For me, my main feeling about 2011 is that I’ve never been so busy at work, so more a grinding-down-too-busy-falling-behind year. And I know I should exercise more and I could be fitter and thinner and yadda yadda, but I guess I didn’t expect to see so many of the signs of aging in my own body when I’m only 56.

On the upside, I have been feeling better – especially in December. I got some yoga DVDs, and I’ve been doing Rodney Yee’s a.m. stretch. I think I’ve lost the easy first 5 pounds, so my face looks a little less jowly and old to me – at least in the right light. In the summer I rode my bike A LOT – not close to my bro’s 7000 miles, but I did almost all the grocery shopping by bike, as long as the weather held. And I’ve been walking a lot.

In fact, since I took a long walk this morning, and maybe I’ll do the p.m. yoga tonight, I think I’ll skip yoga and try to do a gallery of favorite food shots of the year – watch this space.

Cranberry coffee cake in January

March brunch

Real Pittsburgh Biscuit Tortoni, the dessert at a dinner in February

Chocolate tart in March

Tiny world peace cookies in April

Butterscotch pie

Ham turnovers in production

Ham turnovers at the trapeze artists' wedding in May

Thai Curry in July

Un-cut spring rolls in July

Rhubarb crumble

Mushroom slider

Savoy cabbage

Cheesecake squares in July - briefly my Facebook profile picture

Bowl of fruit

Beet greens

My birthday cake in August

Blue berry crumb cake from March

Blueberry buttermilk tart in June

September Farmers Market Loot

Sungold tomatoes in September

Salami and cheese snack in September

Oven dried tomatoes in September

Cimmy buns

Bowls of cherries

Apple cinnamon rolls in October

Lora Brody rugelach, mini carrot cupcakes, and hazelnut truffles for dessert – I mis-cut the truffles, somehow … I used a half batch of my standard carrot cake recipe, but I didn’t cook the grated carrot – didn’t seem worth it for 3/4 cup carrot, but I think it threw the carrot to cake ratio off. Personally, I didn’t like the cupcakes all that much, but the kids, as I anticipated, liked them a lot.

The grapes all fell off their stems so I had to serve them in a bowl, instead of artful little bunches arranged around the satsumas and clementines. So, I took some bananas to augment the fruit selection, and no one ate them – and I dropped one, and I think I got that particular one as my breakfast banana today, because it was squishy inside.

I made one long rise almost no knead whole wheat loaf with beer, and a white loaf with white wine – figuring that since one of my favorite focaccia recipes, from Carol Field, focaccia from Liguria, has white wine, it’d be good in the bread. The white loaf came out kind of dense, while the ww one rose much better. People still ate up the white faster, though.

I shouldn’t have brewed the last pot of coffee, nor mixed the last can of orange juice – we’re still drinking both of them today.

The shirred eggs, on the other hand, we just about perfect – I put a piece of butter into the bottom of each ramekin and heated them – and then broke in the eggs and poured in the cream and topped them with the grated Parm. So the eggs didn’t stick and ramekins were easy to clean. John, Megan, Mark and I had egg & bacon breakfast sammiches today, and there was even a half left for a Al, that he snarfed within 5 minutes of coming home.

2012, a little clumpy

2011 hoppin' John, properly pilaf-ed

Carrotcake mini-cupcakes

Rugelach

Rugelach

Leftover Rugelach in a freezer container; be a good surprise dessert at a one-dish dinner

Unevenly cut truffles

I was a little worried myself about how the day would go – when I switched on the kitchen lights, one of the newer compact fluorescents blew out, with an audible zizzle and electrical smell. Then I cut my finger when I was slicing the very first potato, and it was one of those not very bad cuts that bled like crazy – I had three bandaids and a piece of masking tape staunching the flow at one point. Mark teased me about it later: I said, “I cut my finger on the first potato.” He replied, “But potatoes are not sharp.” I shoulda hit him, probably, but he was too warm and helpless, still snugged up in bed, only 9:30 on a holiday morning. And, for no reason that I can find the alarm on my iPhone’s not working. All the other noises are fine, but the alarm’s not making a sound. I kept setting it for five minutes from now, and nothing. I checked the time zone, and general settings … only think I can think of is that my phone has not been synced for almost a week since I haven’t had my work computer – maybe it’ll mend itself Monday. [I guess it's a 2011 New year's iPhone bug - it's 'sposed to fix itself Jan. 3]

But I think everything worked out OK. I upheld the tradition of serving a new year’s brunch at School Woods – I really liked the eggs on piperade. There were about 18 diners – I think the same thing happened last year – not quite enough for two full seatings, but a nice sized crowd all the same.

‘Course the day’s not over yet – the leftovers are given away and put away, and we’re going to see True Grit at 7:00. And I am sooo glad tomorrow is Sunday, not Monday.

Anyways, Bonny predicts doughnuts and beer to be big in 2010. “Homer Simpson’s favorites” – it is the recession, after all.

Krispy Kremes being made

She also predicts cardamom as the flavor of the year – I made some pickled beets at Thanksgiving with cardamom seeds because I couldn’t find the whole cloves, and they were very good.

I myself am extending the one-dish dinners at School Woods – I’ve scheduled 8 for this winter, all the Thursdays in January & February. They cost $8 – $12 per person, which, to be fair, is not cheap – if you are cooking for yourself. But that’s the point – I’m cooking for my diners. At L’Etoile, the Tuesday Comfort Dinners cost $22 person, but that’s the star chef factor – Tory deserves it, though – I think he’s brilliant. The mark of a great chef – the food is perfect in his restaurant even when he isn’t there! and he cooks the comfort dinners solo.

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking power
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup sour cream, or part sour cream and part whole milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam or filling
• about 1 1/2 cups streusel, your favorite, or here’s a recipe
• small handful chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan or spray it with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a microwave safe mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, then the egg. Add the baking power, soda, salt and vanilla – mix lightly. add the flour and sour cream, and mix well. Spread the small half of the batter in the preprared pan, and dollop on the raspberry filling. Spread out the filling, then sprinkle on the streusel and chocolate chips. Top with the rest of the batter, and remaining streusel. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until puffed and firm. Eat warm.

Here’re some pictures of making breakfast for John while he was getting ready to go back to Milwaukee, and Megan was still asleep.

Unfortunately, instead of cooking for Al, I’m cleaning up puke after him – he seems to have gotten a stomach flu from his girlfriend – we all thought she was just hungover, and were pretty unsympathetic yesterday when she said she felt crappy, but maybe she was actually sick.

I served new year’s day brunch to 28 people today – the menu included chicken and vegetarian hash, topped with eggs – here’s what it looked like when I started cooking the vegetarian hash – the white that looks like rice is actually potatoes & onions. The vegetarian hash had red peppers, frozen from my CSA box last summer.