My Madison Bistro

Most people ring in the New Year with a fancy-pants dinner and dessert.

I am not most people.

Sure, I’ve cooked the fancier dinners in previous years, or baked the fancy dessert, but this year, that all changed. Remember the French onion soup bowls I posted about on Christmas? Well, I had a hankering to use those as soon as possible. And B received a couple packs of really good bacon for Christmas…we both love cheese…we both love onions…so why not try another bacon recipe from Everyday Food? The bacon jam I made him was a hit, and I’ve made French onion soup so many times now, using many different recipes, that I’m pretty sure I can now make it in my sleep.

I did try out a new dessert recipe, which I will post on Thursday, but that was a make-ahead dessert, leaving me with plenty of time to relax on New Year’s Eve.

Or so I thought.

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Tags: bacon, comfort food, everyday food, Onions

Happy New Year!

I thought it would be fun to say goodbye to 2010 by taking a look at the most popular posts of the year. Some of you have been readers longer than others, so for those of you who are newer, I hope you enjoy some of the older posts you may not be familiar with.

And to all of you, thank you for following along with my cooking/baking adventures. I hope there’s even more of them in 2011.

1. Key Lime Cupcakes

These cupcakes were by far the most popular post of the year, and I have to say, I think they’re worth it. If you’re looking for a fun new dessert to make, I hope you consider these.

2. Brown-Braised Onions

These onions were actually posted in the first half of 2009, yet they are still the second most popular post of 2010. Though they’re a little putzy to peel, the taste is last meal-worthy, they are that good.

3. Millionaire’s Shortbread

I’ve actually posted Millionaire’s Shortbread twice on this blog (the second time altering this recipe a bit), and both times the posts were a runaway hit. If you like Twix, you will adore this treat.

4. Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini muffins are among my favorite breakfast treat, and apparently, I am not alone. What can I say? Sometimes I’m a bit surprised by the recipes that turn out to be the most popular…then again, I’ve seen what happens to my mom’s garden when the zucchini take over, so perhaps the popularity of this post is not so surprising after all.

5. Sticky Buns

On the other hand, I can’t say I’m at all surprised that Sticky Buns are in the top five of the year. I mean really, who doesn’t just adore a cinnamon roll drenched in caramel?

6. Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

These little gems just barely missed the top five, but considering they’ve only been on the site for about half of a month, I’d say they’ve done pretty darn good for themselves. And you know what? They taste as good as they look – I can’t wait until next Christmas so I can have them again!

7. Small Batch Cupcakes

While not my favorite cupcake recipe ever (number 8 on this list fits that description), when you have a craving for a homemade cupcake, but no excuse to make them, this recipe comes to the rescue.

8. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

By far my favorite recipe for vanilla cupcakes, they are light and fluffy, and packed with vanilla flavor. They are seriously, seriously good.

9. Easy Sugar Cookies

Though we left these sugar cookies out of the rotation this Christmas, they are perfect any time of year.

10. Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s not really a surprise that chocolate chip cookies are rounding out the top ten, even if it’s not my favorite recipe of all time. They are, however, quite good, and even great if you need a break from your favorite recipe, like I did.

I hope you have a safe & happy New Year’s!!!!

Sara

Tags: caramel, comfort food, cookies, cupcakes, fruit, muffins, Onions, peppermint, zucchini

It’s funny how random recipes we try around the holidays end up part of the regular rotation. There are the old favorites, like shrimp dip and cheese & crackers, as well as newer items, like cranberry orange spread, my sister-in-law’s apple dip, my peppermint white truffles, and now this year’s chocolate peppermint cookies have been added to the list.

Occasionally some favorites get pushed aside, like your standard cheese spread. After all, did we really need both slices of cheese and a spread? And really, the new dips/spreads in the mix just scream the holidays: the classic orange/cranberry combination and the cinnamon-y flavor in the apple dip contrast nicely with the sharp cheddar, cocktail sauce, and salty crackers they share a plate with.

My mom has made this spread for the past several years, and each year I walk away from both Thanksgiving and Christmas with some extras to enjoy when I’m home again. This week, the cranberry-orange spread and crackers have served as both lunch and appetizer, and I have yet to tire of it.

Come to think of it, the extended joy we get from our holiday favorites is exactly why they are our favorites, is it not? We cherish these recipes because we enjoy them but once or twice a year, no more. And as I finish up my dwindling supply of cranberry-orange spread, I will patiently wait for Thanksgiving, and another batch.

Continue reading “Cranberry Orange Spread”

The first time I ever poached fruit was when I followed a recipe of Nigella’s for poached peaches. They were very, very good (of course, I adore peaches, so that probably helped), but peeling the peaches is always a bit of a pain. I froze my poaching liquid, intent on making them again…but never did.

Some time passed, the months grew cooler, and pretty soon, the only seasonal fruit was apples, pears, citrus, and bananas. I’d seen plenty of recipes for poached pears before, some even doing a display of pears poached in white and red wine. The ingredient lists were always pretty similar, so I followed the basic suit and went by taste.

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Tags: pears, wine