12 Days of Delicious: Day 1/January 2021

Hello, and welcome to my 12 days of deliciousness— an advent calendar, year countdown of sorts.

12 days until Christmas. 12 months of cooking.

From now until Christmas, I’ve decided to recap my 2021– the best food I cooked each month, or the great inspirations, the joys, the skills I learned: YADDA YADDA YADDA.

So here I go! JANUARY 2021!

In early January, I finally got to take an @oliahercules dumpling class, and it literally changed my life. Not only did Olia teach me the joys of Georgian and Ukrainian dumpling making, but, because of that initial course, I got to chatting with this incredible lady, started recipe testing for her and we became friends. I took every Zoom course she offered—Duck noodles! Shah plov! Ossetian pies! I even went to Ukraine on her food tour with @experienceukraineandbeyond.

I learned to ferment tomatoes. I learned to matchstick carrots. I learned to bake bread. I learned that ml and g have the same weight. I learned that Ukraine is one of the most exceptionally beautiful places I have ever visited. I learned to trust recipes and to try unexpected combinations. And, more than anything, Olia taught me to believe in myself and try. Without her, I wouldn’t have applied for the writing grant that led me to a literary agent and hopefully more.

It all came from a Zoom class. Dumplings. The best thing I cooked in January 2021, and the best thing I did all year.