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 (herehere, 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.

Savory Brussel Sprout, Mushroom, and Blue Cheese Brunch Pie | Things I Made Today

02. Apricot, Walnut, And Blue Cheese Scones – it took Vicky several attempts to get these just right, but once she did, magic.

Apricot, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Scones | Things I Made Today

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.

Вареники (Varenyky, or Russian Sour Cherry Dumplings) | Things I Made Today

Top Three Appetizers
03. Chicken Pâté – When you don’t want any part of the chicken to go to waste, make pâté.

Homemade Chicken Stock and Pâté | Things I Made Today

02. Smoked Trout Dip – Fish, potatoes, cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper. Bake it all down and spread it on bread.

Smoked Trout Dip | Things I Made Today

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.

Arancini | Things I Made Today

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.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup | Things I Made Today

02. Roasted Summer Vegetable Soup – you can taste summer in this soup, and it’s even better the next day.

Roasted Summer Vegetable Soup | Things I Made Today

01. Creamy Salmon and Leek Soup – a surprise winning combination.

Creamy Salmon and Leek Soup | Things I Made Today

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.

My Mom's Chicken Salad | Things I Made Today

04. Fennel and Orange Salad with Mint – proof that winter salads don’t have to be sad.

Fennel and Orange Salad with Mint | Things I Made Today

03. Beet and Rhubarb Salad – never would have thought to put rhubarb into a salad, but this absolutely works.

Beet and Rhubarb Salad | Things I Made Today

02. Spinach, Beet, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Salad – this is how you can eat salad for dinner.

Spinach, Beet, Bacon and Blue Cheese Salad | Things I Made Today

01. Grilled Romaine, Charred Cord, Tomato, and Fennel Salad – summer salad at it’s best.

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

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.

Carbonara with Mushrooms and Peas | Things I Made Today

09. Roasted Root Vegetable and Chicken Taco with Chili Mayo – we make a variation of these probably once a month.

Roasted Root Vegetable and Chicken Tacos with Chili Mayo | Things I Made Today

08. Lentils and Bacon with Poached Egg – for when the fridge is low on products but the pantry still has the staples.

Lentils and Bacon with Poached Egg, My Kind of Comfort Food | Things I Made Today

07. Indian Butter Chicken – our new go-to Indian dish.

Indian Butter Chicken | Things I Made Today

06. Chicken and Dumplings with Mushrooms – again, Winter comfort food for sure.

Chicken and Dumplings with Mushrooms | Things I Made Today

05. Ricotta Gnocchi with Anchovy Tomato Sauce – as I said, all dumplings make the list.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Anchovy Tomato Sauce | Things I Made Today

04. Braised Short Ribs – okay apparently Vicky made more comfort dishes this year than ever before, because here’s another one.

Braised Short Ribs | Things I Made Today

03. Grilled Cabbage with Anchovy Sauce – we became completely obsessed with grilling cabbage this summer.

Grilled Cabbage with Anchovy Sauce | Things I Made Today

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.

Prosciutto, Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Gorgonzola Pizza with an Egg on Top | Things I Made Today

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.

Russian Salmon Pie | Things I Made Today

Top Five Side Dishes
05. Garlic Mascarpone Mashed Sweet Potatoes – because mascarpone makes everything better.

Garlic Mascarpone Mashed Sweet Potatoes | Things I Made Today

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.

Grilled Cabbage with Anchovy Sauce | Things I Made Today

03. Mashed Turnips with Goat Cheese and Leeks – who knew you could do this with turnips?

Mashed Turnips with Goat Cheese and Leeks | Things I Made Today

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.

Spicy Smashed Potatoes | Things I Made Today

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.

Grilled Summer Squash and Peaches with Blue Cheese and Herbs | Things I Made Today

Top Three Desserts
03. Plum Walnut Cake – a cake can be dense and light at the same time.

Plum Walnut Cake | Things I Made Today

02. Rhubarb Curd – put it on everything.

Rhubarb Curd | Things I Made Today

01. Rhubarb Custard Pie – a classic combination and so so good.

Rhubarb Custard Pie from The Junior League of Madison Cookbook | Things I Made Today

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.

Reupholstering a Nursery Glider | Things I Made Today

02. Dining Room Refresh – out with the old and in with the new.

A Dining Room Refresh and Some New Toast | Things I Made Today

01. Locally Sourced, Small Batch, Artisanal Baby Theodore – I mean come on, what did you expect?

Locally Sourced, Small Batch, Artisanal Baby Theodore | Things I Made Today

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