2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Roundup Part 1

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month ContestA big thank you to everyone who participated in the 2nd Annual O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest by donating, posting the announcement, and/or submitting fabulous recipes.

In these two years, we’ve raised $600 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, gathered nearly 100 fabulous O Food recipes, and hopefully reached many women with important information about ovarian cancer, particularly regarding signs and symptoms.

Remember, you can still donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and here are another 5 ways you can contribute to ovarian cancer awareness through jewelry. Other posts related to the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month events include:

Remember Gina herself will be choosing the grand prize winner this year–and winners will be announced on Friday, so be sure to come back then!

And now, it’s time for Part 1 of the roundup (as I remind you that I made the classic, tasty Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino for this year’s O Foods Contest); Sara has Part 2 of the roundup at Ms Adventures in Italy.

First I want to thank those of you who posted the contest announcement and are eligible for the Teal Toes gift bag prize (if you’re not listed here or at Sara’s place, let us know!):

Now, let’s start off with some appetizers, soups, salads, side dishes, savory tarts, and even some “first dishes” as we’d call them in Italy:

Insalata d'OrzoThis Insalata Calda d’Orzo comes from a very special blogger close to this cause–Gina DePalma’s cousin Nicki who blogs at Color Me Inspired. I’m especially loving how the colors of the Italian flag shine through here. Such fabulous presentation! Thanks Nicki!

Mint PestoI’m including pesto here since it can be used as an appetizer, but of course you can always mix it up with pasta as well for a snazzy primo piatto. Check out Ivy‘s Mint Pesto with Almonds and Graviera at Kopiaste. Mmmm I can taste that minty goodness from here! Grazie mille Ivy!

GC-Rosemary-Potato-CollageHere is a fabulously healthy and tasty way to enjoy the beloved potato. Diana of GardenCuizine shares her recipe for Oven Roasted Rosemary Potato Fries (which, by the way, features yet another “O” if you consider the rosemary is “rosemarino” in Italian). Thanks so much Diana!

Tomato saladNext up is Amy‘s Tomato Salad with Asiago Cheese over at Tomato Hill. I must admit that the tomato and any kind of formaggio are two of my very favorite “O” foods. Great combo here, Amy! Thanks for participating!

orichietteThe Food Hunter contributes Orrichiette with Ragu alla Bolognese over at the Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine. You’ll often see this adorable ear-shaped pasta paired with greens like broccoli rabe, but I agree with the Food Hunter that it’ll work just fine to catch up tasty bits of bolognese as well. Thanks Food Hunter!

Greek omeletOh wow. Check out Elle‘s Greek Omelet for Breakfast, which has pine nuts, oregano, spinach, feta, and oh I’ll just stop there before you make a drooling mess on your keyboard. Elle blogs at Feeding My Enthusiasms. Thanks for participating Elle!

Olives preadOur dear friend Judith of Think On It! sent in this wonderful Olive Spread with just three ingredients that all incorporate the “O”: olives, peperoncino, olive oil. I *know* this will be a huge hit at my house when I make this. Thanks so much Judith!

And while we’re talking olives, be sure to check out the Olive Focaccia over at La Vita è Bella! Thanks for sending this in Grace!

melogranoAnother dear friend in Italy, Michelle of Michellanea, sent in this Spelt Salad with Fennel and Pomegranate, which in Italian is Insalata di farro con finocchio e melagrano. Helloooo O’s! This sounds delicious, awfully pretty, and great for fall as well now that our pomegranates are coming back into season. Thanks Michelle!

Onion soupJen of NJ Epicurean serves up a hearty Onion Soup with Loads of Thyme and Giant Gruyère Crostini. The recipe comes from Epicurious, but Jen makes it all her own even serving it up in an adorable heart-shaped bowl. Thanks so much for sending this in, Jen. I imagine quite a few fall and winter days will be warmed up thanks to you!

Orange and Tomato RasamLavanya at Pieces of paper, squiggly lines shows there’s much more than writing in her bag of tricks. Check out this Orange and Tomato Rasam, an autumn twist on her prized Pineapple Rasam, which she notes is “something of a south Indian ‘delicacy.'” I’ve never had any rasam, but I’d love to head over to Lavanya’s for my first taste. This looks amazing. Thanks Lavanya!

porcini risottoNow back here in Calabria, we have Cherrye‘s Wild Mushroom Risotto over at My Bella Vita. OK, the recipe is really her husband’s, but it hardly matters when you have a plate of creamy porcini risotto in front of you. Seconds please! Thanks for sending this in, Cherrye (and Peppe)!

Stuffed, Wrapped JalapenO at girlichefGirlichef contributes these Stuffed, Wrapped Jalapeno Peppers. Um, did somebody say cream cheese *and* bacon? Wow. I’m *so* in, girlichef. If you click over, you’ll find a whole series of droolworthy photos, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Thanks girlichef!

Onion Fig TartPalma at Palmabella’s Passions sent in this lovely Onion Fig Tart. Sounds like a gorgeous combination with the onions and figs, two of my very favorite foods. Palma created this based on a tart she saw at a bakery in Washington; excellent work! Thanks Palma!

MangO Salmon SaladLisa is Cooking sent over this refreshing Mango Salmon Salad. Salmon is one of my very favorite foods, and I don’t eat it nearly enough. This salad is tossed with a lime shallot vinaigrette and a little arugula. Yum! Thanks for showing us another way to enjoy salmon, Lisa!

Erika's saladErika at Sweet Pea sent in her Avocado, Goat Cheese, and Quinoa Salad. I’m not sure it gets much healthier and tastier than this…and you *know* I’m all about the goat cheese! Thanks so much for contributing this fabulous recipe, Erika!

Now for some hearty main dishes:

Chicken Fricassee Abruzzo StyleMaria of My Place in the Sun sent over some Chicken Fricasee Abruzzi Style, which translates to Pollo all’abruzzese coi pomodorini e le olive, i.e., lots of “O” love in Italian. This looks like something that could easily be served on a Calabrian table too–so of course I love the looks of this. Thanks Maria!

Jerry's pizzaJerry of Jerry’s Thoughts, Musings, and Rants! sent in an appetizer and main course all in one–Onion, Potato, Pancetta, and Rosemary Pizza. Some of my favorite foods combined all on a pizza? Yeah, that’s pretty much heaven right there, Jerry. Thanks so much for sending it in!

And last but certainly not least, dessert:

Deeba's muffinsDeeba of Passionate About Baking sent in these Cappuccino Buttermilk Muffins, which you *know* I’m all over. You may be wondering whether cappuccino is really a food. Well it certainly is in my book but in any event these are also loaded down with chips made of cioccolato. Yum yum yum. Thanks Deeba!

*UPDATED: Two last O food recipes that slipped through the cracks:*

Noelle's Chilean saladNoelle of An Opera Singer in the Kitchen submitted a gorgeous Chilean Charquican and Tomato Salad. That’s pronounced Char-KEE-can, and Noelle describes it as kind of like a pot pie and great for hiding veggies (plus it has potatOes!); the tomato and red onion salad goes beautifully with it. Thanks Noelle!

Blue cocktail The Happy Cook‘s gorgeous Brazilian night cocktail made of Batida de Coco, vodka, and Blue Curacao over at My Kitchen Treasures. What a way to wrap up the roundup. May I have another?

Thanks so much for all these great O Food recipes!

I know there are a lot of recipes (and we’re very grateful for the wonderful response!), but don’t be overwhelmed! Simply bookmark the round-up pages (and Stumble too if you like!) so you can come back when you have a few moments here and there.

Remember the second half of the round-up is over at Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy, and be sure to come back Friday for the announcement of the winners!

18 Beans of Wisdom to “2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Roundup Part 1”
  1. 09.30.2009

    Thanks Michelle and Sara for giving us the chance to bring awareness for this worthy cause. I’ve seen a lot of delicious meals to try.

    Thanks so much for participating Ivy!

    .-= Ivy´s last blog ..Glystarkes (Cypriot crusty, sesame rusks) =-.

  2. 09.30.2009

    What an amazing roundup for this wonderful cause!! Thanks to you 2 wonderful ladies for hosting 🙂 . Now…let the drooling commence!

    Haha, indeed! Thanks for participating 🙂

    .-= girlichef´s last blog ..Stuffed, Wrapped JalepeñO for Ovarian Cancer Awareness =-.

  3. 09.30.2009

    This is such a wonderful event to raise awareness and ultimately funds for a great cause. A spread of “O” dishes to be proud of.

    Indeed! Thanks for participating BV 🙂

  4. 09.30.2009

    I just came from Sara’s place – what a wonderful round-up of O Foods! Congrats for all of your hard work and bringing awareness about this horrendous disease.

    Hope and love for all who battle it.

    Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Thanks so much for all you’ve done Jen 🙂

    .-= Jen of a2eatwrite´s last blog ..“O” Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: TomatO, TomatillO, Onion and Pepper Stew =-.

  5. Thanks Ladies for doing this again this year! Everyone did a great job!!!

    Thanks for participating Jenn 🙂

    .-= Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen´s last blog ..CameO Apple and Swiss Chard Tart for Ovarian Cancer Awareness! =-.

  6. 09.30.2009

    I totally forgot to send you the details of my post.

    Got them in HC! Thanks!

  7. 10.01.2009

    What a lovely spread! Can’t wait to try atleast some of these recipes. Thank you, Michelle and Sara!!

    Thank YOU Lavanya!

    .-= Lavanya´s last blog ..Bursting Bubbles and Myths =-.

  8. 10.01.2009

    Another nice set of O foods. Thanks for organizing the event and for the roundup.

    Grazie Simona! And thanks for stopping by 🙂

    .-= Simona´s last blog ..fichi col formaggio =-.

  9. 10.01.2009

    Here it is, 4:37 a.m. and why am I sitting here suddenly very hungry? One, because I fell asleep in the chair for almost five hours, woke up and decided now would be a good time to read blogs on my reader. That i until I read this post and it made me feel very, very hungry -darned near starved ya know! Not nice to put pictures and descriptions of all that good food in front of my eyes at this hour of the day! Seriously, some really interesting and definitely yummy looking reciipes you got posted there, Girl! And all for a great cause too. Now, let’s just hope that when I do have to dig in and cook a meal later, that I can find something there to give a whirl -can’t go replenish the pantry shelves today so might take some doing to find the ingredients today but later -hmmm -the sky’s the limit once I get to go grocery shopping next week!

    Hahaha, hope you get to make some of them Jeni; I get hungry every time I just glance at them….

    .-= Jeni Hill Ertmer´s last blog ..New Stuff! =-.

  10. 10.01.2009

    thanks a lot for your hard work Michelle… and also a big thanks to Sara
    hope now everybody is aware about this cancer

    cheers,
    sefa

    Thanks for participating Sefa!

    .-= sefa´s last blog ..Oatmeal Banana Almond Cookies – 2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month =-.

  11. 10.01.2009

    Couldn’t participate this year as I have been off-line (due to technical difficulties) all month, but looking forward to all the recipes!

    Oh no! I hope the technical difficulties are all fixed! Enjoy the recipes 🙂

    .-= saretta´s last blog ..Guest Writer =-.

  12. 10.01.2009

    Great round up. Thanks for doing this!

    Thanks for participating FH!

    .-= The Food Hunter´s last blog ..Orcchiette for Ovarian Cancer Month =-.

  13. 10.02.2009

    O O O, I know why the Happy Cook is so happy! Blue food! Forbidden to me from birth by my anti-blue Mom, it takes on even more appeal.

    You’ve both done very well! (That was from “Are You Being Served?”)

    Hahaha…it does look tasty, doesn’t it?!

  14. 10.05.2009

    Great round up for a worthy event. I love the layout with the photos on either side. Nice job as always Michelle.

    Thanks Marla!

    .-= Marla´s last blog ..Elderberry or Sambuco Jam =-.

  15. Oh, I feel terrible that I missed the O event this year, Michelle. It’s such a wonderful event too. This is a delicious round-up and worthy cause. All the best, Susan.

    Thanks Susan! No worries–it was a busy month for foodies! So…you can start thinking for next year 😉

    .-= susan from food blogga´s last blog ..The Keene Pumpkin Festival 2009 and a Recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Maple and Pecans =-.

Michelle KaminskyMichelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived. 

Calabria Guidebook

Calabria travel guide by Michelle Fabio

Recipes

 

Homemade apple butter
Green beans, potatoes, and pancetta
Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins
Pasta with snails alla calabrese
Onion, Oregano, and Thyme Focaccia
Oatmeal Banana Craisin Muffins
Prosciutto wrapped watermelon with bel paese cheese
Fried eggs with red onion and cheese
Calabrian sausage and fava beans
Ricotta Pound Cake