To me, fresh artichokes in the store are the first sign of spring. They look bad all winter, but come March, they are the first thing to perk up. I have actually been waiting for them for awhile, because I had the idea for this soup. My sister always orders spinach and artichoke dip when we go out to eat. I made it into a soup for her.

What makes this "Stuffed Pizza" and not a calzone? I am not really sure, but my Great Aunt and Grandmother sure had a very specific definition. Let me start at the beginning. I was out to lunch with my Great Aunt Nancy, and I was having pizza. She asked if I ever had stuffed pizza. "Like a calzone?" I asked. "No, it's thin and flat like a pizza, and has caramelized onions, your great grandmother used to make them for me and your grandmother when we were younger." I told her I liked to mix caramelized onions with ricotta and pepperoni. "But then that would be a calzone." she replied. I was confused, so I invited her and my grandmother over to make some stuffed pizzas to hopefully clear things up.

On Friday I mentioned my gluten free friend and the Dosas we made last week. I also brought some gluten free brownies with me that night. This black bean brownie recipe has made the rounds on the web, including an appearance in a foodie fight battle! (P.S. foodie fight fans, we are working hard on 2.0, and hope to have a battle in march at some point.) It basically uses the beans to bind the brownies instead of flour. I thought they came out dense, fudgy and delicious, but my mom and sister were not fans. The goat cheese brownies idea came from an episode of throwdown. Two women from Vermont made them, they looked amazing and have been stuck in my head ever since! The recipe was not on the food network site, so I used Bobbys brownie recipe from that episode and made my own filling.

A new friend of mine has a gluten allergy, and I offered to cook for her the other night. It isn't really my style to go easy and just make some meat and veggies for her. I wanted to make bread! I didn't want to fake bread and try to re create pizza or anything like that. I had to find a bread that is already gluten free. I had some lamb leftover in the freezer, and luckily everyone was cool with Indian food. I found a traditional south Indian flatbread called dosa that is made with rice, lentils and fenugreek.

Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish of fried mashed plantains that I have always wanted to try. Any new way I can eat plantains is welcome to me! There is a large Puerto Rican population here in Springfield, but I have been unable to make it to a restaurant. The beef I made with the mofongo was in the pack I recently received from U.S. Wellness Meats. Normally I would braise a beef bottom round, but the quality was so nice that it came out perfectly as a roast. I just wish I had a bit more time to marinade it.

Before we start, I want to mention that there was a lot of internet outrage over the wining couple. Click through, and we can talk about it. Also, did you guys see my interview with Judge Sarah Willingham yesterday?