What Made the List: A Less Processed Life's Top Ten Posts of 2014

I know it's so trite to say, but seriously, this year has flown by. Wasn't it just March? I thought I'd spend the last day of the year taking a walk down memory lane with a look at this year's most popular posts. This year's top ten is rife with sweet baked goods -- which comes as no surprise to me, as they're my favorite thing to make in the kitchen and they are easiest to photograph. For me, it's way easier to take a glamour shot of a chocolate donut than of a beef stew or casserole. (Although there are plenty of delicious savory recipes on this blog!) 

I'm looking forward to bringing more delicious recipes and plenty of entertaining and educational content to the blog in 2015. Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Baked Buttermilk Chocolate Donuts - Chocolate cake donuts with a chocolate glaze are my go-to choice when I hit up a donut bakery. Since the nearest place to get delicious donuts is about an hour's drive south, I find that if I want a donut, I've got to make it myself. These donuts are full of rich chocolate flavor, get a little tang from the buttermilk, and the chocolate glaze lends itself well to a generous covering of sprinkles. 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp Bars - I love when ruby-red rhubarb stalks hit the market. I can't help but pick up several pounds' worth, and without fail some of the rhubarb finds its way into a sweet baked bar recipe, most often with strawberry as its accomplice. 

Cowboy Caviar - Ah, summertime in a bowl! While I suppose I could make this throughout the year, this cowboy caviar is really best when summertime rolls around and fresh locally-grown tomatoes abound.

Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread - I had a blast participating in Joy the Baker's baking bootcamp series. This triple berry cinnamon swirl bread looks spectacular but surprisingly isn't that difficult to make.

Eggnog Cheesecake Bites - I made these eggnog cheesecake bites three times in the past month -- once for a holiday get-together in Wisconsin, once for my family in Ohio, and finally for a get-together with D's family in Michigan. More one-bite dessert recipes in 2015? I think that's a good plan. 

Gluten-Free Dutch Baby Pancake - Back in the spring I experimented with a gluten-free diet. This gluten-free Dutch baby pancake was one of the resulting recipes. It's so good! Particularly with a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

Blueberry Chia Jam Bars - I need to make these luscious blueberry chia jam bars again. And also some more blueberry chia jam! I'm definitely looking forward to returning to Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield next summer for some more blueberry picking.

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding - This pudding is perfect for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack. Is it strawberry season yet? A look out my window at the snow tells me an emphatic "no." I may have to give this recipe a whirl with frozen berries.

Pumpkin Dog Treats - Leroy gave these pumpkin dog treats two paws up. I baked up this batch of treats before Franka joined our family -- looks like another batch is in my future.

Blueberry Donuts with a Lemon Glaze - Another donut recipe in the top ten -- who woulda thought? Though these donuts may look sinful, their looks belie a rather healthy ingredient list. Man, now I really want a donut.

What was your favorite post from 2014? What recipes would you like to see in 2015? 

What I'm Wishing You: Happy Holidays!

From our family to yours, best wishes for a wonderful holiday season! 

What's On My Wishlist: 2014 Gift Guide

Those folks who, as of Thanksgiving (or even earlier), gloat that they have already finished all of their holiday shopping? Yeah, I'm not one of those people. I have always been one of those last-minute shoppers. Typically I have a plan for what I'm going to get everyone on my list, so I can strategically hop from one place to another to quickly procure each gift. And, these days, what with online shopping and all those last-minute free-shipping deals, I don't even have to deal with crowds or terrible traffic any more. (Albeit, living in a small town, crowds and traffic are a fairly moot point.)

However, if you find yourself still racking your brain for what to get the food lover on your list, here's a last-minute shopping guide for you. And if the items won't arrive in time for the holiday? I think a print-out of the promised gift is a suitable solution at the eleventh hour. And while a gift card is perhaps not the most personal of gifts, it does allow the recipient to choose exactly what he or she wants -- leaving little room for disappointment (or feigned joy) on Christmas morning. 

1. Paderno Four-Blade Spiralizer // 2. Silicone Baking Sheet Liner // 3. French kitchen pastry slab // 4. CIA Culinary Boot Camp

5. Nordic Ware Baking Sheets // 6. Chicago Metallic Square Baking Mat  // 7. ThermoWorks Thermapen // 8. 12" Balloon Whisk

What I'm Setting: Goals for the New Year

{photo credit: tomKphoto from our 2009 wedding,

 yeah, I totes used this photo last year, too}

2013 was a good year -- I learned how to cross-country ski, D and I traveled to California to celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday and do some wine-tasting in the Napa Valley, and we bought our first house (with 60+ acres). As the new year begins, I thought I'd take some time to write down some of my goals for 2014. I figure putting it out there will help hold me accountable, right? 

1. Hone my cooking skills. This year, I would like to attend an intensive culinary boot camp course to become a better cook in the kitchen. As a corollary, I would like to have more friends over for dinner this year. Guess we need to reclaim our dining set from my in-laws in Michigan, where it has been in storage since our (small apartment) Philly days.

2. Turn off the technology. I have to admit I am one of those people who obsessively check their phones/social media. (Ugh, so annoying!) This year I'd like to use technology less in my downtime and read/write more often. I think implementing tech-free evenings in our household would be a good thing! 

3. Eat healthfully and mindfully. Given that I write a food blog, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I love eating food. This year, I would like to remind myself to eat more healthfully and mindfully. I am a huge lover of sweets and carbs (and as a Wisconsin resident, I can't forget to mention my love for cheese), but given that my metabolism appears to no longer be my friend (if it ever was), I need to start watching what I eat a bit more closely. I've flirted with the idea of trying the Whole 30 or going paleo, but honestly, I'm more about moderation versus restriction when it comes to the food I eat. I think it wouldn't hurt to lower my intake of carbs and dairy, but I'm not going to completely knock it out of my diet. 

4. Get back in the gym/workout habit. I have a history of going gung-ho on my fitness and then letting it drop to the wayside. Last winter and spring I attended spinning classes once or twice a week at our local Y, but when the noon classes stopped during the summer session (and didn't resume in the fall), let's just say that my gym attendance took a nose-dive. I took a gander at the upcoming winter session's schedule and I was happy to see that it is chock-full of noon-time classes this time around. Hopefully this will motivate me to get back to the gym. That and the fact that I'm staring down a girlfriend vacay to Mexico in five months. Quantitatively, I would like to get in at least 20 minutes of exercise every day (in addition to my daily walk with Leroy -- well, when it's not -20 out, or -5, for that matter). 

5. Grow (some) of our own food. Our goal in buying a house on large acreage was to start growing/raising some of our own food. D just put an order in for heritage breed chicks, which are set to arrive in early June. We would like to raise both layers and broilers. I'm not looking forward to the harvesting portion of events, but it does make me feel good that I will know exactly how the food I eat was raised and dispatched (as it were). We also plan to get our garden going this year, though on a small-scale. In addition, we plan to plant several apple trees and get a berry patch going. It should be a busy year on the farm this summer! 

What are your goals for the New Year?