Farida at Farida’s Azerbaijani Cookbook tagged us last month for Top 10 Photos, wherein we post our favorites from the blog. Somehow we totally missed this in the transition to WordPress, so here we go — better late than never!

Brussels Sprouts and Golden Beets — this picture won me over not only for the gorgeous colors, but also for the fact that as a life-long Brussels sprouts HATER, I couldn’t believe how crunchy and flavorful the dish was. It made me a convert.

Continuing the beet theme, this Roasted Beet Salad with Orange and Cumin actually converted Lisa into a red-beet lover, even though she still thinks they “kinda taste like dirt”. I’m amazed I was able to plate these without getting beet juice *everywhere*.

Not only was this Tofu with Greens and Noodles delicious, but I was able to use the “twist-and-place” method to get the noodles to look less sloppy.

I love the veggies just popping out of this Garden Style Lasagna. The only thing I don’t like about this picture is the little half-noodle on the top.

Every time I look at this picture I get thirsty. What makes this one stand out for me is the fact that for once, since we concocted the Sangria during the day, I was able to use natural light. I love the shadow in the background, and that I was able to angle the orange slice to pick up the light shining through it.

Lisa had just bought this serving dish the night before we made this Burmese Chicken Curry, and to me the color of the sauce and the dish itself complemented each other nicely. And hooray for cilantro.

I’m including this Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Carrot Stew because I love the colors, and because I actually took the photo the next day, using leftovers. I was really disappointed with the way the photos came out the night that I cooked the dish, so not only was I able to take my time the next day, but, like the Sangria, I got to take advantage of natural light.

Why this one? Because I made bread, dammit, and not only did it look like a real loaf, it tasted great!

When Lisa made this Lahmajoun it definitely earned her points with the Armenian side of the family. And provided us with delicious leftovers to pull out of the freezer for weeks.

Finally, I have to include this one, my first post that appeared on TasteSpotting. The dish itself wasn’t totally spectacular, but I while cutting the rolled chicken breasts the resemblance to sushi maki inspired me to plate the dish as sushi, with orzo standing in for the rice.

Whew! One thing I noticed when trying to scrounge up 10 photos that I liked is that I can totally tell the difference in photos that I took in 3 seconds versus the ones that I took a few minutes to think about plating and composition a bit before actually snapping away. Unfortunately, I don’t always have that luxury, as it’s usually pretty late in the evening when we finally sit down to eat, and hunger takes precedence!

Thanks for the tag, Farida!