Goodbye 2011…Welcome 2012!

Pop open the champagne...it's New Year's Eve!

Another year has gone by and I have that feeling I always have on December 31^st: that surreal, mind-boggling, how-in-the-world-is-this-year-already-over??? feeling.

In some ways, 2011 crawled by. The first half of the year was angst-filled while Andy was dealing with an orbital pseudo-tumor. There was pain and surgery and radiation and so much waiting and then in mid-May, just like that, we were back to our normal lives. There were some really bad, agonizingly slow days in there, but somehow it all seems like it was eons ago. I suppose it’s always easier to forget the times that you don’t really want to remember.

The second half of the year went by in a blur. So much good has happened in the last several months that I feel like I should pinch myself to make sure it’s all really happening. I’ve been so fortunate with great opportunities coming my way and my blog has grown to a place I never expected. If I could have gone back and told my new-blogger self where I would be today, I could have avoided a lot of nail biting and stomach aches over the future of my little space on the web. 2012 will be bringing the particularly amazing opportunity to be writing and creating recipes as a job, which I ecstatically mentioned in my last post. I still can’t believe it, but am so thankful to be starting this new endeavor.

I suddenly feel like I’m writing one of those Christmas newsletters that I make fun of, so with that, I bring you my 2011 round-up as part a virtual New Year's Eve food blogger party…  

Once again, this food-blogging community that I’ve become a part of has amazed and impressed me. Some fellow bloggers put together a virtual New Year’s Eve party and of course I accepted the invitation to be a part of this event. Check out the other 2011 round-ups linked below. And thanks to Sanjeeta and Lora for hosting (and Heather for the logo).

To ring in 2012, I’ve put together 12 of my favorite recipes from the past year. And since it’s New Year’s Eve, it’s only fitting that we start with cocktails, right?

COCKTAILS

Pomegranate-Cucumber Champagne Cocktails

Sangria

APPETIZER

Apple-Gorgonzola Mini Tarts

SOUP

Spicy Carrot Ginger Soup

SALAD

Walnut and Beet Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

ENTREES

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Ancho Chili-Spiced Syrah Reduction

Seared Scallops with Spicy Tangerine-Honey Glaze

Shrimp and Bacon Pasta with White Wine Cream Sauce

Mom’s Lasagna

Chicken with Red Pepper Sauce and Sour Cream-Lime Drizzle

DESSERTS

Bacon Apple Pie

Spiced Apple Panna Cotta with Caramelized Apples and Caramel Sauce

So, with the year coming to a close behind us, I'd like to propose a toast: To my family and my friends, both old, new and those I’ve yet to meet: Here’s to a wonderful new year filled with more happiness than you can imagine, good health, good fortune, and so much love.

For auld lang syne, my friends…

Cheers!

Here are a couple more champagne cocktails to wet your whistle:
Raspberry Sparklers (pictured at top right)
Strawberry-Amaretto Champagne Cocktails