The year in review and the future

NEW YEAR'S EVE LATKES

I thought it might be a good idea to review the past year and look to the future in this post.

I am looking to these Rostii/Latkes as a recipe that can be used for Hannukah, Brunch or for a New Year's appetizer.

The recipe following the post.

As for the review of the year.  It's currently post Christmas but still in the week of Hanukkah when people usually use this time to reflect on the year and look to the coming year.

Since I don't have family to share the Holidays with I had a lot of time to reflect on the past year and think about how I want my future to look.

This past year has been very challenging.  I have struggled with my health a bit to do all the things I wanted to do.  I have had to let things and people go and adjust to what my reality is now.   At the end of November I fell at a subway station and as a result I couldn't lift my arm for about 2 weeks and had neck and hip pains along with it.  It was super busy for cooking demands with potlucks and other blogging opportunities.  I had to pass up one of the opportunities because I just didn't have the physical ability to do it.  I really wanted to do some baking and struggled to do what I could.  I managed to get a bunch of things done and had help with one of my baking assignments.  Now I am feeling a bit better and thinking about what I want 2017 to look like.  I have been so busy working a temp job that is ending in a couple of weeks and trying to keep up with events and now I have to focus on building my blog to generate income and look for more work in 2017.  I want to find work that gives me enough income and still have flexibility to work on my blog.   Going forward I thought it was time for tiny makeover of my blog. I worked on a logo/header redesign and cleaned up a few things.  Hope you like it.   My intention this coming year is to work with more brands and to be more creative in the kitchen and try and experiment a bit more.  I want to have more balance with events and work in the kitchen this year.

I want to spend more time in my kitchen and control what I am eating.  Eating out proves to be difficult for me sometimes with the heavy amount of sodium and processed foods that are presented.

I hope to eat simpler food like these quick rostii/latkes.  They are more rostii than latke but it works.

I hope you join me and try some of the recipes I will now include in the new page I created.   I am also hoping to do some contests this year, something I have only done a few times.

So here's to a bigger and better year with lot's of great food and opportunities.

As for the RECIPE here it is:

NEW YEAR'S EVE Rostii/ Latkes

Ingredients:

Rostii

1 large Russet potato

Canola oil

Butter

Salt Pepper

Garnish

Smoked Salmon

Fresh Dill or chives

Sauce:  

Sour Cream

Horseradish

Dill

Directions:

Peel at least 1 russet potato and grate on a box grater on the large grate side.  Do it quickly.

You can pat it dry with a paper towel but you don't have to add anything else.  Just work quickly before the potatoes turn brown.

In a medium frying pan heat up a tablespoon of oil and add a small amount of butter about a teaspoon for flavour.  When the butter is melted add a spoonful of the grated potato and pat down to a small rounded mound of potatoes.  It's easier to make them small to flip them.

Flip them using a spatula when you see the sides start to get brown.  Continue to cook until both sides are brown and crispy.  Before you flip them you can add salt and pepper.  Remove and place on a paper towel lined tray until they are all done.

If you want to make a lot for a party I would suggest just grating a potato at a time so they don't get brown.  You can only cook them in small batches anyway.  This method skips the straining and adding flour or eggs that you would normally add but you still get nice crispy potatoes.

You can make ahead and keep heated in a low oven.   At the last minute garnish with smoked salmon and a make the sauce using a small container of sour cream and a tablespoon of grated horseradish and add a tsp. of dill or chives.  

Place the smoked salmon on top of the latke and then add a tsp of the sour cream sauce on top and then top with fresh dill or chives.

That's pretty much it.  It just take a bit of time to cook the potatoes but it's pretty easy and few ingredients.

One large russet potato is about 2 servings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you ALL and may all your food wishes and dreams come true in 2017.