The best of 2013

In January, we had our customary 13-course dinner, and among those courses was this gem: cauliflower feta fritters. And Titus was obsessed with making muffins. (Not so obsessed with eating them, though.)



In February, we got our Weber Smokey Mountain and immediately started playing with it. And plenty of chocolate balls for dessert.



March was the month when we found a new favorite meat sauce for pasta (that upset one reader!), and a great cheesy corn soup. And I started massaging broccoli with citrus, for salads. Yum!

In April, I ate a lot of avocado sandwiches (still doing that!) and baked slutty brownies. 



May came, and brought many dinners and parties since both I and Titus had our birthdays. Favorites include a great little salad with broad beans & gruyere, a lemon basil roast chicken, a great potato salad, and an absolutely wonderful raspberry-rhubarb crisp with pistachios.



June was pretty much all about salads - a tabbouleh, a green-green salad, a summery melon salad and a dill-cucumber slaw. And then a Strawberrry Punsch semifreddo.



In July, I made chicken croquettes, a lovely little tomato olive salad and another version of overnight bread.



August meant back to work, and I made a super-mean maple honey granola that I keep in my office. Amazing stuff! I also made a very fast breakfast bread for those days when you don't have any bread, and cheesecake brownies.



In September, there was cardamom lamb chops, blueberry panna cotta and a lovely quick dinner: caramelized onions and blue cheese on toast.



October and FINALLY I got down to re-designing this site. Google search doesn't seem to work - still - but other than that, I'm really happy with it. I hope you are, too. I also cooked a little - chicken noodle soup and lamb meatballs in coconut sauce, in particular.



In November, I went to New York and I *still* haven't told you about that. I will, I promise! I posted about cognac-creamed funnel chanterelles (yum), chocolate fudge shortbread cakelets, and a fab salad with grapefruit, feta and candied parma ham.



And then December. Lovely cookies with molasses & white chocolate, a pasta with brussel sprouts, bacon and pecorino, and an awesome gooey saffron cake. Good, good stuff.

It's been a good year, people. I hope you'll stick with me in 2014, and that we'll have another great year!