Another Year Over…
And a new one’s just begun!
Before I begin, please allow me to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a tremendous and magnificent 2013.
May this new year bring you LOADS of joy, happiness and love!
Oh, and of course, HEALTH!
Now please, forgive my lack of originality, it seems I have decided to join the parade this year and do a little bit of a roundup of 2012.
I chose to take the “favorite recipe” route and elected to pick one for each month of the year. This proved to be a lot harder than I imagined it would be. Some months had 3, 4 or even 5 great contenders and it was really hard to narrow it down to only one.
But here, after hours of fierce deliberation, the jury (aka me) has finally decided.
And so I give you my ultimate favorites of 2012.
Now please, don’t ask me to choose one as my bestest best ultimatest favorite of them all.
I just couldn’t do it…
JANUARY – Healthy Chestnut Fruitcake
I think January was the toughest month to choose from. More than half the recipes from that month deserved to open up this post…
To be honest, I ended up choosing this cake only because I have been craving it real bad for a couple of weeks now and will probably end up making one this week.
Hey, if one of my own recipes is capable of having me drooling internally for weeks, I say it’s worthy of being awarded the title of “Recipe of the Month” now isn’t it?
FEBRUARY – Spelt Banana Bread
February was also a toughy, but I had to choose this one if only for the simple reason that I happen to have a loaf in my fridge as I type and I know this is one recipe that I will be making over and over and over again.
I can’t not favorite a real winner AND regular now, can I?
MARCH – Grain Free Tabouleh…
I’ve always been a HUGE fan of tabouleh, and this grain free version made with cauliflower not only is super nutritious, but it’s almost better than the real thing.
Or wait… is it really better? It might very well be, I swear.
APRIL – Simply THE Most Decadent Healthy Chocolate Cake EVER!
I *think* the title says it all!
MAY – Grain Free Bosc Pear, Fresh Figs and Goat Cheese Pizza
This pizza was really delicious and unbelievably tasty. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I wished I could just snap my fingers and have one appear right before me.
Especially around breakfast time…
JUNE – Home Made Vanilla Honey Candied Ginger
While this might take a little time to make, I can guarantee that I will never ever buy Candied Ginger at the store again. This stuff is so much better, is actually good for you and it keeps forever (well, for a very long time!)
Definitely worth the effort, and definitely worth being awarded the title of favorite for the month of June.
JULY – Triple Decker Peanut Butter Squares
Just look at them…
Could I really NOT have favorited them?
I thought so, too!
AUGUST – Fresh Fig and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Agrodolce
August was an easy choice, really, for THIS is candy in the form of a salad.
I swear! Every single bite sent me straight to seventh heaven. It was an experience that I will not soon forget.
I still daydream about that one… Trust me, when figs are back in season again, I will so be whipping one (or two) up!
SEPTEMBER – Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding
This is another recipe that I still dream about.
I think I can still taste it, too!
Definite winner. No questions asked.
OCTOBER – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
This would be one of my greatest realizations, I think. These bars are so good, you would never guess they are actually healthy. And I do mean HEALTHY.
Had to give them the win, if only for that reason.
And, well… 3 other very good ones:
#1 – Chocolate
#2 – Cookie Dough
#3 – Cheesecake
Yep… had to!
NOVEMBER – Spicy Pumpkin and Apple Bundt Cake
There were MANY great recipes to choose from in November, but this one was my favorite of all.
Not only was this cake super pretty, it was also EXTREMELY tasty!
Hey, it was made with real pumpkin too! That’s a winner in my book…
DECEMBER – Ragoût de boulettes (Meatballs Stew)
I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled and excited I am about this recipe.
I tweaked our traditional family recipe and made it into something SUPER healthy while not sacrificing its flavor or integrity, not even one tiny little bit.
Now this is one recipe that I know I will be making again every Christmas for years and years and years.
That, right there, was reason alone to name this one favorite of the month.
Potentially even favorite of the year…
And there you have it. I say 2012 was a pretty tasty year!
Hope you agree with my choices!
14 Comments on “Another Year Over…”
Wishing you a wonderful happy and healthy 2013 Sonia!!! Loving the recipe roundup as guess what my goal for 2013 is gonna be? 🙂
Thanks a bunch Simone and same to you! I dunno… I’m guessing you want to make healthier food choices? 😉 You can do it, Simone, I know you can. Just remember. You don’t have to be 100% perfect and healthy and clean all the time. You have to cut yourself some slack from time to time and bake one of your delicious cakes!
Ah! I still haven’t made your candied ginger yet. Gosh darnit. So many good recipes, many of which I’ve made time and time again. You have a lifelong follower RIGHT here 🙂
Wow, what an honor, Leanne! Thank you so very much! I am so thrilled to learn that you have made many of my recipes time and time again! As for the ginger, you really have to give it a try. Like I said, it’s a long process, but you can make a big batch since it keeps for a very long time and I am telling you, once you have tasted it, there is no going back to the store bought stuff. This is soooooo much better!
Here’s wishing you all the best for 2013! 🙂
I went through all of these recipes and I am definitely going to make the flourless chocolate cake. I am looking for grain, nut and sugar-free recipes and this fits the bill beautifully. Happy New Year.
Good to know, Suzanne! Hope you like it!
And a very Happy New Year to you also!
Such fond memories…
Here’s to a great ’13.
Happy New Year to you, Tender! 😀
What a bevy of beauties…the fig salad is particularly appealing to me post-holidays ;0) and your bread pudding is so enticing (I picture it warm and soft and oh so wonderfully comforting…just did the garbage and it’s FREEZING outside!!). I have to try some variation of your beautiful ginger too. So many tempting options; where to start?!!
Thank you so much Kelly! But why a variation of the ginger, might I ask?
And you are quite right, that bread pudding is extremely comforting. It sure would make one feel nice and warm after braving the freezing cold to get the trash all the way to the curb! 😉 I’ll let you in on a little secret… I didn’t have to go out on trash day so I didn’t even take mine to the curb. I figured it could wait until next week; It’s cold enough out to keep it nice and “fresh”… 😉
Does that mean no bread pudding for me? 😉
Always nice to be able to skip a round of garbage… I think we may be over-producers ;-). On the ginger front, variation not because your version requires fixing, only because the boys and I have recently become addicted to dark chocolate enrobed ginger which was simply floating through my mind as I read your post… :).
Oh no! I so did not read that! I have to erase that from my memory. I have never read about dark chocolate coated ginger. It was all in my imagination. In fact, it’s a concept that is completely unknown to me… and I will never speak or think of it again.
Darn, it’s not working.
Now I will HAVE to make some of that. Oh my… it sounds so scrumptious. I just died, thinking about it. Imagine when I get to taste it. I will double die! 😉
I love these roundups 😀 Yours is particularly awesome. Everything looks amazing and I know it’s all so healthy! I’m so amazed that you chose that spelt banana bread for all of February! <3
Oh, but that spelt banana bread recipe would be a contender for my overall favorite for all of 2012! I love it THAT much! It’s super simple, healthy AND delicious. I say it deserves a prize! 🙂