2012 Year in Review

[To put my PR hat on for a minute:]

Every year, we do a year end review for our clients. We create elaborate decks to review our progress, brag a bit, and look back at what we set out to do. Why not do it for my blog?

I think 2012 was the year that cooking turned from a fun hobby to a true passion. I had my list of foods I wanted to cook during the year, almost all of which were challenging and new. I wanted to push my culinary boundaries and further refine my tastes and flavors. I think I succeeded!

Of the 52 foods I set out to make, I made 31 of them. A bit over half, BUT I don't consider that bad! Here's why: when I made the list (my very first one!), I picked dishes with really out there techniques or really interesting ingredients. (I think I was having wineand watching Chopped when I made it, actually.) Some of them just weren't smart (for instance, I HATE chicken wings. Why did I put them on there?), and others I just ran out of times to make them (you can only have so many dinner parties!).

One of the most interesting things was that some recipes I didn't want to make or change. My dad always makes our Easter babka and my Grandma always makes it at Easter. We always have golumbke (stuffed cabbage), but my mom's family always makes them. Making these things myself means they're not as special anymore, that I can have them anytime I want. I wasn't ready for that! Thanksgiving rutagega is always made with lemon and butter, it didn't need a recipe makeover. I'm sad I even added that!

So as I continue scouring my best blogs, recipe books, family recipes and reinvent restaurant dishes, I'm coming up with a great, more manageable list of 2013. Some will be hard, others will mean something to me or those I love and still others will be recipes I just can't wait to try.

I can't wait to share them with you!