The New Year will arrive in just a few hours, so what better time than the present to do a quick recap of Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal's 2010 highlights? It was indeed a sweet, tasty, and memorable year. Here's a little sampling of one item from each month . . . these were among my personal favorites!
January 2010 --The Sweet Potato Pound Cake . . . this turned out to be one of those recipes that really surprised me. Who would have thought you could make something so pleasing from a humble potato?
February2010 -- Orange Polenta Cake with Sweet Citrus Glaze . . . and who knew that a simple cake containing corn meal and olive oil could be so appealing? Not me, until I tried this recipe.
March 2010 -- Jumbo Blueberry Muffins . . . (oh, and did I mention these are BIG?) Rarely does a muffin evoke stares of amazement like these babies do. Not just because of their mighty girth, mind you, but because of their extreme Yum Factor.
April 2010 -- Honey Oatmeal Sandwich Bread . . . this post was bittersweet because it centered on my father-in-law, "Grandpa Joe," whom we'd lost a few days before I wrote it. He loved to bake bread and I couldn't help thinking of him while I prepared this recipe.
May 2010 --Tart Cherry Frozen Yogurt with Crispy Honey Cookies . . . mmmm, tart is right! I'd never made frozen yogurt before, and I was tickled pink with the way it turned out. The crunchy honey cookies were a fine foil for the lip-puckering tang of this bright fro-yo! This post was also one of my faves because it documented a robin's nest, with two lovely eggs in it, that a mama bird built in a little flower pot hanging on our fence. My family and I monitored its progress like anxious parents-to-be until the babies hatched and, after a couple of weeks, flew off to see the world and make their own families.
June 2010 -- Chocolate-Filled Coconut Macaroon Sandwich Cookies . . . no, these weren't those fragile pastel treats that have been all the rage for a couple of years now in baking circles . . . but they're just as good, if not better! The hubby and I loved these cookies. Recommended!
July 2010 -- Chocolate Mousse Dream Cake . . . This one was dear to my heart, but not just because it's a fabulously decadent cake. I made this for my 14-year old son Nathan's birthday, at his special request. Not only was it a luscious dessert to serve at any birthday, it was a poignant birthday celebration to me because my littlest boy just isn't little anymore!
August 2010 -- Sparkling Peach Cobbler with Prosecco, Ginger, and Honey . . . I never was a big one for cobbler--not until I cooked this up! One of the best homestyle/summertime/fresh-fruit concoctions I think I've ever tasted. Sparkling is right! Sparkle on!
September 2010 -- Parmesan, Herb, and Garlic Popovers . . . that's right, pop on over to my house for the most startling popovers around! These guys knocked my socks off. They'll defy all your popover preconceptions--no kidding! And, gosh, do they ever smell fantastic!
October 2010 -- The Cake that Thinks it's a Pumpkin . . . this is what you might call a cake with an identity crisis but, oh, what an intriguing crisis to have! I never expected to get such a big reaction out of the people who saw this cake--one that I made in my Theme Cakes class. What a lot of fun it was to work on this. And easy? Anyone can make it . . . I sketched out instructions in the post.
November 2010 -- Apple, Quince, and Pear-filled Sweet Rolls . . . nothing like a nice breakfast roll, warm, sweet, and sticky with autumn's most charming fruit. I made these on a school day when my Pastry I class was unexpectedly canceled. It was a much enjoyed windfall of free time that I chose to spend in the kitchen--of course!
December 2010 -- Sam the Snowman Cake . . . I have to tell you that I feel a special kinship with this fictional character now, after having spent so dang much time on this cake! Heck, I'll never be able to watch Rudolph on TV again without thinking about it. It's like the cake-decorating equivalent of a getting a tattoo.
Wow, 2010 sure went by fast, didn't it? I know I'm looking forward to whatever 2011 brings to us bakers, one and all. Expect I'll be whipping up something new to share with you in a couple of days. Until then, Have the happiest New Year ever!!
Warmly,
Jane :)* * * * * * * * ** * * ** *
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