The year that was...

January:
The Black Sea, Bagels, and Beans

February:

Poverty-inspired flour mania- Pancakes, Spaetzle and Gnocchi from scratch

March:

My little brother comes to visit and I embarrass him in front of all the great sites in Europe. For revenge, he steals my favorite coat and still hasn't given it back.

April:

Passover tapas for all my friends in Brussels, despite a tragic lack of Manischevitz wine.

May:

Springtime in Berlin gets off to an auspicious start when I invent the life-changing Chipotle Plantain Enchiladas.

June:

Love is in the air in Berlin, and to celebrate I eat lots of red things, like cherries and rhubarbs. Meanwhile, we pack up and move into a new apartment.

July:

Summer brings lots of weddings in the US, and (perhaps in response?) I develop a strange affinity for miniature pies. And a strange dis-finity for wedding registries. Take that, married people!

August: Apparently, nothing happens in August. I just sit on the roof of the new place and eat more pie. (Not too shabby, me!)

September:

Oh wait, now I remember what I was doing in August, writing my dissertation! In September that baby is all turned in, so I celebrate by making lots of pierogies, hosting a Rosh Hoshana dinner, and finding a thousand and one things to do with CSA plums.

October:

In October, having failed to immediately obtain a job upon graduation, I go into a housewife-like baking frenzy and serve S. gourmet meals, like crepes, every night in desperate response to my certain future as failed lawyer.

November:

I attempt my first Vegan Mofo, cooking up lots of delicious things to impress you at first, only to drop out towards the end because of a flu caught in England. Bloody Brits.

And finally, December, as seen immediately below, was a whirl of holiday traveling and a good time had by all. (Well, except for the actual traveling part.)

All in all, this year was one of the brokest and most nerve-wracking years of my life, but I also made a lot of new friends, fell more in love with my boyfriend, and got to know yet another city and another language. I can also honestly say that I feel more confident in my cooking skills than ever before, partially because of said stress and brokeness. Turns out, deprivation inspires creativity! But you vegans already knew that. Stay tuned for food-related new years resolutions (yes, I have so many resolutions that I have to make categories.)

Happy New Years, internet!