End of the Year Visit

This past week we had a visit from Jake's mom, Terri. We hadn't seen her since we left California and were very happy to host her in Ann Arbor for a few days!

Jake and Terri in front of the Ross School of Business

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

Tonight is the last night of the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah.

A White Christmas

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Weekly Wonders: Oh-So-Good GF Mac and Cheese

I promised you a post on gluten free, homemade mac and cheese, so here it is!

Weekly Wonders: GF Banana Bread

My mother-in-law sent me a very special present the other day, something I've been wanting to help with gluten free baking. I'd been waiting to purchase it because it's pretty expensive and I was managing in the mean time. And then a surprise package arrived in the mail — yup, she's cool like that! Of course I had to use it! So this week's Weekly Wonders is on how to make gluten free Banana Bread (this recipe is really great for those old bananas that no one wants to eat).

Half-Year Mark!

Today is our six month anniversary in Ann Arbor! On one hand it seems like we just left California, but we've settled so nicely that it also feels like we've been here forever.

Santa Is Real, Twice!

On Friday downtown Ann Arbor and Kerrytown (a specialty shopping area) held a Christmas-time event with the local shops and farmer's market. The stores had "Midnight Madness" with big sales and stayed open until midnight. The farmer's market hosted local artists selling all kinds of Christmas decorations and yummy foods.

Everyone and their grandma was out so it took us a while to find a parking spot. We ended up parking a little ways from downtown, but it gave us a nice chance to warm up on our walk. It was one of the coldest nights, in the low 30's when we were out, but luckily there was no snow. Downtown was decorated nicely with Christmas lights in all the trees - lovely in the dark!

Turkey Day, 2011

We were planning a big party for Thanksgiving this year but some things came up and we decided to just have a simple, at home dinner. It was a good thing too, because it turned out that I was battling an allergic reaction and in no position to host. Instead, we enjoyed a quiet day with my brother, Leor, who was visiting from California. Here he is!

And We're Back!

It's been an exciting few weeks full of drama, holiday celebrations, guests, and snow! I have a lot of catching up to do so I will start at the beginning and with the snow, because weather is the most exciting!

First, notice that I've switched the blog back to the old template. Sorry for everyone who liked the other one, but it was giving me a lot of trouble and didn't allow me to post my own banner (I have a new banner!). I'm attempting to bring some of the nicer features into this layout (like the larger images and cleaner text), so we'll see how it goes.

Ok, the beginning. Exhibit A:

SNOW!

For a few days now the forecast has been calling for snow on Thursday. We didn't want to get our hopes up, but we kept checking the reports, and the likelihood just kept rising. First 30%, then 50%, then 60% was reported yesterday. Still, we didn't want to get too excited, but I admit that I kept checking the radar to see when/if rain clouds were coming our way.

We began the day, Jake going to school and me sitting down to do some work, but with a careful eye out the window every few minutes. Some of us were lazy and just trying to stay warm.

Fading Fall at Lillie Park

We had a quiet day on Saturday, staying close to home and enjoying each other's company now that Jake's barrage of tests has past. The weather has been so nice and we wanted to get some fresh air, so we went for a hike through Lillie Park.

The last time we visited this park, in August, we were attacked by mosquitos, even though we were covered in repellant. But the park was very beautiful and we were looking forward to a visit sans bugs. Lillie Park in the fall, though, was very different from Lillie Park in the summer. Still beautiful, but no longer lush.

Halloween Happenings

On Monday I accompanied Veronika and Sonya (and later Freddy) to a fun Halloween event held in downtown Ann Arbor. Children were invited to Trick or Treat at the local businesses—there were many children and many cute costumes. I thought this one was the best:

Weekly Wonders: GF Jalapeno-Cheddar Sourdough

I usually try to post Weekly Wonders later in the week, but I was too excited to share this new recipe. This week I'm going to tell you how to make gluten free jalapeno-cheddar sourdough bread!

Changes and Photos

If you've visited the blog you probably noticed that I changed the layout. I'm not 100% satisfied with this look, but I think it will allow me to publish larger pictures and will also give the viewer more control over how the blog is accessed. You can play with the settings by clicking the drop down menu in the upper left corner, it currently says "Magazine". I've had a few comments that it would be nice to be able to see all the images at once instead of having to scroll, so you can choose the "Snapshot" option and see what you think. If this view doesn't work out I can always change it back.

In any case, I have some nice photos that I've been wanting to share, so let's see how they look!

With the cold and crisp weather, the park has offered up some gorgeous coloring.

Weekly Wonders: Secrets to Perfect Applesauce

A few weeks ago Veronika and I made big batches of applesauce for my first experiment with canning. 

The recipe for the applesauce is one I've been using for a few years and it is surprisingly delicious. Last year I brought some of this applesauce to our potluck-holiday party at work and it was gone in just a few minutes. Everyone wanted the recipe. So today I thought I'd share it with you.

The Frost Cometh

This morning it was cold.

Frosty message.

California Dreaming

I knew there were things I would miss when we left California: family, friends, the good food, the ocean. But I didn't expect to miss the fog!

It started in September when my dad sent me these beautiful pictures of the Bay Area at sunrise.

Marin, California

Weekly Wonders: Pashtida

And now, the second edition of Weekly Wonders: In the Kitchen.

Jake has been working crazy hours for the past few weeks, so I try to send a bit of dinner with him when he leaves in the morning. For a few days it was made-from-scratch gluten free mac and cheese, which was a big hit. But once that was finished I had to think of something else. I'd been craving something my mom used to make, called Pashtida, an Israeli dish that is a cross between a crustless quiche and a frittata. So I decided to try that.

Can You Do The Can Can?

After picking so many apples, Anna, Veronika, and I have been trying to come up with different things to do with them. We've all made apple cakes and pies, Anna made some delicious apple jam, and Veronika made yummy compote. But there were still more, so on Monday Veronika and I made big batches of applesauce and then canned them. Canning is something I've been interested in for a long time and I enjoyed my first experience. I'll definitely do some more.

Vegetarian Black Bean Dip

As many of you know, I like to cook and I do a fair amount of it every week. I haven't heard too many complaints yet, so I like to think that I'm pretty good at it too. It was suggested that sharing some of my recipes might make for good blogging, so I'm starting a weekly (hopefully) post with a recipe and I'm calling the series:

Seven Snakes

On Sunday, Anna and I went for a long hike in Pinckney, a town and park to the northwest of Ann Arbor. Fall is in full swing and it was a gorgeous day for a hike, warm but not too hot, not humid at all, and a nice breeze.

Farm to Market to Table

On Tuesday I volunteered at Growing Hope, a nonprofit farming organization whose main office is in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor's neighbor.

The office recently moved to an old house which they are renovating through donation funds. It's a pretty neat house with a huge back yard that they've turned into a big garden, hoop house included.

Girls Day at the Orchard

We had a very nice time with our friends on Rosh HaShana - good company and good food! My round raisin Challah turned out very well and I'll be making it again for Yom Kippur this Friday.

A Fish Story

WARNING: This post contains graphic content of the dissection of a fish. If you are squeamish or just don't like that kind of thing, you can read until my note below to stop.

Tonight we celebrate the Jewish New Year, and, like all things Jewish, we bring in the new year with style! That means songs, good company, wine, and lots and lots of food!

One of the traditional foods is gefilte fish (you can look it up here if you are unfamiliar with it). It's an acquired taste and is usually one of those things that you either hate or love. I really like it but discovered last year that the binder is matzah meal, which I can no longer eat. After much investigation online, I did find one brand that uses potato starch instead (yay!), but it was too late to order it and none of the local stores carry it. I was disappointed but thought I might try again at Passover when it is an even more common food.

Weekend Romping

The first weekend of Fall was warm and muggy, but we went romping anyway.

On Saturday we learned that some of the museums in the area were having a free one-day pass. We were planning on an Indian Lunch Buffet in the downtown, anyway, so we went to check out the UM Art Museum.

Fall Is Here!

In honor of the first day of Fall, I've changed the blog's banner, so if you're reading this via email or RSS, come check it out!

I read that the big leaf-change comes to Ann Arbor around the middle of October, but we've already seen some evidence in the trees around us.

Domino's Pizza Has a Farm, D-O-M-I-NO

No, seriously, Domino's Pizza has a farm!

Current Events

Jake is now fully immersed in the world of school. He leaves every day at 8am and doesn't return until 7pm most days, and 10pm on some days. It's a lot of work, but I know he's doing a good job. He spends a lot of time at the Ross School of Business:

Ross School of Business lobby/study area.

Weekend Stories

We did a lot of things this weekend, but I forgot the camera for some of them...

Friday night we attended an event called "Shabbat in the Park," hosted by the young adult group of the Ann Arbor Jewish community. Since the weather was still drippy and cold they moved the BBQ to the local Jewish Community Center (JCC), which happens to be right across the street from our house. This annual get together is a chance for new members of the community to meet other Jews and have a nice Shabbat dinner. Here is my one picture from the evening:

Rain Is A Good Thang!

The weather has changed abruptly. In my last post I talked about the 95° Saturday we had, followed by a hail storm. Sunday was cooler, in the mid-70's, and mostly cloudy. But as of Monday (Labor Day = the last day of summer), it's been raining. And raining. And then raining some more. And it's not the warm summer rain we've been enjoying either. It's cold and gray and dark and wet.

It's been a lot of this:

GO BLUE! ...or not?

What do you get when you combine this

with this

and this?

Tidbits

I have some random pictures today, so thought I'd just mush them all together into one post. Also, I've posted three new insects on the Fauna page, they are marked "NEW!" so they shouldn't be hard to miss.

The Times They Are A'changing
Today has been hot and humid again, but on our walk to the lake the other day, it was clear that Fall is on it's way.

 

Ye Old Renaissance Fair

This Sunday past we wentest to the Renaissance Fair of Michigan. 'Twas a grand time with much merriment and games.

Tornado Watch

Yesterday we experienced our first tornado watch.

Yeah, we didn't know what it was either and started to panic because we don't have a basement. Turns out the "watch" is not the part you have to worry about. It's when the watch turns into a tornado warning that you want to run for the tiny closet at the bottom of your stairs because it's the lowest-level coverage you have. Currently, that tiny closet reeks of disgusting cat litter and poop because the previous tenants kept an uncovered, unscooped cat box in there for who knows how long. Yes, we tried Febreze. Yes, we tried bleach. And yes, we even got special cat-odor-remover. It still stinks.

Anyway. The news was having "Severe Weather Report" interruptions for a good chunk of the day because the conditions were right for a tornado. In case you were wondering, our weather has been cooling off (you can definitely tell that summer is coming to an end), but yesterday was like the beginning of July: hot, very humid, sticky, heat index of 95°F for most of the day. But a cold front was moving in from the north with winds of up to 25mph. Apparently this all equaled "Tornado Watch!"

Dream Crusin'

On Saturday we attended the largest car cruise in North America, held in Pontiac, MI. As you probably know, Michigan is the car capitol of the USA, so there was a pretty huge turn out with a lot of cool cars. People came from all over, even Canada. Big speakers were blasting 60's music and there were butch men with Hulk Hogan mustaches and bandanas around their heads, and their ladies, of course.

Lillie Park and the Humongous Fungus

This past weekend we returned to Lillie Park to explore the south and east ends.

Last time we visited Haven Lake.

This part of the park turned out to be even more lovely than the north side with two big ponds and lots of paths.

 

Our Second Anniversary (in pictures!)

Yesterday was a perfect day!

Since Jake is done with class until September, and Tuesday is one of the days I don't work, we were able to spend the whole day together.

We started with a homemade breakfast of mushroom-zucchini omelet and skillet potatoes.

We are two.

Two years ago we were two birds.

More about storms.

Yesterday we had another thunderstorm. I know I've written about them a couple times already, but the novelty hasn't worn off. They are just so exciting!

We were didn't have much of a thunder-lightening show, but we did get to see the storm roll in and even witnessed some spinners (the very beginnings of a tornado that never touches down or gathers much momentum). The sky wasn't green so we weren't too worried, and it was obvious the clouds were just forming a bit of a peak.

Incoming!

Brooding

Farm Fresh!

Last night I volunteered at Tilian Farm (the same place where we had the dinner) to help them make and can fresh salsa. The whole experience was farm fresh, from the ingredients, to working outside, to the mosquitoes.

We started by cutting everything up and mixing it together.

Good bread, bad bread.

We've been fighting a bit of a stomach bug, so we decided to take it easy this weekend. We watched a lot of movies and hung out on the couches. When we couldn't stand it anymore, we put on our shoes and went to check out a new park. We've driven past it a few times and it always looked nice.

Welcome to Lillie Park!

Turns out Lillie Park is composed of three parks, the north, south, and east parks. We spent some time in the north park, but when we tried to explore the trails we were attacked by mosquitoes. Rumor has it they've been particularly bad this year. We'll be better prepared next time. What we did see, though, was really nice!

In other news, Jake is in his last week of summer school! Class finishes this week and he has a few more Summer Institute events at the beginning of next week. Then, a break until real school starts in September.

As for me, I've been experimenting with baking gluten free bread. I've finally nailed growing the yeast and get a nice foamy mix every time.

It's alive!

My first trial, a recipe for gluten free challah (which you can find here), was spectacular! I'll use less sugar next time, but it actually came out like bread and tastes like challah. It even toasts perfectly!

I made a pattern on the top so it came out looking a little braided.

Look at that! Perfectly risen.

My second attempt, gluten free pita, was a pretty big flop. The recipe I followed said to allow the dough to rise for 2-3 hours, and I think that might have been the problem. The dough dried out and the pockets didn't expand in the oven. I ended up with hard, flat bread and had to dump most of it.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Next I'll try a recipe using my new garfava flour. I'll let you know how it turns out.