So Long, 2012: The Year-End Recap

I have no idea where the past 52 weeks went, but went they did nonetheless.

All in all, it was a pretty darn good year, though. I traveled to lots of new places - Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, Montreal, Chicago, and New England. I tried kayaking (fun!), surfing (I suck) and made a point of riding my bike to work all summer long. I went to TechMunch in TO and The Big Summer Potluck in PA, and finally got to meet some of my very favourite bloggers in person. I shared many wonderful meals shared with family and friends. Heck, I even managed to lose 20 lbs somehow, despite all that delicious food I ate.

Oh yeah, and this happened too. :)

So with just a few hours left to go before we ring in the New Year, here's one last post with my favourite moments, recipes and posts of the past year.

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Most Popular Post of 2012

Killer Artichoke Bread

Aside from being my first-ever post for the Secret Recipe Club, this recipe is also insanely popular.

Like, more pageviews than all of my other content combined. It's been featured in a zillion round-ups, and it's been pinned so often that the counter on my social media widget can't even display the number any more. (So I'm guessing it's somewhere in the neighbourhood of a bajillion times.)

It's totally understandable, mind you. This bread lives up to the hype - it's gooey and cheesy and OMG delicious.

Most Pinned Post in 2012

Lemon-Ricotta Pasta with Seared Scallops

This one's an oldie (going all the way back to the early days of the blog in 2008), but it's definitely a goodie... at least if its sheer popularity on Pinterest is any sign.  It's racked up a whopping 174,730 pins to date.

Most Searched Post in 2012

Kabocha Squash Soup

Totally understandable. It's really easy, and really good. (In fact, I've got it on the menu for later this week, though I'll be making it with a buttercup squash instead.)

Weirdest Search Term of 2012

"Shmale"

Ummm... this one is a little less understandable. Especially since it was used by SIXTEEN different people. (Sixteen people who were also probably deeply disappointed to discover the post involves a kale and white bean soup, as opposed to what they were actually searching for.)

My Favourite Savoury Recipe of 2012

Red Lentil Patties with Spicy Tomato Jam

These crispy little patties were inspired by the flavours of a traditional Indian daal, and are probably one of my favourite vegetarian creations ever. A tangy tomato jam provides the finishing touch, along with just enough heat to keep things interesting.

My Favourite Sweet Recipe of 2012

 Brown Butter Pear Cake

A simple variation on Nigel Sax's ingenious recipe for Ligita's apple cake, this is probably the quickest and easiest dessert in my current repertoire... not to mention one of the most delicious.  All it requires is a handful of ripe pears and some basic pantry staples.

My Favourite Secret Recipe Club Pick of 2012

Iced Pumpkin Chocolate Spice Bundt Cake

The Secret Recipe Club is one of my favourite blogging events. It's kind of like a secret santa exchange, only with recipes - each month, we're assigned a secret blogger buddy and pick one recipe from their blog to re-create and share.

There wasn't a single recipe in this year's batch that I didn't love, but this lovely chocolate and pumpkin bundt cake blanketed with thick brown butter and pumpkin icing from Kitchen Trial and Error is definitely top of the heap. (Though the Salted Chocolate Cookies from Sweetie Petitti and the Coriander Planked Salmon from Cook Lisa Cook are close seconds.)

My Favourite Photo of 2012

It's hard to pick just one, but I think this dramatically backlit photo of a stack of Salted Chocolate Cookies is my favourite of all. (It definitely helps that the cookies themselves were incredibly tasty.)

My Very Favourite Post of 2012

Sausage-travaganza!

We invited a few friends over to make a big heaping pile of homemade sausage and then shared it as part of the Foodbuzz 24x24x24 monthly event (which, sadly, came to an end in 2012... so long, Foodbuzz, you're sorely missed). The day involved lots of beer, lots of meat, and lots of fun.  One of the first things I plan on doing in 2013 is scheduling another one of these, since we're in dire need of more homemade sausage. :)

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As sad as I am to be closing the books on 2012, I'm pretty excited about what's in store for 2013 - there's a wedding to plan (and celebrate!), a blissful two-week honeymoon in Basque country, a family reunion in Vancouver, and what I'm sure will be lots and lots of delicious new recipes to concoct.