Best of 2012

As we enter the second week of 2013, I wanted to recap some of the highlights from my kitchen last year.  It's always fun to browse through old posts and remember how many tasty things you've eaten :)

1.  The most viewed post here on Tri to Cook published in 2012 was my Kale Basil Pesto.  As kale has taken the place of spinach as my favorite green, it finds itself into many dishes here!  I enjoyed it on pasta as well as pizza, and know that it'll be made as soon as I have another prosperous basil plant!

2.  I finally crossed one item off my kitchen bucket list when I made macarons for a friend's baby shower.  These Red Velvet Macarons were filled with an amazing cinnamon cream cheese buttercream that was the perfect accompaniment to the cocoa-kissed shells.

3.  In the battle of the baby macarons, I have to say that the Lavender Macarons with Honey-Vanilla Mascarpone were my personal favorite, with a combination of flavors that are in perfect harmony.  There's not much else I can say about these, except that you should make them!!

4.  I combined a few more of my favorite things when making this Egg Roulade-  goat cheese, sweet potatoes, avocado and black beans make their way into an egg wrapper for one of my favorite brunch dishes this past year.  Easier than it looks, this makes an impressive dish to serve to guests!

5.  My Butternut Apple Bruschetta truly celebrates the cooler seasons and absolutely deserves to be on a Best-Of list.  Fabulous for parties, especially since the toppings can be prepared ahead of time!

Photo credit to Cara!

7.  Perhaps 2012 should be renamed the year of enchiladas, as these Butternut Black Bean Enchiladas were only one of the several varieties I made!  Stuffed with a mixture of black beans and kale, then smothered with a butternut squash-based sauce, these are definitely a way to ring in the new year. 

6.  When I dreamed up my Apple BBQ Sauce, I didn't imagine it to be as successful as it was, but it was good enough that I made another batch or two before tomato season ended!  This year I'll have to make a large batch and store some in the freezer so I can use it all year long.  I used it as a sauce for herbed turkey meatballs, pizza and even a few batches of enchiladas!

8.  Something happened this year that I never really dreamed as possible (at least not while I was in the 30-34 age group).  On a chilly morning at a sprint triathlon not too far away I finished first in my AG, qualifying me for nationals this year.  I knew my performance was solid during the race, but had no idea what was in store!

9.  This popular post could have had two titles- 'Ideas for your Superbowl Party' or 'How to Cater a Party for 40'.  Last holiday season I convinced my parents to let me cater the party they had for friends and my dads' colleagues.  I had fun planning and executing with the help of my family!

10.  Since I love all things almond, and go through cinnamon like there's no tomorrow, I couldn't wait to play with the concept of a horchata.  These Horchata Cupcakes, filled with dulce de leche were a delicious end to a dinner date with good friends.

11.  You guys love dishes that can do double-duty as much as I do!  I combined sweet potatoes and red lentils to create a party appetizer over the weekend and then morphed it into a soup for lunches during the week.

12.  I'm a huge fan of cocktails that work well both virgin and alcoholic, especially when it seems like everyone I know is pregnant these days ;)  This Pomegranate Vanilla Punch was absolutely delicious, no matter whether you added some bubbly or not!

I have no idea what 2013 has in store, but I know it'll be quite the ride!!