2007 Year In Review

Since everyone does it, why not do a Year in Review special? I spent the weekend going over every entry to Eat With Me this year and selected the best and most memorable…at least to me. Let’s review shall we? By the end of the week I hope to have this narrowed down to my Top 5 for 2007.

Tinga Poblana ~ A unique slow braised chicken that is perfect for a filling for tacos or burritos

Warm French Lentil Salad ~ I was surprised by this tasty number. I wasn’t sure if I would like lentils and I do! So much so that I recently imported a bag of fancy French lentils to try this again.

Duck au Poivre ~ This was delicious but spendy, so I don’t expect to have it too often in the future.

Panettone Bread Pudding ~ I don’t remember much about this, but that it was rich, warm and satisfying.

Mahogany Beef Stew ~ I’d made this before, but this time I served the stew with risotto and it was wonderful!

Brownies with Raspberry Sauce ~ This was a little experiment. The brownies were very dark and rich. I added the raspberry sauce for something sweet and it sort of worked, but mostly it was fun to look at.

Cinnabuns ~ Heavenbuns. Took some work to satisfy a craving, but when I finally did…Wahoo!

Cincinnati Chili ~ I’ve been making this for a few years and it is really one of the great chili recipes.

Gnocchi ~ I’d tried to make these before, but I failed…miserably. The dumplings dissolved in the water. These however turned out great. Soft and tender. Happiness.

Spaghetti Carbonara ~ The reason I will never be a size six.

Chai-Spiced Cheesecake ~ My first attempt at making a cheesecake. There were some misses along the way, but the flavor was spot on!

Barbecue Shrimp ~ After a dinner out for J-lo’s birthday, we gave these a try and they just about hit the spot perfectly for a restaurant replacement.

Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches ~ When I saw this recipe on another blog I had to try it. A nice BBQ sandwich.

Fruity Hamantaschen ~ These were interesting. The dough was almost chewy, when I was expecting something more like shortbread. We ate plenty of them, but they went stale before we could finish them all.

Thai Green Curry ~ I’d been wanting to try more types of curry and this was another attempt.

Medieval Stew with Stout ~ Beef and beer. Done and done.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars ~ I made these for work and they were inhaled. Yum. Since I made these, I have found the actual PB Cup chips…I have two bags in my drawer, just waiting to be made again.

Hollandaise Sauce ~ When I made this recipe, I had never had Hollandaise Sauce. So I had no comparison. What happened was great. I think I whisk a little too much as the sauce was very pale yellow and a little airy. I had some Hollandaise Sauce again, more recently and it was a richer yellow and a little more saucey.

Pineapple Fried Rice ~ I miss my friend who left me and moved to Oregon. She loves Pineapple Fried Rice…this is pretty much her recipe.

Vietnamese Mint Salad ~ We ate like hogs on a trip to NYC. On our return we needed vegetables and fiber. Nigella calls this Temple Food…when you need to treat your body like a temple.

Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ This is a great recipe. They turned out wonderful.

Sangria ~ We were having a Cinco de Mayo party about a month after the 5^th of May…and we needed Sangria. We drank so much…well worth it.

Banana & Dulche de Leche Trifle ~ Sinful.

Chocolate Kahlua Whoopie Pies with Vanilla Marscapone Filling ~ This has quickly become a signature treat.

Pasta Frittata ~ A fast, easy way to use up some leftovers. Satisfying. Would be great for a light lunch with a little salad.

Orange Cardamom Ice Cream ~ We splurged for a nice night out at a fancy pants Indian restaurant. This was part of the dessert…great flavors.

Potato Pancakes ~ Favorites!

Pineapple, Coconut and Mint Sorbet ~ Very pleased with the results.

Perfect Pasta Dough ~ Just takes a little time, but worth it for the flavor and the cost.

Peeling Tomatoes ~ This is one of the most searched items that brings readers to this blog. I do this all the time now. I rarely have tomatoes without peeling them now.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Strips ~ Who doesn’t love some chicken strips…with mashed potatoes!

Jerk Tilapia ~ I’m not much of a seafood lover, so this preparation was nice for me. Tame tilapia and spicy jerk flavors.

Steak Diane ~ Kickin’ it old school. Tasty.

Pizza ~ We’ve had this several times now…if there is leftover tomato sauce, it usually ends up on a pizza.

Thai Basil Chicken ~ Thai! Basil!!! Just add chicken and you have happy thoughts.

Millionaire Chicken Salad ~ This is right up there with the other temple food. Satisfying. Filling. Cleansing!

Cornmeal and Brown Sugar Pancakes ~ My new favorite variation for pancakes.

Sautéed Chicken with Onions, Bacon, Dijon with Herbes de Provence ~ This came together almost as a joke, but actually was tasty. The Herbes de Provence add a lovely aroma, but the lavender can hit a little hard if you use too much.

Braised Greek Chicken ~ The Kara challenged me to recreate a dish she had in Greece…this might be along the lines of what she had?

Ravioli with Rosemary Cream Sauce ~ The ravioli really are secondary here…it’s all about the cream sauce. Seriously! Try this sauce. By the time your ravioli are cooked, the sauce is done.

Chocolate Martini ~ Mama needed a cocktail and this hit the spot.

Banana Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes ~ Gave these a try for a co-workers birthday. Nice. If you don’t frost them, they are muffins…if you do, they are cupcakes.

Caprese Pasta Salad ~ I’ve made this a few times now. Fresh Pesto, Orzo, Tomatoes, Salt and Pepper and we have a great, fresh pasta salad. I don’t feel it holds up very well, so I try not to make too much extra.

Chili Frito Chicken ~ A noble effort. I can’t remember, but maybe a little greasy, maybe a little salty. Are there baked Fritos?

Pistachio Pound Cake ~ A pound cake. Green. Great!

Pina Colada ~ We went to Puerto Rico for a week and all we got was RUM.

Lavender Pound Cake ~ More pound cake. Lavender! Fancy pants.

Ragu ~ Ragu is a necessary sauce for everyone to be able to make.

Salted Beef ~ I saw this on another blog and had to try. It worked great so I went back and left a comment. Next thing I know I have 260 people visiting my blog in one day. Damn!

Pumpkin Ice Cream ~ Seasonal. Divine. Smooth and creamy. Hits the Spiced Pumpkin craving

Indian Butter Chicken ~ We’ve had this a number of times and really enjoy it. Make extra sauce as it holds well, then you can pick up a rotisserie chicken for a complete meal later.

Pecan Pie Tart ~ I have only had Pecan Pie once before. It was way too sweet. Turn the pie into a tart gives you the great flavors, but with a more reasonable ratio of crust / filling / sweet!

Chile Verde ~ Green chile. Make a day or two in advance for much better flavors.

Onion and Sage Tart ~ Made these for Thanksgiving. There were two versions…one that was veggie friendly and one that was bacon friendly. Veggie friendly was very sweet. Bacon friendly was balanced and perfect.

Thanksgiving Recap ~ Needed a vacation after all that work.

Butternut Squash Bisque ~ Sweet, unassuming, balanced, wonderful.

Drunken Cranberries ~ Yippee!

Spiced Nuts ~ I’ve made two batches of these and can just hang out over the try and face plant until they are GONE!

Four Spice Chicken ~ Interesting. Four spice is a French spice blend that played well with the chicken and mashed white sweet potatoes.

Rum Mojo Couscous ~ Told you…back from Puerto Rico with RUM!

Spaghetti Squash ~ Made this with a butter sage sauce. But since it’s a squash it’s healthy and cancels the fat of the butter.

Chicken Dumpling Soup ~ A Christmas Miracle. J-lo had been sick and needed a bowl of warm comfort. Forever thankful to my grandmother for all she taught me…including chicken dumpling soup!

Brown Sugar Blondies ~ Does the fact that I ate nearly a full pan before Santa arrived say anything.

Salt Caramels ~ My first journey into candy. These caramels are made with honey, which I’m surprised how spicy honey can be.

Hot Chocolate ~ Once you have the ingredients, you’ll kick that Swiss Miss to the curb.

Roasted Pumpkin Couscous ~ Done and done. I don’t need anything else…ever.

Pear and Vanilla Browned Butter Crisp ~ Except for this. Think Apple Crisp but made by the angels for your journey to Eternal Paradise.

Tomato Soup ~ This would be the follow up to the Christmas Miracle. The perfect grilled cheese will complete the perfect tomato soup.

Hope everyone has had great year and are looking forward to 2008 as much as I am...big changes!