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.