Looking Back : 2011

2011 was the year. 

It always starts with breakfast. 

After which, the biggest question was popped.

Speaking of questions, I spent a week over at Glamorous Gadabouts answering Miss Poppy's fabulous questionnaires all about yours truly. Which culminated with my 300th blog post featuring some very delicious sweet & salty chocolate pretzel cupcakes. 

I then hosted the infamous Daring Bakers, challenging my fellow bakers to whip up a batch of silky panna cotta & chewy oatmeal Florentine cookies.

I shook up these kiwi martinis spiked with a bottle of Dry's lemongrass soda. Somehow the company got wind of these green beauties and asked to feature this recipe in their Dry Soda App. 

Then there's this whacky creation. 

It's one hell of a cornbread mess, but delicious nonetheless. 

Something sweet & simple. A whipped cream pound cake for Easter.

After a dream of a foodie trip to Portland, and breakfast at Pine State, I had a hankering to make the perfect biscuit. These may be as close as I ever get.  

One particularly stressful, wedding planning, grey and rainy weekend called for my favorite comfort dishes of all time - macaroni and cheese. This one spiked with bacon & caramelized onion.

Our languid summer produced some of the sweetest, floral apricots you've ever tasted. The fiance, our beard and I spent an evening turning 10 pounds into 20 jars of vanilla bean apricot jam - which turned out to be the most delicious of wedding favors.

As the big day approached my dearest friend, and maid of honor, hosted the most perfect of bridal showers.

I took a few months away from blogging to spend weeks in Kauai and get married. 

Without a doubt, the best three weeks of my life.

We then thoroughly enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as a married couple.

So a serious toast to the year 2011, one which I will never forget. 

And a look ahead to 2012, a year I intend to make just as unforgettable. 

Cheers!