Sweating in the Kitchen OR the One Where Jeff Cooks for 3.5 hours

Well it's technically two days after Thanksgiving, but a group of Americans and Russians are getting together today to celebrate this holiday. So this morning I got up and started cooking. I first made my cinnamon almonds. I'm a bit sad that I won't be sharing them with my family this holiday season, but all the same - they're comfort for me too! Then I started baking. I made banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. I'm always scared of using the gas stove to bake because it doesn't cook evenly. With some significant pr@yer - the loaf of bread turned out! Yes.

After the bread, I made the dough for the cookies and made them as I continued cooking. I started shredding what felt like 1000 carrots (only 2.5 pounds) to make a Russian salad (so simple, yet delicious - shredded carrots, minced garlic, and mayonnaise).

Then I decided since the kitchen was already a wreck, that I'd keep going. So I made borsch. I learned how on Monday - so I wanted to reinforce my learning with immediate practice. It's pretty good too! I think I should have used more beets though as the soup is a bit 'oranger' from the carrots than it should be!

Maybe I need a few more lessons on how to spice it best, but I've made my first VERY VERY Russian dish and I'm pleased with myself!