Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear TIMT, happy third birthday to you. Applause everybody, this here blog is officially three years old. To celebrate, we like to reflect on the year and reminisce about all the delicious things we’ve eaten. Let’s start with the reflection part.
Well, we had a baby, did you notice? When he was about two weeks old, I was convinced I would never cook anything better than pasta again. But we eventually fell into a routine, and I learned to prioritize what was most important to me, and after putting the kid to sleep, that was making something worthwhile for dinner. And probably drinking a glass of wine.
As for cooking for the baby (a.k.a. boiling and pureeing), that’s been an absolute joy. Theo may only be seven months old, but he’s got quite the palate already. He’s the type of kid that launches himself at the spoon, you don’t need to bring it to him. So far, he’s eating sweet potatoes, peas, corn, butternut squash, carrots, and green beans. We’ve tried some eggs too, but those weren’t his favorite.
In jobs, we’ve had a couple switches this year. Jason started his new consulting gig about a month ago and we both now work from home. I’m also in transition with jobs, but waiting for some things to fall into place before sharing any more news. (I know, so unlike me).
And on the blog front? A lot has happened this year. I’ve been picked up by Apartment Therapy, Brit+Co (here, here, and here), BuzzFeed (here, here, and here) and Chow. I bought a new camera lens that significantly improved my photography. I won Best of Madison for Local Food Blog, which cemented my friendship with two other food bloggers and led to Whisk, a new Wisconsin based food blogging collective, which was recently featured in The Cap Times.
There’s more, but those are the highlights.
Now onto the delicious things.
Because Jason and I can’t always agree, we like to make our own lists. Back when I only posted a few times a month, we used to do a breakdown of the top 10 (here’s mine and Jason’s from year one). But since the volume is so high these past two years, we’ve started to break it down by category (here’s my year two top choices, and here’s Jason’s).
So here Jason goes.
Top Three Breakfasts
03. Savory Brussel Sprout, Mushroom, And Blue Cheese Brunch Pie – starting things off with a good cold-weather brunch meal.
02. Apricot, Walnut, And Blue Cheese Scones – it took Vicky several attempts to get these just right, but once she did, magic.
01. Вареники (Varenyky, Or Russian Sour Cherry Dumplings) – I’m always heavy on the dumplings in my best of choices, and this year is no different.
Top Three Appetizers
03. Chicken Pâté – When you don’t want any part of the chicken to go to waste, make pâté.
02. Smoked Trout Dip – Fish, potatoes, cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper. Bake it all down and spread it on bread.
01. Arancini (Italian Stuffed Rice Balls) – I likely ate my weight in these during our Sicily trip last September, and then we finally recreated them at home.
Top Three Soups
03. Chicken and Wild Rice Soup – classic comfort soup, which isn’t always Vicky’s style, so I’m happy when she goes for it.
02. Roasted Summer Vegetable Soup – you can taste summer in this soup, and it’s even better the next day.
01. Creamy Salmon and Leek Soup – a surprise winning combination.
Top Five Salads
05. Mom’s Chicken Salad – this is Vicky’s mom’s recipe that is incredibly simple yet so much better than regular chicken salad.
04. Fennel and Orange Salad with Mint – proof that winter salads don’t have to be sad.
03. Beet and Rhubarb Salad – never would have thought to put rhubarb into a salad, but this absolutely works.
02. Spinach, Beet, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Salad – this is how you can eat salad for dinner.
01. Grilled Romaine, Charred Cord, Tomato, and Fennel Salad – summer salad at it’s best.
Top 10 Main Dishes
10. Carbonara with Mushrooms and Peas – I think this is one I could even make on my own. So simple and so good.
09. Roasted Root Vegetable and Chicken Taco with Chili Mayo – we make a variation of these probably once a month.
08. Lentils and Bacon with Poached Egg – for when the fridge is low on products but the pantry still has the staples.
07. Indian Butter Chicken – our new go-to Indian dish.
06. Chicken and Dumplings with Mushrooms – again, Winter comfort food for sure.
05. Ricotta Gnocchi with Anchovy Tomato Sauce – as I said, all dumplings make the list.
04. Braised Short Ribs – okay apparently Vicky made more comfort dishes this year than ever before, because here’s another one.
03. Grilled Cabbage with Anchovy Sauce – we became completely obsessed with grilling cabbage this summer.
02. Prosciutto, Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, And Gorgonzola Pizza With An Egg On Top – this pizza was the best accident that’s ever come out of our kitchen.
01. Russian Salmon Pie – the hands down winner, as can be confirmed by anyone who was at the dinner party that Vicky made this for.
Top Five Side Dishes
05. Garlic Mascarpone Mashed Sweet Potatoes – because mascarpone makes everything better.
04. Grilled Cabbage with Anchovy Sauce – again with the cabbage…eat it as a vegetarian main dish or serve it on the side. Either way, it’s making the list twice.
03. Mashed Turnips with Goat Cheese and Leeks – who knew you could do this with turnips?
02. Spicy Smashed Potatoes – of course, I had to add a potato recipe to the best of list. This one is it: smashed instead of mashed.
01. Grilled Summer Squash and Peaches with Blue Cheese and Herbs – we’ve been at the grill a lot this summer and have had some major wins. Like this side dish.
Top Three Desserts
03. Plum Walnut Cake – a cake can be dense and light at the same time.
02. Rhubarb Curd – put it on everything.
01. Rhubarb Custard Pie – a classic combination and so so good.
Top Three Projects
3. Reupholstering A Nursery Glider – this was a team effort project—I fixed and stained the chair while Vicky did the upholstery.
02. Dining Room Refresh – out with the old and in with the new.
01. Locally Sourced, Small Batch, Artisanal Baby Theodore – I mean come on, what did you expect?
[…] and one new piece of sparkly jewelry. My blog, however, demands two days of celebration. Yesterday, Jason paid tribute to Things I Made Today’s third year and today, it’s my turn. We covered a lot of the […]
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