I am SO excited to review the new that I BARELY know where to begin. For lack of a better idea, why don't I just start at the beginning and stop at the end? Works for you? Good, here goes!

The is a nineteen person-owned collective based in New York state. You may have heard about the Moosewood Restaurant, in downtown Ithaca, which opened in 1973 and has been serving up delicious vegetarian meals ever since. The folks at Moosewood didn't stop there, though. Oh no! Running a globally-acclaimed natural foods restaurant wasn't enough, so those darn Moosewood foodies started publishing cookbooks () AND a line of refrigerated soups and sauces as well. Whew!

I've been familiar with and been a fan of the Moosewood cookbooks for quite some time--10 years or more, I'd estimate. When I learned about their newest recipe collection----I nearly leapt out of my chair in anticipation. Think I'm nuts? Let me explain.

The is a collection of 50 recipes from previously published Moosewood cookbooks. That means I probably already own at least some of these recipes in another book. What makes this okay is that this deck features each recipe on its own tabbed recipe card, divided into each of the four seasons and labeled MD (main dish), SD (side dish) or D (dessert). All of the recipes are vegetarian and many are also vegan by accident. They are designed with seasonal produce in mind, and it's SO easy to pick out your recipes and tuck those recipe cards into your when you head out to your local farmers' market, produce stand or grocery store.

Even though I'm not really a "cookbooker" or "recipe follower" or "color inside the lines at all" kind of gal, I'm still tickled by this approach to sharing recipes. For anyone who has trouble getting organized, doesn't have the time or desire to rewrite ingredients from a cookbook, or who just needs a little help in the grocery store, this meals deck would be a GREAT holiday gift. Best of all, since it includes recipes from all four seasons, it's like a gift that keeps on giving!

Now, here in the Pacific Northwest, autumn came late and winter is desperately trying to sneak in early. When I flipped through the deck a third and fourth time, reading recipes and trying to figure out what I had a taste for, I realized how easy it is to deal with this straddling of seasons. I simply selected a few dishes from both the "Autumn" and "Winter" tabs, took a quick inventory of my pantry, and off to the store I went! So awesome.

Which recipes did I decide to test? Well, over the course of the next week, I'll be sharing photos of the following dishes from the , and I may even post the recipe for one or two of them, if you're good:

Autumn Main Dish: Pumpkin Mushroom Lasagna
Autumn Side Dish: Cranberry Bulgar Pilaf
Autumn Dessert: Double Pear Crisp
Winter Main Dish: Green & White Bean Gratin
Winter Dessert: Sweet Spiced Nuts

Stay tuned for photos of Moosewood dishes from my kitchen!