Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

A new year is upon us and what better way to ring it in than with good food, good friends and good wine. {Honestly, I can’t think of a better way!}

This new year brings me a lot of hope and optimism. I hope to share more with the people I love and hope to bring more to the table as a very new and amateur food blogger. {Stay with me, I’m green.} I’m optimistic that my photos will get better! The blessing of a DSLR camera will be my triumph in 2013.

A very humble and special thanks goes out to all the people that stuck by me this year and supported my every step. I’m truly overwhelmed by the amount of love I’ve felt this last year.

So as culmination of 2012 I’ve asked my closest, near and dear confidant and best friend to help me with this post. Here’s what we came up with.

12. Caramel Apple and Pomegranate Bread Pudding

I just fell into this recipe and started with a basic bread pudding recipe and it evolved as I opened my pantry. Don’t ever underestimate what you have on hand! Your pantry is your friend.

11. Ginger Sriracha Chicken

3 ingredient sauce and better than any take out you could get. Enough said.

10. Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce and Baked Cheesy Risotto

The picture does not do this flavor justice. {But again, my photos will get better!} I’m always inspired with roast chicken. There’s so many sauces and flavors to add. These were all ingredients that I had on hand and I just threw them together for an elegant Sunday night dinner meal.

9. Shrimp Stuffed Zucchini with Pesto Cream Sauce

One delicious and healthy meal that is near a staple in my house. I love zucchini and anything I can stuff into it like my favorite flavor combo of roasted shrimp, cherry tomatoes and pesto. I’m totally game.

8. Ultimate Eggs Benedict

This was a big winner this year. Eggs Benedict practically became the theme of 2012. Everyone and their dog loves this and my mission of creating the best flavors for this dish became a very welcomed challenge. It was fun getting to know how everyone likes their Eggs Benny!

7. Apricot Soy Glazed Tilapia with Zucchini White Rice

 

This started my cooking with homemade jam craze. It the perfect consistency to make a delicious glaze. Flavors like peach or apricot jam go so well with soy or chipotle. I impressed myself with how delicious this recipe came out.

6. Crispy Branzino in a Cherry Tomato Herb Broth

“Fish in crazy water,” is crazy good, this is the most elegant and simple meal to prepare when you’re feeding a crowd or just want to impress a crowd. Simple ingredients and full of flavor. What more do you need?

5. Chinese Chicken Buns

This is my other half’s favorite thing I’ve ever made. Needless to say it became a food fad in my family for awhile. I want to dedicate my food truck to buns like these. The dough is a little time intensive but like us we just froze the finished products and ate them at our will. Didn’t take long for them to disappear!

4. Banana Bread French Toast with Rum Maple Syrup

Well the picture says it all. After getting my inspiration from a restaurant I can no longer have french toast any other way. Moist banana bread with a crispy crust and rum syrup…I don’t need to say anymore.

3. Spaghettini Curry

I don’t typically go into a restaurant and ask for the recipe, okay I never ask for a recipe. I feel like it’s sacred for the Chef. However, I ate this every week for a year in the same restaurant and finally had enough. I begged for the recipe, it’s absolutely my favorite thing to make. Ever.

2. Braised Shrimp Lettuce Rolls

This was one of the most inspirational things I made in culinary school. The ingredients are so versatile and changeable that it was easy for me to change them and create this dish as my own. This recipe really inspired my home cooking.

1. Roasted Chicken with Red Thai Curry Beurre Blanc

Well folks, this is where it began. This recipe was the one where I said out loud, “I need to blog this”. I needed to share this recipe with the world, it’s so incredibly delicious and so different from anything that I ever created before. So the very next day I was hunting for domain names. This is where Dash of Savory was born.

Thank you for being a big part of my 2012. Happy New Year. Cheers to another bright year filled with delicious food and happy people.

“Here’s to the bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old; here’s to the things that are yet to come and the memories that we hold.”