The August 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was a Spanish rice dish related to paella, featuring cuttlefish, mushrooms and artichokes. My pantry-friendly variation used dried porcini mushrooms and shrimp.
The June 2009 Daring Cooks challenged featured potstickers or gyoza with homemade wrappers, and allowed me to work on my pleating technique.
The May 2009 Daring Cooks challenge featured Zuni Cafe's ricotta gnocchi. Mine used freshly made ricotta and a simple sauce of tomato paste, capers and butter.