One year later: Top Underdog Posts and a Giveaway

The giveaway has ended.  Congrats to Jamie!  Thank you to everyone who participated.  Now I think next year I have to try some black eyed peas! 

This has been a very crazy year.  I have not blogged nearly as much as I would have liked.  When I started out on January 1, I had hoped that this would be a year of growth not only in the kitchen, but also behind the camera.  I had no real growth in either area.  Instead I had two moves and a massive hard drive failure, which nearly caused me to lose 4 years of photos, music and files.   But through it all, I still did the best I could for Cook Au Vin and I am proud of what I have here.  And grateful for everyone who reads.

As 2011 winds down, and my first year of food blogging, I took a few minutes today to breeze through my old posts.   On the sidebar to the right, I have the top 10 most visited posts of all time.  Without a doubt, the favorite post of this year was the Peach Lemonade Coolers.   Y'all are a bunch of lushes!

Of course I love everything I posted - why would I post it if I didn't love it, right?  But I thought I'd chose my favorite 10 posts that were sort of underdogs.  They are not the most viewed of the year, but should not be overlooked.

1. Italian Sausage Soup reminds me of my mom.  Not only is it easy to make, but its one of my favorite dishes to warm up to on a chilly winter night.  

2. Chicken and Pasta Salad is a great dish to make when having a group of girlfriends over for lunch.

3. Lobster rolls are a New England classic.  Now that I've found split top rolls at Trader Joe's, I just might make these all summer! 

4. I was so impressed with myself when I made English muffins.  They are so easy, why not make them for breakfast this weekend.  No Eggs Benedict required. 

5. My go to for several years now, Gram's Spaghetti Sauce is far better than any grocery store jar and reminds me of good people.  

 6. A Radler is a refreshing drink on a hot day that even a non-beer drinker can appreciate.

7. Chicken Caprese Kebabs were a delicious and simple weeknight meal.   It would pair well with (#9) Lemon Bulgur with Shallots or this mushroom and goat cheese quinoa.

 8. I made some great burgers in 2011.  The Triple Smoke Burgers were awesome as were Pink Parsley's Steak House Burgers.  But I think my favorite was this Jalapeno Popper Burger.  Pub night in. You know we love our pub food.

9. Lemon Bulgur with Shallots and Almonds has become my favorite all around dish.  It's a side, it's lunch, it's a light dinner.   I make it often and it's proven to be very adaptable to what's in my pantry.

10.  At this point, I can make this Apple Pie in my sleep.  I've made it so many time, and even made 6 of them in November for my daughter's preschool bake sale.  It never fails.

I am getting ready for New Years.  On New Years Eve we'll do cocktails and hors d'oeuvres with neighbors and on New Years Day, Nico and I will host brunch at our house.  I love New Year's traditions and am hoping to make Coq Au Vin a New Year's Eve tradition.  I'll be trying a new twist on this classic early on the 31st and can't wait to blog it.

Another tradition I love is to have jelly doughnuts every year on New Year's Day.  I've been doing this for years, when I heard it was a symbol of good luck.  I will use any excuse I can get to eat a jelly doughnut!  Turns out, it's an Austrian tradition, as they kick of Carnival.  So we'll keep this one around.

In honor of my upcoming blogiversary, as a thank you for finding my blog and sticking around, I'm giving away a subscription to Cook's Illustrated.  Online or in print, it's winner's choice.  It's one of my favorite sources for recipes, how to's and tips.  The winner will be chosen at random on January 2.   To enter*, just leave a comment with your favorite New Year's tradition, food related or not.


*One entry per person, please remember to leave a valid email address so I can contact you.  U.S. residents only are eligible for the print subscription.   All entries must be received by January 2 at 10:00 am.