Saturday, December 31, 2011

Best of 2011: My Messy Choice

Cooking has really become my favorite thing in life over the past year. I spend so much time on this blog (cutting into precious TV viewing) because I really do enjoy making (and eating) everything. After several hours of internal debate, I was able to narrow down this year's 75+ recipes to my own top ten. Hopefully, I'll be making these lists for years to come, so please let me know what some of your favorite recipes from this past year were in the comments so I can try them out (and get wonderful new posts for the new year).

Teaming up with some of the world's greatest sous chefs (like Maconda and Nancy) have made this a year to remember.
Now that you've seen the most viewed posts, here are some of my favorites from the year in cooking:


10) Sloth Love Chunk: A Tale of Two Pizzas
Pizza night with Erika and Bryan was the most magical of family traditions (especially when the pizzas resemble beloved childhood characters). The smoked gouda and vegetarian pepperoni pizza was my favorite so far. This also begins the first of many culinary Rorschach tests that give you readers a view into my mind.

9) Peach Crepes
Almond extract forever earned a place in my heart with its star turn in this wonderful brunch. I also found another use for my enchilada folding skills.

8) Cherry Pie
Both readers and I agreed that this take on cherry pie was one to cherish. The only problem is that it ruined all other cherry pies for me (thanks Robin!).

7) The French Macaroon Making Marathon
One of the most insane nights of baking led to some of the tastiest treats ever as Nancy and I fought off exhaustion to achieve baking glory. You haven't lived until you've yelled at batter and called it stupid.

6) Flan Brûlée
The jiggliest dessert around shined with a perfect hint of amaretto and orange. Plus it didn't hurt that it looked just like pac-man after it was missing a chunk. (It's also crazy fun to use a torch.)

5) Banana's Foster Cupcakes
Wrapping up a traditional New Orleans dessert into a convenient cupcake package gave me one of my favorite desserts ever. Cinnamon, bourbon and bananas are truly the perfect combo.


4) Jambalaya Risotto
My favorite original recipe combines all the spice and flavor of a jambalaya with the creaminess of a risotto for a winning dish. Be sure to check out the equally delightful vegetarian version too.

3) Whoopie Pies
Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Honey I Shrunk the Kids. I practically reached the nirvana of the giant cookie sandwich from the film with these rich desserts that should be a staple of any good party.

2) The Vegan Muffaletta
I could have filled this list with the many amazing eats from my very vegan Christmas, but I singled out the comically large sandwich as my favorite. This truly proved that vegan cooking could be just as delicious as anything else. I'm just sad I left L.A. with a quarter of this sandwich still in the fridge.

1) Kaya Toast


The readers and I agree that this perfect starter is the best of the year. You'll never forget your first bite of this unorthodox dish when the sweet coconut jam, egg yolk and soy sauce come together to force your taste buds to think all other food is settling for less.

It's been a great year, and i hope to expand this blog some in the future with more consistent posting, more kitchen invasions and new features like Meatless Monday weekly vegan recipes.

Happy New Year, everyone!

1 comment:

  1. You're post now has left me craving for all of these dishes and snacks haha. Was searching for custom essays online but ended up on this post. Thanks for sharing it.

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