I received a Kindle for the holidays in 2010, so in 2011 I revisited a number of childhood favorites that were available for free on the Kindle.  I also read a few other out-of-copyright books that I hadn’t gotten around to reading before.

As you can see, I reread and re-listened to a lot of books.  My goal in 2012 is to read more new books, since I have a habit of always going back to ones I love.  How will I discover new books to love if I keep recycling the old ones, right?  In that spirit, I would appreciate any suggestions you have for my 2012 reading list.  Thanks!

Currently reading (Carrying over from 2011)
Piccole Donne (Little Women in Italian)
Jane Eyre (Italian Edition) – Charlotte Bronte
In those days we danced ’til dawn – Ray A Schaefer
Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad – Firoozeh Dumas
The Lord God Made Them All – James Herriot
Shadows Bright as Glass: The Remarkable Story of One Man’s Journey from Brain Trauma to Artistic Triumph – Amy Ellis Nutt
Salt: A World History – Mark Kurlansky

New books I read in 2011 (non-book club)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Always the Baker, Never the Bride – Sandra D. Bricker
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life – Barbara Kingsolver
An Old-Fashioned Girl – Louisa May Alcott
Colman – Monica Furlong
Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany – Bill Buford
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure – William Goldman
Emily, Alone: A Novel – Stewart O’Nan
Cooking for Gracie: The Making of a Parent from Scratch – Keith Dixon
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain

Book club books I read in 2011
Middlesex: A Novel – Jeffrey Eugenides
True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart – Thich Nhat Hanh
No Biking in the House Without a Helmet – Melissa Fay Greene
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal – Christopher Moore
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down – Anne Fadiman

Books I reread/relistened to in 2011
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
Understood Betsy – Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm – Kate Douglas Wiggin
In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson
Juniper – Monica Furlong
Wise Child – Monica Furlong
Ramayana – William Buck
Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, No 1) – David Eddings
Queen of Sorcery (The Belgariad, Book 2)- David Eddings
Magician’s Gambit (The Belgariad, Book 3) – David Eddings
Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad, Book 4) – David Eddings
Enchanters’ End Game (The Belgariad, Book 5) – David Eddings
Guardians of the West (The Malloreon, Book 1) – David Eddings
King of the Murgos (The Malloreon, Book 2) – David Eddings
Demon Lord of Karanda (The Malloreon, Book 3) – David Eddings
Sorceress of Darshiva (The Malloreon, Book 4)
The Seeress of Kell (The Malloreon, Book 5) – David Eddings
Dealing with Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles 1 – Patricia C Wrede
Searching for Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles 2 – Patricia C Wrede
The Railway Children – E. Nesbit
A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett

Sorry about the blue links!  I may need to change my theme in order to fix that.

Potato latkes
1 onion
6 medium russet potatoes
5 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt + more to taste
Pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil or other oil for frying

Grate the onion and the four potatoes, drain all of the liquid from them, and add them to a bowl. Beat one egg and mix it in with the potatoes and onion. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to taste.

Heat a deep cast-iron pan with about 1/4 inch of olive oil over medium heat. Test the heat of the oil by dropping in a small piece of potato. The oil is ready once the potato cooks quickly to a golden brown with out burning. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Grab a small handful of the grated potato mixture and squeeze tightly forming a disc-like patty similar to a thin burger. You will have to squeeze the liquid out or it won’t stick together. Add patties a few at a time to the hot oil. They should become golden brown fairly quickly, but still have time for the inside portion to cook.

Pull them out with a spatula and set them on a plate with a paper towel on it to drain. Adjust the heat to achieve the desired outer crispiness and inner softness.

Serve with sour cream and homemade applesauce.

Serves 4.

Homemade applesauce
4 cups of apples – pink ladies, gala, granny smith, other local apples
1/2 cup sugar or to taste
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 whole cloves

Cook in a pot with a little water, the cinnamon stick, and cloves. Cook covered for 20 minutes until the apples begin to fall apart.

This recipe came up in my twitter feed one day at the beginning of April.  Here’s why I felt I had to try it:
“When I made this scone recipe for my daughter who just had a baby, she said these scones would attract nursing mothers from miles around. Fortunately none of them came over, because she ate them all! ” – Savvy Vegetarian

As a constantly hungry pregnant person, I decided this was right up my alley and went immediately into action in the kitchen.  Now that I’m a nursing mother, maybe it’s time to make these again…

The Savvy Vegetarian has given me permission to reproduce the recipe here paired with the photos I took while making the scones.  This is the version of the recipe that I made:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup unbleached cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 /2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange rind
• 1 cup Thompson raisins
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Juice of one orange

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place raisins in a bowl, cover with boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain into a colander and set aside
3. Combine dry ingredients
4. Combine buttermilk, eggs and orange juice to make 1 1/4 cups liquid
5. Grate orange rind into the dry ingredients
6. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is mealy
7. Add the raisins and liquid, mix together to make a soft dough (can even be sticky)
8. Knead dough lightly for 5 minutes on a floured surface until it forms a ball
9. Divide and pat into two 6 inch rounds and slice each into 6 wedges
10. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, middle of the oven, until lightly browned
11. Slide onto a rack to cool for a few minutes

The scones were delicious.  They made a perfect snack or breakfast when cut in half, warmed in the toaster oven, and buttered.

Yes, I think it’s time to try these again.

With Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) coming up, I started thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be too sacrilegious to make charoses now, when there are lots of gorgeous local apples just waiting to be enjoyed.  After all, you’re supposed to eat apples during Rosh Hashanah too.  So if you would like to make charoses Rosh Hashanah-style, I recommend substituting honey for the sugar; that way you get in both the apples and the honey.

In April, when I realized I wasn’t going to have the opportunity to attend a Seder, I decided I still needed my yearly quota of charoses.  I called my grandma for a little help and she provided me with the general quantities and ingredients.  I list her recipe first and then the version I made, which has more exact measurements.

Whether you make this for Passover, Rosh Hashanah, or just a snack, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Grandma Gerry’s recipe:
2-3 apples (Jonathan, fuji, or gala apples)
Pecans
Cinnamon
A little sugar
Wine (sweet, red, like Manischewitz)

My version:
3 apples (I used fuji at the time, but now I’d use something local, like a honeycrisp)
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup red grape juice
1 Tablespoon sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

I believe my grandma blends hers in the food processor, but since I prefer mine a bit chunkier, I cut the apples to the size I like.  I used an OXO Good Grips Mini Chopper to chop up the walnuts, but you could also chop them with a knife.

Mix all of the ingredients together.  You’ll want to adjust the amount of sugar you add based on the sweetness of the apples you use.

Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours to let the flavors meld.

Do you have a favorite charoses recipe you’d be willing to share?  Please leave it in the comments!

Helpful equipment:
OXO Good Grips Mini Chopper I don’t use this very often, but when I do, I find it very useful.  I mostly use it for chopping nuts.

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe of Rebecca’s Savory Pie Crust or one pie crust of your choice
6 medium eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
(or just 2 cups of half and half)
1 cup grated muenster or havarti
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 dry tsp. each: basil, rosemary, thyme

1) Bake the pie crust at 400 degrees for 7 minutes.
2) Take crust out of oven to slightly cool.
3) Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.

4) Grate cheese and put into crust.

5) Mix all other ingredients in a bowl, and beat with a fork until eggs are well incorporated.
6) Pour over cheese.

7) Bake quiche 40-45 minutes, until knife inserted comes out clean.

Pie crust:
13 Tablespoons cold butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold water
1 3/4 cup flour

Mix together the 1 3/4 cups flour, and 3/4 tsp. salt.

Cut in 13 Tablespoons of butter. Add the 1/4 cup cold water and quickly work together with a fork.

Switch to working with hands and as quickly as possible make the dough come together and knead briefly just until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide dough in half and on a lightly floured surface begin rolling out the dough. Roll it out until it forms a relatively even circle.

To transfer the dough to the pie plate, fold it into quarters and position the inner corner at the center of the pie plate, then open to fill the pie plate.

Form an edge by folding over or removing and/or repositioning any excess and pressing down with the side of your thumb to form a ribbed edge. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Makes two crusts.

This morning I saw the blog of a new mother-friend (Simply Bike), and I remembered how much I enjoyed telling friends and family about the things going on in our kitchen.  Honestly, I don’t cook too many exciting things these days, we seem to eat a lot of lentil soup and pasta with zucchini, but if I do make something a little more interesting I will try to capture it here.

In the meantime, I have a number of entries that I didn’t get around to creating at the end of the pregnancy, so you can expect a few more pre-baby recipes to be coming your way.

Ariella loves her stuffed carrot.  Hopefully this will transfer to a love of real food sometime in the coming year.  I can’t wait to feed my baby!

I’ve been reading this great book called Cooking for Gracie: The Making of a Parent from Scratch by Keith Dixon.  A foodie writing about the birth and growth of his first child is a perfect combination, and speaks to me particularly at this period in my life.

Now to figure out what to call my blog now that I’m not pregnant.  Any suggestions?

Stay tuned, and please keep the comments coming!

Use 100 grams of flour, 1 egg, and 1 pinch salt per person you are making pasta for.

Clean table or counter, and pour the flour onto the surface.  Form a well in the center of the flour.

Add the salt to the well and crack the eggs into the center.  Make sure the egg does not escape over the sides.  Sometimes I do this in a bowl, because my eggs have a tendency to spill over.

Begin gently beating the eggs with a fork and slowly incorporate some flour from the sides of the well.  Continue to slowly incorporate the flour.

Once enough flour has been incorporated that the mixture begins to get stiff, switch to working the dough with your hands.  Continue to bring in the flour from the sides and knead the dough.  Add more flour as necessary to prevent the dough from becoming too sticky.

Knead the ball for about 15 minutes to creating a uniform and smooth dough.

Cover the ball with a bowl and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

At this point I use a pasta machine to roll out pieces of the dough and cut it, but you can also roll it out with a rolling pin and cut it by hand.  The key to rolling it out by hand is to make sure you get it really thin.

Let your pasta dry and then move to a bag or container and keep in the freezer.  Even when frozen, the pasta cooks in boiling, salted water in just a few minutes.

Helpful equipment:
A pasta machine: Marcato Atlas Wellness 150 Pasta Maker, Stainless Steel
This pasta machine is the one that I have, and I love it!

A pasta drying rack: Norpro Pasta Drying Rack
I chose to buy this drying rack, because it was inexpensive and functional.  Pasta drying racks come in a wide variety of forms and prices, so pick the one you like best.  You can also dry your pasta on a floured baking sheet.

Kitchen scale: Salter Digital Scale – Extra-Precise
This kitchen scale is a rather expensive one recommended by Lynne Rossetto Kasper from The Splendid Table.  Any reasonably accurate kitchen scale will do though.

Pie crust:
13 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup ice water
1 3/4 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sugar

Mix together the 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 2 Tablespoons sugar.

Cut in 13 Tablespoons of butter. Add the 1/4 cup of ice water and quickly work together with a fork.

Switch to working with hands and as quickly as possible make the dough come together and knead briefly just until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide dough in half and on a lightly floured surface begin rolling out the dough. Roll it out until it forms a relatively even circle.

To transfer the dough to the pie plate, fold it into quarters and position the inner corner at the center of the pie plate, then open to fill the pie plate.

Form an edge by folding over or removing and/or repositioning any excess and pressing down with the side of your thumb to form a ribbed edge. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Makes two crusts.

Filling:
3 cups rhubarb
2/3 cup sugar (makes a tart pie that goes perfectly with vanilla ice cream)
Zest of one orange
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cardamon seeds
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tablespoon flour
1 pinch salt

Wash and cut the rhubarb into approximately 1/2-inch pieces.

Mix the rhubarb with the other ingredients.

Pour mixture into pie shell.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Helpful equipment:
Pastry cutter: OXO Good Grips Dough Blender
This makes cutting in the butter for the pie crust much easier and faster.

Zester: Microplane 46120 Premium Red Zester/Grater
This is the zester/grater that I decided to purchase for myself.  It works great for zesting citrus and grating nutmeg.  I occasionally use it for cheese, but I don’t find it to work quite as well for cheese as a rotary or box grater.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil.

Add a Tablespoon or two of the olive oil from the marinated artichokes to a pan and place over medium-low heat.  Peel and slice the garlic cloves and add them to the pan, cooking them slowly in the oil.  Wash the zucchini, chard, and Meyer lemon and cut into pieces.  Slice the baby artichokes into pieces, do not use any parts that are tough.

Salt the pasta water well and add the pasta.  Stir occasionally and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, add the zucchini to the pan with the garlic.  Turn to medium heat and sauté for about Four minutes.  Add the chard, Meyer lemon, artichokes, and 1/4 cup of white wine.  Stir and cover pan for two minutes, then remove lid and continue to cook.

Drain the pasta when it is al dente, and add it to the pan with the vegetables.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in some parmesan and then use more to garnish.  Drizzle a small spoonful of the oil from the marinated artichokes over the top of each bowl.

Serves 4.