Wow, I cannot believe that 2009 has come to a close already!  So much has happened in this apparently short year.  We celebrated our first anniversary, we both graduated from school, and at the end of the year moved to a new continent.  Speaking of moving, my blog moved to this address, its own “dot com” domain, only a few short months ago.  About mid-way through the year I started using a DSLR camera, and would like to think that I have improved a lot in both my cooking and photography skills.  It is so funny to me to look back on older posts which at the time I wrote them I thought I had done such a good job on pics, haha.

Looking through the year is a good thing.  I’ve never really done it before, at least in terms of food blogging.  2009 was the first full year that I blogged about food.  My blog posts were so sporadic before, I’m not even sure when one could mark the beginning of this endeavor in earnest.  So now is as good a time as ever for reflecting.  I can definitely see so many ways in which this blog has evolved.  It evolved from a random side hobby to a full blown part of my daily life, and has changed how I view making food so much.  I am now always on the lookout for new and delicious ways to prepare food, which keeps cooking exciting for sure

I have evolved the focus of this blog over time as well.  At first there was much less emphasis on making food gluten free – while we always made gluten free food regularly, I was convinced that it shouldn’t be a big deal and so didn’t want to make it such.  But cooking gluten free IS a big deal.  And it can be challenging, especially on the baking end of things.  But it can also be easy.  It is a big deal not just because of the added difficulty to some dishes, but because it is so much a part of my husband’s life.  We don’t do gluten free because it’s some fad thing to help lose weight.  We do it because we have to, and because it will always be a part of our lives.  But I have learned that doesn’t mean that GF has to be a handicap, especially when it comes to cooking delicious food.  Learning and discovering the main concepts behind making gluten free food has been surprisingly freeing.  Always I am still learning (and probably always will be), but the more and more experienced I become, the more and more my creativity is able to come out and I am able to just play and experiment.  And that’s where all the fun of cooking comes back

So anyways, to look back on 2009, I have chosen my 9 favorite things that I have made during the past year.  Here they are starting with the most recent….

Pumpkin Chestnut Tortellini, Gluten Free

I made this for Thanksgiving with my in-laws and was my 2nd time making my own fresh gluten free pasta.  The filling, full of chestnuts, pumpkin, and chanterelles, was the perfect marriage of several of my favorite Fall flavors, all in one tasty dish.

Fra Diavolo Mac & Cheese with Snow Crab, Gluten Free

My husband and I created this mac & cheese dish together for our first anniversary.  To this date it is the best mac & cheese I have ever eaten.  It is comfort food and elegant meal all at once, and that makes it wonderful.

Ham and Buttercup Squash Soup, Gluten Free

I made this while camping.  Ok, not camping in the roughest sense as I did have a stove and oven.  But in a cabin with no electricity, oil lamps and a warm fire during the peak leaf season in the New Hampshire mountains.  Also my first time trying buttercup squash, as it was a rather spontaneous purchase from a little farm stand on the side of the road.  Delicious.

Eggplant and Asiago Grilled Cheese, Gluten Free

This is quite possibly the best grilled cheese I have ever had.  It’s so simple – the only ingredients are asiago cheese, and sauteed eggplant and pepper with some butter and bread slices.  But sometimes simplicity can be amazing to eat. This is the perfect example of one of those times.

Sauteed Spinach and Arugula with Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese, Gluten Free

Spinach and arugula are my favorite combination of greens, and the pine nuts and goat cheese adds just enough extra flavor to really make this dish divine.

Blackberry and Balsamic Roasted Quail, Gluten Free

I don’t have much experience with game birds – in fact, this was the first I had ever cooked.  But now I understand why everyone loves quail.  What rich flavorful meat that paired so nicely with the fennel and blackberries here!  I was also very surprised/excited to find Saveur magazine liked this recipe as well

Seafood Paella, Gluten Free

Joining the Daring Cooks when the group started this year has been one of my favorite activities.  Each month a new recipe is chosen and I just love seeing all of the talent and creativity put out by such an amazing group of cooks.  This was by far my favorite challenge that I participated in this year.  I can’t wait to see all of the awesome challenges that come out next year!

Salad of Gorgonzola Stuffed Poached Pears, Gluten Free
This was my first experience with poached fruit, and it was heavenly.  Gorgonzola contrasted very well with the sweet poached pears and candied walnuts.  I love pairing very savory flavors with very sweet ones and seeing what the end result comes out to be.

A Trio of Three Dips – Black Bean/Tomatillo Dip, Mango Tomato Salsa, and Chile/Cilantro Guacamole, Gluten Free

Surprisingly (at least to me), this was by far my post popular post, ever.  Well these dips were yummy.  Especially that tomato mango salsa.  That one I have made several times since this posting because I loved it so much.  None of these were hard or particularly time consuming to make, and they would all be great crowd pleasers as a set for appetizers.  So maybe it’s not that surprising afterall