Etsy

I'm now almost two months into my sabbatical and I must say, it is pretty great. While I'm keeping myself somewhat busy with classes (I'll have a new post about that soon) I'm also exploring other things. One of them is opening a new shop on Etsy to sell chainmaille jewelry. It makes my hobby seem a lot more serious, although partly it is just that one can only own so many chainmaille bracelets before it become ridiculous.

Feta and Bacon Frittata

This is another recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook but I thought it deserved its own post. It would be an excellent addition to any brunch but was easy enough to make on a lazy Saturday morning.

Tapas Party

Now that I'm not working, I'm definitely not getting out as much. I have to be a lot more proactive about seeing people. So I decided to have friends over on a Friday night for a little tapas party.

Cookbook Review: Smitten Kitchen

This is another cookbook from a food blogger, Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen. This cookbook has already proven itself in that I have cooked a number of things out of it (and not only from the dessert section). Incidentally, I often judge cookbooks by the size of their dessert section and this one is doing pretty well at 30%. I think the largest dessert section I've seen was the William-Sonoma Holiday one my mom has, which had to be like 45% desserts (which is really what the holidays are about.

But back to this cookbook. The recipes are much more comfort food based than Super Natural Every Day. One of the recipes I loved (but failed to photograph) was Sweet Peas and Shells Alfredo; rich, creamy, definitely not for the calorically conscious. Actually, I really enjoyed all the recipes I tried. It is clear the book is aimed at every day cooking, not a lot of fancy, hard-to-find ingredients and not a lot of really daring or out-there recipes. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're looking to expand your weeknight repertoire but if you're looking for ideas for an elaborate dinner party this might not be the book for you.