Countdown to the end of the year (and this project)

Hi there foodie fans!

As most of you know, the goal of this project was to cook my way all the way through Deborah Madison's wonderful cookbook, Vegetarian Suppers, in one year's time. I began this project on January 1st and I'm still hoping to finish by December 31st.

This has been a year of change and challenge. We bought a house in the spring, we celebrated two big birthdays in the summer (my daughter turned 25 and my husband turned 60), my mother passed away, and then last week my sister-in-law passed away. I have been away from home for a variety of reasons. I have found cooking to be a great comfort and inspiration to me this year, but I haven't found it as easy to do the blogging.

Here's where I stand -

42 recipes from the cookbook cooked AND blogged about

30 recipes from the cookbook cooked, awaiting blogging

43 recipes to go, plus some sauces

Ok. That's daunting. There are only 9 weeks left in the year. That's almost 5 recipes a week, starting tomorrow! The good news is that several of them go together. I was waiting for eggplant to be in season, and then I kind of missed it in September and October. I'll have to get cracking on those. I missed a few other ingredients like heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes (both of which were in my garden but got ripe while I was away. Bummer.) Amazingly, I've done very few of the recipes from the "Supper Sandwiches" section, and they are pretty quick and easy. Maybe I'll make some for lunch.

Many recipes I have cooked more than once, such as Cabbage & Leek Gratin with Mustard Cream, Black Beans with Yellow Rice, Wine Braised Lentils, Grilled Halloumi Cheese, and Labor Day Spaghetti. Several more I would like to come back to. I have also made all kinds of things that aren't in this cookbook, some of which I blogged about. It has been a delicious year so far. I hope that as I catch up on my blogging and concentrate on lots of new recipes over the next few weeks, you will get inspired to try new things in your kitchen.

Buon appetito.