Saturday, December 31, 2011

Top 5 Things I Ate in 2011

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!

Categories

4th of July (1) Ace of Cakes (1) almonds (1) american lamb (3) anchovies (1) anna's taqueria (1) Announcement (8) Appetizer (67) apple (3) apples (1) apps (1) asian (1) Asian pear (4) asparagus (2) AZ (1) Back To School (2) Bars (3) BBQ (1) BBQ chicken (1) bean sprout (3) Beef (43) bibimbap (6) Bindaetteok (1) Blogger (1) blogger event (2) blueberry cake (1) Boston Brunchers (2) Boston Parent Bloggers (1) Bread (12) Breakfast (59) broccoli (1) broil (1) Brunch (1) bulgogi (2) Burger (5) burritos (1) butternut squash soup (1) cabbage (6) Cajun and Creole (9) Cake (3) Cakes (2) California (1) Canadian (2) Cheesecake (4) Chicken (63) chicken soup (1) children's books (2) chili paste (gochujang) (3) Chinese (12) chinese food (1) Chinese New Year (2) chocolate (1) chocolate cookies (2) ChopChop Magazine (2) christmas gifts (2) CitySprouts (1) coconut (1) Condiment (48) cookbooks (3) Cookie (11) cookies (9) cooking school (2) cooking with kids (3) cooks illustrated (1) corn (1) craft (1) Crockpot (6) csa (1) cucumber (1) Curry (3) Cutty's (1) DailyFeats (1) dairy-free (1) David Chang (1) Davis Square (1) day off (1) delivery (1) Dessert (37) dining out with kids (1) dinner planning (1) Dip (15) Donburi (1) dragon boat festival (1) Dressing (3) Drink (4) drinks (1) Duck (2) Duff Goldman (1) dumpling (2) easy and simple (27) Easy Lunchboxes (1) Egg (43) eggplant (1) eggs (1) English (1) fair trade (1) family activity (1) family event (1) family-friendly (3) fish (4) Flour Bakery (2) Food (483) foodie (1) foodie family (1) Foodler (1) freeze (1) French (2) french toast (1) fried rice (1) Fritter (6) fusion (1) gardening (1) Gather Here (1) gift (1) Greek (30) grill (1) Grilled Cheese Sandwich (28) Halloween (2) Ham (8) Healthy Lunchtime Challenge (1) herbs (1) Indian (9) Irish (4) Italian (53) Jam (1) Jamaican (2) Jamie Oliver (2) Japanese (2) japchae (3) Joe's American Bar and Grill (1) kale (1) Katie Workman (1) kid-friendly (5) kid-friendly recipes (3) kimbap (1) Kimchee (14) kimchi (16) kitchen appliance (1) kitchen tools (1) Korean (32) Korean beef (7) Korean chicken (4) Korean fish (3) Korean fried chicken (2) Korean grocery (1) Korean ingredients (1) Korean noodle (3) Korean pancake (5) Korean pork (1) Korean rice rolls (2) Korean side dish (27) Korean soup (4) Korean stew (5) Lamb (5) leftovers (1) lemon (2) lemon cookies (1) lentils (1) Lion's Head (1) Little Q Hot Pot (1) local (1) lunchbox (1) M3 (1) mackerel (1) Macy's (1) Macy's Culinary Council (1) Maggiano's (1) Main Course (160) main dish (27) Make-A-Wish (1) Maple (2) March of Dimes (1) Mark Bittman (1) Martha Stewart (1) meal planning (3) meatballs (1) meatless (2) Mediterranean (4) metrowest (1) Mexican (5) mexican food (1) Michelle Obama (1) milk (2) Ming Tsai (1) momofuku (1) monkey bread (1) Moroccan (4) mother's day (1) Muffin (3) mung bean (1) Mushroom (21) noodle (5) noodles (1) nutrition (1) oatmeal (1) Omelette (5) one-pot dish (1) Oxfam Grow campaign (6) painting (1) Palettes (1) pancakes (1) Pasta (25) PB Boulangerie (1) Pesto (10) pho (1) Phoenix (1) Pickle (3) picky eater (3) Pie (3) Pizza (8) Pizzeria Bianco (1) Pork (34) porridge (1) potato (2) potatoes (1) potluck (2) potstickers (2) Presto Pasta Nights (15) Pumpkin (18) Quesadilla (8) quick and easy (3) Quick Bread (3) Quinoa (14) radish (7) reality TV (1) Recipe (458) resource (1) restaurant review (4) Rice (21) rice cake (3) rice crispy treat (1) Risotto (4) Roundup (19) Salad (38) salmon (1) Salsa (9) Sandwich (73) sandwiches (1) Sauce (3) sausage (1) save energy (1) save food (1) school garden (1) school lunch (3) Scollay Square (1) Seafood (48) seasonal (1) seaweed (1) shortcakes (1) shrimp (3) Side Dish (55) side dish(반찬) (1) Slow Cooker (5) snack (1) Soup (21) soups and stews (10) Southern (23) soybean paste (1) spicy (18) spinach (2) sriracha (1) steak (1) Stew (8) stir fry (1) strawberries (1) Strawberry (4) strawberry shortcake (1) stuffing (1) summer (3) sweet potato (1) takeout (2) Tart (7) Texmex (71) Thai (14) Thai food (1) Thailand (2) thanksgiving (1) tofu (9) traditions (1) travel (1) Turkey (8) Turkish (1) turnip (1) Tutorial (1) Valentine's Day (1) Veal (1) Vegetable (62) Vegetables (3) Vegetarian (236) vegeterian (25) Vietnamese (7) weeknight meal (2) White House (1) Whole Foods Market (1) Whole Grains (16) wordless wednesday (5) WorldFoods (1) Wrap (3) zucchini (1)
    kpop