2011 Food in Review

With a year just ending and a new one beginning, I feel compelled to look back on the tasty... and the tasteless, and share the gastronomical experiences a year has brought me.

Gadgets

Worthwhile - Good quality blender and small food processor, fantastic set of knives, having "too many" of the same baking pans, 3 different sized Crockpots (which saved me in more than one last minute get-together), Lock & Lock food storage containers, low-cost digital cookbooks on Kindle and Kindle Fire, and Ziplist recipe box/grocery shopping list application for my phone.

Worthless - Electric pressure cooker with a failed gauge (less than a year old!), virtual or paper post-its for grocery lists, "free" (aka worthless) digital cookbooks on Kindle, cheap plastic ice cube trays, mismatched glassware, and hand-crank apple peelers that claim to skin potatoes.

Trust me, there's a story behind each of these LOL  Most of them start with, "I was trying to... and I found out that..." combined with either a giant cunning grin or a frustrated scrunchy face.

Food Bloggers

Worthwhile - All my "grass roots" type ladies who are making it big! I think the most successful way to touch a domestic-chef's heart is to use NORMAL ingredients.  Some of my favorites include Hungry-Girl Lisa (who made it to Food Network on popularity alone!) and sweet genius Gina from Skinny Taste!

Worthless - The "froo-froo" chefs who send you on a wild goose chase to the expensive grocery store for an item that you can barely find crammed into their exotic foods section. Um. It's a recession. Cook real food now, k?

Restaurants

Worthwhile - Places that give calorie counts and healthier options on the menus and, of course, all local eateries.

Worthless - Places that are sure we don't care what fat-laden mistreated animal pieces we're shoving in our faces and only offer palm-slicking, teeth-coating menu options.  Yeah and national chains... franchise it or be lost in the big-chain shuffle. I want to support fellow business owners near me, not line the pockets of some overly-tan schmuck doing all his business from a 4G tablet on some exotic beach. Though, I guess, good for you for climbing that creaky corporate ladder...

Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna get a chick'n nugget and paper sleeve of golden fries every now and then. Just don't count on my last dime - if I'm gonna spend what little I have to give, I'm gonna look for quality and a conscience.

Tomorrow's blog - gonna feature a *delish* soup I learned a few years ago and a couple recipes that have become my recent favorite from my lovely lady bloggers!

Rebirth: The Recipe Saga Continues

Love the look?
Notice the winter veggies in the background? They won't stay long! But they do stick to the ribs as they're meant to for the chilly winter months.

Naturally, I will post sprint veggies just as soon as they sprout!

So, what housekeeping have I done? I've cleaned things up a bit here, removing things not related to cooking and -well- eating. I'm particularly awesome at the latter and hope to prove good taste in the former as you journey with me here.

While I haven't given up my dream of becoming a published author, I find that reality is leading me to another passion on a daily basis... cooking.

The science of baking intrigues me, the solitude of spices seduces me, and the multitude of available recipes amazes me!  Why reinvent the wheel when they are out there in all shapes and sizes - recipes for all tastes and diets?

So, for 2012, please look forward to recipe reviews and original postings as well as the sub-series reviews on local restaurants.  I'm going to give it to you straight every time, even if it means a negative review.

Please feel very free to leave comments and suggestions! I look forward to this journey together.

Happy New Year!