1. First up is this sandwich. It was friggin' amazing. But, I am a huge lover of meatloaf sandwiches, so why the heck wouldn't it be? I don't know why I never blogged about it. Time just got away from me. I have no clue where I wrote down the recipe... surely in one of my notebooks from this year. If I'm feeling ambitious, perhaps I'll go back and look for it. What I do remember? The meatloaf itself was studded with cheese. Hello! And it was smothered in a sauce made with Chili Garlic Cholula. So, imagine it sliced cold and slapped on some white bread with Buttermilk Garlic Mashed Potatoes. And peas, for good measure. Wash it all down with a cold beer. I need one right now.
2. Up next, some Pineapple Fried Rice. I went through this insane pineapple phase at the beginning of the year. All I remember is brown rice, colorful veggies, and fresh pineapple. I think the recipe that inspired it came from Vegetarian Times. I liked it, but the big shocker was... the hubs LOVED it. Why a surprise? Because he (and I quote) "doesn't like his dessert inside of his food". He considers fruit dessert. Go figure.
3. Obviously the sun was shining like a mother on the day that I made these Lettuce Cups with Shrimp, Tomato Salad, and Avocado Tzatziki. I remember being so disappointed with these photos... they had the potential to be so bright and cheery. I mean, come on, does it get any prettier than those lettuce cups? And did you catch the words "avocado" and "tzatziki" in the same sentence? Yeah. Yum.
4. There was a week sometime this summer that I wanted frozen margaritas every single day. I went through watermelons, blueberries, mangoes, bananas, strawberries, cherries...and yes, raspberries - and ice - like they were goin' out of style that week. And more than one bottle of tequila. I don't remember much else about that week.
5. I feel kinda horrible that I have yet to post the making of Horchata. Because I totally vowed that I would. I did post Coconut Horchata this year, but that's not the same thing as the classic cinnamon-tinged rice and almond mixture. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the fact that it's impossible to get a good picture of the final product. It just looks like milk in a glass. I promise that the very day that I accomplish taking a good picture of Horchata, I'm posting Horchata.
6. Honest? This was probably THE BEST turkey that I have ever made. Ever. In my entire 37 years on this planet. The skin was awesomely crispy. The meat was juicy. I used a citrus-herb brine AND a fresh turkey. But good gawd the recipe is long. As soon as I stop being too lazy to type it up, this one WILL be posted. Consider this an omen of good things to come. At the very latest, I'll have it up before you start thinking turkey in 2013. Saaaaaaayyyyyy.... beginning of November?
7. I have, basically, a "wash vat" full of photos and stories that I want to tell you about my trip to Ireland. I'm just having a problem narrowing things down. For example, I want to tell you all about Jameson. I'm talking, both the old distillery in Dublin AND the current distillery in Midleton. And I have cocktails. This one is also making it to post. Let me just grab my bottle of Jameson for inspiration...
8. Oh yeah, also, I was totally hangin' out with a couple of the most famous food peeps in Ireland. Eating apples right from their trees. No biggie.
9. I could eat this Tarragon Chicken once a week for the rest of my life and never tire of it. Thank you, Nigella. Yup, still my girl-crush.
10. This summer was the summer of the popsicle. Do you remember? I made ridiculous(ly wonderful) amounts of popsicles, paletas, and ice pops this year. It's safe to say that, like these Paletas de Sandia (watermelon), they didn't all make it to the blog. Nor did they all get rolled in Mint-Sugar. Lucky paletas.
11. Oh hey, did I mention that not only did I visit a magical little Scottish isle named Islay...and drink lots of whisky...I also became a land-owner? That's right, this is my flag. It's nestled snuggly on my little one foot by one foot square of land. In Scotland. I think it's about time to go back and collect my rent - a dram of Laphroaig.
12. Speaking of Scotland, I'll close things out with a scene of a ridiculous seafood lunch that I had after touring the Lagavulin distillery. I cannot tell you enough how much I miss Islay. From freshly caught lobster, langostine, oysters, crab, scallops, and all sorts of fish to the comforting, peat-laced whisky - I need to win the lottery so that I can make regular trips back. Like, at least once a year. Yes. That sounds reasonable. And totally blog-worthy.
I hope you enjoyed looking back at twelve of the "posts that never were" from this year. It was an amazing year. I took my first flight. It was trans-Atlantic. Just sayin'. And there were other things (but that was a big milestone for me). How 'bout you? What photos and posts do you have waiting in the wings...perhaps indefinitely?
Wishing everybody a very safe and a very happy New Year! See you in 2013!
