2009: The Year in Review

I don't know if you guys have looked at a calendar recently, but uh, it's almost 2010. Twenty ten! This boggles my mind. So much happened in 2009: I stuck my feet in the Pacific ocean for the first time, I moved in with a boy(!), I caught the canning bug, and boy-oh-boy did we go to a lot of weddings.The end of a year seems like a good time for reflection, so let's take a little peek back and see what we learned this year.

1. People like dessert. This brown butter raspberry tart is my most popular post of the year.

2. Hungry Bruno readers aren't steak people. Flank steak with potato artichoke hash and the big piece of meat I put on top of blue cheese risotto were two of the least popular posts this year.

3. Chips do not have to be made of potatoes. I dare say that kale chips are more addictive than their spud based forebears.

4. Old dogs can learn new tricks. I can learn to love mussels.

5. Patience is a virtue. Homemade vanilla extract takes 3 months. So does homemade cherry liqueur.

6. French toast does not have to be sweet. I like it better with cheese and tomatoes.

7. Leftovers are a good thing. You can slap them on pizza or mix them up with lettuce and call it salad.

And how was your twenty-aught-nine? What did you learn? What was the best thing you ate, and was it something you cooked for yourself?

Here's wishing you and yours a joyful and well fed 2010!