Last week I took the time to cook something from my pre-parenting days. I was enjoying the mindful parenting/working epiphany that came by way of my internet vacation, and was mulling what to do with the copious amount of eggplant and potato from our CSA share. My first thought? The moussaka from Nick Stellino's Mediterranean Flavors.

A couple of weeks ago I hosted my mom's birthday party and asked my siblings to bring dishes for potluck. Since my family is so large, it's always fun to see what people bring, and for this event, they did not disappoint; to accommodate my mom's food preferences we prepared mostly vegetarian and the array of colors and flavors was fantastic. There was a lot of great food that day, but the dish I went back for seconds (and, admittedly, thirds) on was my sister-in-law Estelle's quinoa and black bean salad. I've heard a lot of talk about quinoa this year (it's a good source of protein and is high in fiber, among other things) but hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. Now I'm a total convert.

The other week we received some zucchini from our CSA share and I immediately wanted to make these fritter-like zucchini rounds my mom used to make. I called my mom and she recommended using savory pancake batter instead of an egg wash (my original guess). I used my tried and true scallion pancake recipe and it worked amazingly; the centers of the zucchini became deliciously creamy while the edges remained firm -- a fine contrast to the salty deliciousness of the batter. I didn't think Laurel would touch these zucchini rounds because of her stance that zucchini is "disgusting!" but she gobbled about six rounds right off the griddle and came back for more later. Here's the easy how-to:

On Saturday we had some fellow soccer-loving friends over to watch World Cup, and my friend Heather brought a fantastic bean dip that was -- admittedly -- way more awesome (and quickly devoured) than the basic layered dip I made. Heather kindly sent me the recipe, which originated from her friend Betsy. I'm totally making this dip next weekend for another party I'm hosting. Yummy.

When the warm weather returned, so did my voracious appetite for salads and cold things such as hummus and tabbouleh. We've been consuming vast quantities of these foods (I especially like hummus because it reminds me to eat carrots) and I soon found myself disgruntled by the volume of plastic containers we were acquiring. We reuse them all for storing leftovers or Laurel's craft supplies or other odds and ends, but we definitely don't need more of them. So I decided to start making more of these small container items from scratch. I'm still tweaking my tabbouleh recipe and will share that when I land on just the right blend; meanwhile, if you have a food processor, hummus is ridiculously easy to make.

I'm currently in the final stretch training for Eat. Blog. Run. and at the beginning of April I decided to aid my training by eating super clean. Which meant -- gulp -- giving up dessert; not an easy task given my sweet tooth. However, I have found the perfect solution. A few weeks ago, we enjoyed the cutest little parfaits at a friend's house, and I have since replicated them to enjoy in place of dessert and also offer when we're hosting (guests similarly go bonkers over it). I hope you enjoy this perfect parfait as much as I do; it's great as a dessert replacement or for a healthful snack.

Today, Jules shares a yummy way to treat beets: Beets currently are en vogue due to their vibrant color and nutritional content, but if you have bad childhood memories of beets, or have never tried them, I suggest you give them a second (or first!) chance. Opt for classic red beets, or try gold beets, which have a beautiful and bright yellow hue, but are milder in flavor than -- and don't bleed like -- their red counterpart. Beets are packed with potassium, folic acid, and vitamin A and are more versatile than you might suspect, whether used in beet salad, beet risotto, or even the occasional brownie. Here's one of my favorite way to treat beets:

Today, Michelle Stern of What's Cooking shares her killer applesauce recipe: One of the Mommy & Me cooking classes I teach is called Eating the Alphabet: From Apples to Zucchini, and I figured I couldn't go wrong starting with something familiar but undeniably delicious: applesauce. Kids love it. Grownups love it. And it's insanely good when made from scratch. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Amidst the sadness of attending two funerals within one week, I have taken heart in the reconnection and reflection that can occur around such events. On Friday we hosted one of my long out-of-touch relatives following the family funeral, and to lighten the mood I decided to make lemon meringue pie. This dessert is a bit more involved than recipes I typically post here, but it was so ridiculously good that I wanted to share it for those looking for a lovely and lemony dessert. The pie served as the perfect cheery welcome over which we were able to reflect on lives lost and celebrate existing relationships; fittingly, Laurel said the meringue looked and tasted like happy clouds.

One of my favorite ways to make a lazy weekend morning feel special is with scones. And these currant scones by Martha Stewart are simple in composition (without any forethought I had all the ingredients on hand) and are easy enough to whip up while everyone is still lolling around in jammies. I made these scones last weekend for company and they were a huge hit; light (um, seeming), flaky, and delicious. And everyone was happy to simply nibble these special treats alongside fresh fruit. Easy peasy.