We celebrated Vanya's first birthday with a luncheon on Sunday (his actual birthday). I can't get over how much more energy I have now compared to when Nikita turned one. Not only did I make two dishes (baked fresh ham, eggplant moussaka), but I baked a cake as well (Apricot, Pistachio Lemon Coffee Cake - one of the few recipes I've liked while testing for Leite's Culinaria, but it's not on their website!). We had buttered Basmati rice and various Russian salads (including Galina's Salad Olivier and Beet salad) to round out the meal.
The fresh ham turned out well, but took long (too late did I realize Cook's Illustrated had a recipe!). The real success was the Eggplant Moussaka, which I made only because Vanya's godfather doesn't eat meat in observation of the Orthodox Lent. Galina even asked me why I never made it since living together; it's because Igor doesn't like beans (I made it many times as a grad student). The cake was a hit as well. I wasn't too surprised because the first time I made the cake, it was for bookclub, and Igor didn't want me to bring it because it tasted so good. Igor, of course, didn't remember the cake until he tasted it. Vanya, however, was obsessed with the grape tomatoes. He kept on stuffing his mouth with them, then spitting out the skin. Igor now calls him Ivan Pomodorov.
