best Green Bean Casserole, the #1 post for five months now.
Soup's On, a glorious collection of soup recipes.

To all those who read and inspire what's found in these pixels and who encourage and befriend me, I thank you, I thank you truly. Do I mean you? Yes, YOU, I thank YOU.

And to those who know me in real life and know that I have a habit, ahem, of skipping birthdays, note the number of candles. I may be in this for the long haul, I'd best start skipping now.

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Looking for the recipe for Warm Lentil Salad with Spinach & Goat Cheese?
It's moved! Please see
Warm Lentil Salad with Spinach & Goat Cheese

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Oh, right, the recipe! You arrived expecting a recipe so a recipe you shall get, a good one, too. It's another classic-Alanna recipe, one that's easily adaptable based on what's on hand and what's in season and what you like. The essentials are simply the lentils (preferably "meaty" lentils such as French green lentils aka lentilles du Puy or a standby in my kitchen, the black lentils from Trader Joe's (sadly, no longer available) and the vinegar-brightened vegetables. Even the goat cheese – as lovely as it is – is optional if you're counting calories. It all made a lovely bed for roast chicken.

And it's also a signal that in Year Three, I intend to explore more "plants" along with vegetables. Michael Pollan's opening to his January piece in the New York Times really struck me then and still sticks in my brain, now. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." So look for more posts with grains and legumes and seeds, also whole grain and nut flours, occasional fruits especially in savory offerings, all "plants" of course, but a stretch or two from vegetables.

Any requests? This is largely unexplored territory for me, I'd love your suggestions and pointers. But never fear, this obsession with new ways to cook vegetables, mostly simply, shows no sign of waning.

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A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

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