Dear 2016,
Let’s be honest: many people consider you the worst year in a very long time. Almost everyone say they are sick of you. It’s true there has been some horrible things that happened this year. Some awful, unbelievable, sad events.
But you were very good to me, and I will forever remember you fondly. You are not all bad. In fact, you’ve been my favorite year so far.

This year, I got engaged to my best friend and the love of my life. I spent plenty of quality time with friends and family. I started a new job. And I travelled a lot.
In New York, I ate the best bagel sandwich I’ve ever had (a salt bagel with jalapeno cream cheese and smoked salmon) and adorable little pork buns that make all other buns seem inferior.
I went animal-style in San Francisco and filled up on wine in Napa.

I had a great New England summer, filled with trips to Portland, Portsmouth, and Martha’s Vineyard, ice cream cones, and Red Sox games.

I went to Asheville, North Carolina for the first time, and took advantage of all the breweries and thriving food scene.

For this blog, I was given so many opportunities, from hosting a very fun Golden Globes Party, creating original recipes, enjoying local restaurant dishes, to hosting a hotdog and sausage party.

(That’s the Andouille Pimiento Mac and Cheese I made for the party, and it was huge hit!)
Some of my favorite recipes this year: I made the ice cream of youth, the cake of my dreams, and something...