Well, it's that time again. There are lots of retrospectives and “Best of 2011” right about now. In my case, here is my annual round-up of all the top recipes I tried over the past year (drum roll please):
We made these on a snow day during an especially cruel New England winter. This is the ultimate french toast recipe in my humble opinion. There's something about the eggy, buttery brioche with swirls of cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins that elevate the ordinary french toast to a whole new level.
2011 was the year of the meatball at our house, having tried multiple different meatball recipes in search of the perfect meatball recipe. Surprisingly, this traditional Chinese pork meatball topped them all. We had this as part of our Chinese New Year feast, but this can definitely be a quick weeknight meal.
In an attempt to overcome my fear of baking, I bought Joanne Chang's Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe to challenge myself to bake more. My first (and most successful) recipe I tried had to be these bad boys. Takes a childhood favorite to new culinary heights. This has been a go-to treat at parties and hostess gifts.
It was an epic celebrity chef cook-off... in my imagination at least. I tested two different BBQ chicken recipes - one by David Chang and a second one by Martha Stewart. They were both pretty amazing but the ultimate champion was Martha. Pantry staples and kid-approval made this the recipe the winner of the BBQ Throwdown.
I had the opportunity to debunk all those crazy Chinese myths about lamb when I decided to compete in Boston’s first American Lamb Pro-Am. The challenge: create a dish using leg of lamb. The result: pretty darn amazing Moroccan inspired lamb pot stickers. This dish challenged me both as a blogger and a home cook. And it was honestly the most satisfying both as a food blogger and home cook. It pushed me to be creative and to stand out. And gave me the opportunity to meet some fabulous food bloggers and top Boston chefs. I continue to be amazed by how supportive and talented the food blogging community can be. And how supportive and patient my family has been throughout the year. And this, my friends, is why I look forward to continue blogging in 2012.
Happy New Year!
