Happy Blog-iversary to me!

Well, on this day, one year ago, I started this blog with my first post. I had jumped on the bandwagon of a new blogging event, Platinum Chef Challenge, and I got such encouragement from Cara after Round 1, that I decided to start a blog with my entry for Round 2. Also around that time, wedding planning (long distance, might I add) kicked into high gear, so I wasn't posting as often as I would have liked. The new year brought new blogging events, new ideas, and more free time to do it all in. I've been learning a lot about cooking and baking through this crazy world of blogging, and I look forward to what the future holds. I have even contemplated changing the name of my blog, because I no longer thing people have to tread lightly when trying something from here. :-)

In the next year, I hope to be more creative and present more original dishes (outside of the aforementioned Platinum Chef Challenge, which seems to be the only thing to get my wheels turning!). I also plan to work a lot more on cake decorating techniques, so watch for that! Of course, there will still be plenty of my favorites: Tuesdays with Dorie, Barefoot Bloggers, and Platinum Chef Challenge!

So, for my blog-iversay, I thought I'd go back and highlight some of my favorite recipes from the last year (that I actually blogged about)(purely chronological order):
1. Sweet Mexican Wontons. I made these for Platinum Chef 2, and was darn impressed with myself. I have been searching for a reason to make them again... and I think I have found it, so I can't wait!

2. Banana Roll with Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Filling. This recipe came courtesy of Amber's Kitchen, and was the first one that I brought to work that got a recipe request. SO tasty and great for summer!


3. Spicy Garlicky Limey Chicken. This has been an absolute favorite in our house, another one courtesy of Amber's Kitchen.

4. Black Bean Burgers. Another product of the Platinum Chef Challenge was these burgers. We LOVE them and have them whenever we need a change from chicken. My husband loves the cheesy center!

5. Baked Chicken Parm. This recipe, from Katie at Good Things Catered, holds a special place in my heart because I had been in an awful cooking rut where nothing was coming out right and things were just wrong. This recipe pulled me right up and was fabulous all on it's own. (Thanks, Katie!)

6. Old Time Vanilla Ice Cream. I live for ice cream. (really). I had been trying a few hit or miss recipes, but when I stumbled on this gem, I never looked back. It was SO creamy and delicious, I almost couldn't believe it! Over time, I have tweaked the recipe to contain less heavy cream (trust me, my hips don't need it!) and it has held up beautifully. It's a very versatile recipe that is used as a base for many variations, which can be found on Doc's website (yes, the yellow hurts my eyes, too!).

7. Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Risotto Balls. *Love*! These were soooo good. Definitely a rare treat, for me. The warm risotto, creamy goat cheese, and cool mascarpone sauce worked together to make a beautiful dish. This is another recipe that I can't wait for another reason to make!

8. Warm Asian Noodle Salad. This was a dish that came highly recommended and seemed like something we'd like, so I gave it a shot. We love it SO much that I immediately made plans to make it again the following weekend. Great combination of flavors and I loved the fresh vegetables. Great dish!

9. Caramel Butterscotch Brownies. On the quest to perfect my husband's favorite dessert, I flipped through my new copy of Baking Illustrated and settled on a brownie recipe. Boy, was I glad I did! This took the brownies to a whole new level, and has floored everyone that has tried them. They are amazing!

10. Island Shrimp and Tofu Pizza. This was something that came out of another Platinum Chef Challenge, but I thought it would be better suited for the Beautiful Bones event. It's something I never would have come up with, otherwise, but I was SO glad I did. It was an amazing combination of flavors that I am extremely proud of, even if it sounds really whacked out. :-)