Favorite Recipes of 2012

2012YearEnd

I am done cooking for the year! Sad and nice at the same time. We’ll be traveling to visit more family for the rest of the year and heading out for New Year’s Eve. So after making pizza this evening, I am not expected to cook ANYTHING until New Year’s Day. And yes, that even includes preparing a bowl of oatmeal.

While I love cooking, it is fun to get a break. This year I’ve cooked a lot and tried to blog about most experiments and even some failures. I had a lot of extra time during the summer, and as a result my pantry is overflowing. Who knows what I’ll achieve next year. I have started thinking about a sort of “bucket list” as to what food goals I’d like to achieve in 2013, but until then, let’s have one last 2012 recipe hurrah with you, the readers’ favorite recipes of the year and a few additions of my own.

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Cheddar Ale Soup

After discovering the Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company’s Alehouse Cheddar last weekend, I was inspired. I wanted a huge bowl of creamy cheesy soup with a strong ale punch. I could have just grated up the block I brought home, turned it into soup form and be done. But no way was I ready to part with my alehouse cheddar that quickly! I needed something that picked up the same flavors but didn’t make me sacrifice my cheese.

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