by Francine
This year was a big one for me…I moved to England, got married, became a UK resident and started a job in marketing…phew!
But in between those huge milestones, life was really pretty normal and filled with boring (and 
sometimes stressful things)…things like heaps of paperwork, cover letters and a never-ending, slowly drying pile of laundry (we don’t have a dryer in our flat).
Thankfully sprinkled amongst all of those stressful things were heaps of delicious food, sunshine-y memories and a few castles. ;)
I thought I’d take a moment to share five of my Real Local Cooking favorites from this past year. It was hard to narrow it down when there are 105 posts (!!) from which to choose, but here they are…
1. Making a Watermelon Radish Salad was really fun because it allowed me introduce my family to a vegetable I discovered in China and it brought some vibrant color to a cold MN winter.
2. Since moving to England, I’ve enjoyed many store bought oatcakes, but before moving here, I made my own oatcakes after discovering the recipe in a River Cottage cookbook. It was fun to create something different and many of you also enjoyed finding out about this recipe.
3. Early in 2012, I began making FarmerChef specials with seasonal and local products/produce. Once a week, we put these specials on the menu at my parents’ restaurant. I enjoyed the challenge and creativity involved in coming up with dishes.
After moving to England, my parents continued preparing and serving FarmerChef specials, and I loved finding out about all the creative dishes they were coming up with. I thought their Kohlslaw…coleslaw from kohlrabis was especially fun. I made this salad in September when we picked our own Kohlrabi.
4. In England, the summer of 2012 was very cool, wet and un-sunny; perhaps that’s why it made me so happy to see the Garden Tours of the raised bed garden throughout the MN summer.
5. Last month, mom, dad and Luke came to visit us in England. We discovered the beauty of the Lake District…oh my!
And some runner-ups…
Having my first scone with clotted cream and plum jam, picking strawberries, trying out this FarmerChef quiche (and making it many times since…any time I have eggs, vegetables and no idea what to fix for dinner), making both strawberry+rhubarb crumble and cobbler and seeing that mom made an oh-so pretty layered salad.
It’s been a fun year of blogging, filled with many good memories and tasty recipes.
Thanks for stopping by our little corner of the internet and sharing your own memories. thoughts and recommendations in the comments! It’s always so great to hear from you!
Happy New Year! It hasn’t arrived here yet, but by the time you read this it will have. I loved reading your recap of the years blog. How time does fly by. It seems like you were only making these recipes. I always love to read of your adventures and your food ideas. Keep up the interesting blogs. xoxo g
Thanks for sharing your five favorites! So fun reminiscing about your exciting year.
I remember when you made the Watermelon Radish Salad, that was so delicious. The crunchy radishes and peanuts really make the dish!