Food Blogger's Best of 2010: Recipes and Reflections
Farewell, 2010.
As years go, you were...well, let's just say that all years are not created equal. Also, were it not for the bad, we would have a hard time appreciating the good. That which does not kill me makes me...blah, blah, blah... yeah, whatever...
On the other hand - and what is with the contrary other hand anyway? Can't it just get along for once? - many would insist that food on the Internet must be completely upbeat and happy. While I don't buy this, I can leverage it; if I am not feeling it, I can borrow it.
There is also a small collection of reflective posts afterwards because I really liked the few, more personal, ones that I saw. (Yeah, me, the anti-personal stories person. Go figure.)
I am sure I missed quite a few. (technical note: there will be updates, done in batches, not one at a time.) If you wrote a post that fits here, leave me a comment and I will add it.
Some of the links only show when you hold your mouse over them. I will look at stylesheets tomorrow (it's 10om on New Year's Eve) but in the meantime, hover your mouse over places it seems like there should be a link, there probably is. Thanks!
Top Recipes of 2010
All I have to say about this collection is, You guys love your desserts. This post is going to be my go-to for desserts for the next while. Seriously.
Evil Shenanigans's The Best of 2010 is a good place to start. I told myself I should try to pick a favorite at every site and after much debate, I vote for the Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream. Kelly also includes her favorites from around the web, in case you're still hungry.
If your baking is of the gluten-free variety, Lauren, aka celicateen, has you covered with Top 10 Gluten-Free Recipes of 2010. I love this list because it is all dishes that would normally include gluten, not naturally gluten-free food, because duh, baking is the hard part of not using gluten. Bonus, and a win for a gluten-free site, I love gluten and I want to try the Nanaimo Bars. Seriously, Lauren even made the graham crackers. Did I mention she is 17? Darned whippersnappers these days! (Lauren, btw, is one of many great Canadian food writers nominated (by judges not popularity, imagine) for the Canadian Food Blog Awards.)
Jamie of My Baking Addiction says her Top 10 Recipes of 2010 are a cupcake extravaganza and she's right. In spite of my public hating on cupcakes, the Snickers cupcake gets her my vote, though I might have to make a cake out of them.
I'd love to describe The Recipe Girl's Top 10 recipes of 2010 but the first thing on the page is her son's Twix Bar Cheesecake Pie and I am in a slight sugar coma. Twix Bar Cheesecake Pie? Hold me bac...oh, who am I kidding? Pass the plate!
Sara Kate, who writes at The Kitchn, starts My Favorite Posts of 2010 witha fork-stopping photo Browned Butter Butterscotch Pie but she also includes practical tips like How to Prepare Artichoke Hearts. See, there is life outside dessert. As long as you can dip it in butter.
Two Peas and Their Pod have both a Top 10 Recipes post and a 10 Favorite Recipe post. Overacheivers! There are chocolate cookies with caramel spilling out of them on one of those links. Find them, you will be glad you did. Yes, you have to look. The search will count as exercise - shut up, you will not deny me this delusion - and if you look hard enough at the healthier recipes, maybe it will balance the cookies.
Kathy from Panini Happy went straight for the logical end and compiled her favorite recipes into a free ebook for you to download: 10 Best Panini Mini Cookbook. That is such a good idea and makes me a happy mage. (Yes, I love good use of technology.)
For a hit of Americana, go to The Nifty Foodie, where it's a bit like the best Fourth of July picnic ever. Complete with Fourth of July cupcakes. (Man, this cupcake hate thing is hard...stop making cute things!)
While we are deep in America, dip just a bit south for Never Enough Thyme's 2010 recipes, along with a bit of discovery about her site and readers.
Bellalimento's Best of 2010 starts with Homemade Vanilla Extract, followed by healthy, healthy, Nutella filled Doughnuts, healthy, NUTELLA Truffles with Raspberry Sauce, Chocolate NUTELLA Molten Lava Cake, and NUTELLA Caramel Hazelnut Brownies. It's a veritable Nutella-fest. Despite those healthy things, I am good with this. (Oops! Was that the outloud voice?)
Baked by Rachel has Rachel's Favorite Sweets, Reader Favorites, and a Finale with savory recipes. Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream Cupcakes caught my eye. (Must hate cupcakes! Must hate cupcakes! This is getting harder...)
Mele Cotte made Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars that I am guessing made lots of people happy and Red Wine Ice Cream that I find oddly fascinating. I will not mention the Blueberry Cupcakes. Jonesing For got me with grandma esther’s chicken noodle soup. I miss my grandmother...and her soup.
Simple Bites, which is both new this year and a nominee for the Canadian Food Blog Awards, shares her Hottest Posts, including the adorable Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Rolls in a Jar and her own manifesto: 9 Reasons to Can Your Own Food.
2010 Year in Review at Very Culinary Blog has reader favorites and Amy's favorites. The very first group Balsamic Lemon Chicken has Thai Chicken Curry Wraps and I forced myself to stop copying links before I got to the mini doughnut muffins.
Love & Olive Oil posted their Best of 2010, which is a varied group of tempting dishes. A gorgeous Rainbow Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, and Peach Bourbon Cupcakes. (Enough with the cupcakes! You all are killing me here. Killing me.)
Family Bites has recipes in her Favorite Posts but she also includes useful posts like this mini-manifesto: 7 Reasons to Make Ice Cream and The One Bite Rule and the Power of Change.
Multiply Delicious's Top 10 of 2010 includes Maple Sweet Potato Bundt Cake and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting along with more fall focused goodies. Bookmarking this for the next month or two's cooking baking.
The Little Kitchen has only been around for a year but when I read Happy New Year and 2010 in Review I discovered a new thing, Spiedies and it is her most popular post so it must be good.
Post College Cook made German Chocolate Brownies and French Toast Waffles. Need I say more?
Reflections on 2010
Michelle who writes at What's Cooking with Kids when she's not doing outreach for DooF!, writing her first cookbook, or teaching kids to cook looks back on 2010, a year that included a trip to the White House. (I know, how cool, right?)
A Better Bag of Groceries's Best of 2010 is a huge roundup of recipes, topical posts, and discussions. The site is new to me and I am using this post as a starting place to catch up on what looks to be an interesting place. First up: Maya Angelou's Cooking Advice.
You Grow Girl reflects on 2010, a year that included her second book
new, at not without salt really needs to read to be appreciated. It is a look forward at 2011, and Ashley has some big goals.
Clare Barboza has written another knowing piece in which she speaks of personal struggles. Another worthy read. keepin' it real
Speaking of goals, I have a few of my own, but that's a topic for another day. (First goal: write more...)
How about you? Are you looking back at 2010 with a wistful sigh? Planning for a busy 2011? Kicking back with a drink, or kicking up your heels at a party? I have been watching people sum up their years in 140 chracters all day, write complete sentences!
Happy 2011!
