Happy New Year!  It seems fitting that this post is a few days late, since I always felt like I was running behind schedule this year.  There were times in 2011 where I had an entire day to ponder recipe ideas, gather ingredients, prepare a meal, and enjoy it leisurely.  And then there were times I had about 15 minutes to scour my cupboards and make something for dinner with enough leftover to throw into a container for lunch the next day.  So when I sat down to try to make a list of the best recipes of 2011, it just wasn’t a fair comparison.  Instead, I offer a set of scenarios I encountered in the past year, and the recipe which fit best.

 

Best Big Pot of Soup for a Chilly Day  – Chard and White Bean Stew
You’ll love this soup when you make it, and you’ll be ecstatic later when you find a container in your freezer.

Best Ethnic Cooking Experiment for a Group – Vegetarian Pad Thai
You don’t need to go out to have good Thai food, and this was a fun group project.

Best Breakfast on the Go – Waffles
To be fair, my mom actually kept my freezer stocked with these waffles.  Sometimes I got to enjoy them at home with sliced bananas.  But on rushed mornings, they were in my hands as I ran out the door.

Best Grilled Meal for a Crowd – Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Not your traditional BBQ fare, but a delicious way to enjoy grilled vegetables in season.

Best Meal when you’re craving something spicy – Ethiopian Chickpea Stew
You can make this as spicy as you like, but you’ll still want to keep eating it.

Best Replication of a Restaurant Dish – Chicken Taquitos
These taste almost as good as the taquitos served at SolToro at the Mohegan Sun.

Best Crockpot Meal – Stuffed Mushrooms
I made a lot of crockpot meals this year, and it was hard to pick just one.  These are not fancy cocktail party mushrooms, but a rich and flavorful dish of mushrooms and tomatoes.

Best ‘Lunches for the Week’  – Zucchini Black Bean Enchiladas
You’ll actually still be excited by Friday to have these for lunch.  This not only includes the recipe for enchiladas, but also a fantastic homemade enchilada sauce.

Best Opportunity to use Local Food – Rhubarb Muffins
My Mom and I set out for a walk on the beach and ended up harvesting rhubarb from the yard of a generous neighbor.  Then we came back and made these muffins.  It doesn’t get more local than that, and the muffins were delicious.

Best way to satisfy a chocolate craving – Red Wine Chocolate Cake
This cake was a hit with everyone who made it.  And don’t forget to be generous with the mascarpone garnish.

 

Thanks for reading, today and throughout the year!  I look forward to cooking more new recipes in 2012.  Cheers!

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