Best of Cumin in the Cupboard - 2011

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and tasty start to the new year. Some big changes have been happening in my life...stay tuned for an update in a few days. While my life and wheels are still reeling, though, I thought it might be fun to peek at some of the most popular Cumin in the Cupboard posts in 2011. So here we have it - the first year of my little expat food blog - month by month.

January saw a lot of meaty dishes, like Czech Goulash with Bread Dumplings {Guláš s houskovým knedlíkem}

February found me with a bit of wander lust, so in ode to a new Spanish shop in Brno we had 7 Nights of Tapas - a spread of tiny plates, culminating on Valentines day. 




March saw one of my first blogging events - an entry into the Forever Nigella challenge: Squid Ink Pasta with Sea Bass - (also this month detailed my experience with a Czech pig-sticking, called a zabijačka : Part I / Part II...no recipes but interesting for those of us fascinated with charcuterie / home-butchery)
 

In April I found myself refusing to let go of winter with a final dish with my all-time favourite squash: Butternut Squash with Lentils.




May kicked off the arrival of the outdoor veg markets, where I found some organic dried lavender. Looking for the perfect dish to experiment with, I stumbled upon a tart recipe once made for the Queen:  Lavender Custard Tart.

June was filled with friends and Summer Entertaining with Guacamole, Mojitos, Gazpacho, and Sangria



July: a simple summer with a  Spinach, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salad


August found me looking for a hot filling meal without cranking up the heat in my sweltering kitchen: Zucchini and Black Bean Tostadas {with Homemade "Cheats" Salsa}




September was a blog holiday. My mum came over from the States and we headed down to Italy: Eating alla Romana {Carciofi, Fettuccine, & Saltimbocca}

October is my all-time favourite month, and saw another yummy savoury squash dish Butternut Squash & Shiitake Mushroom Risotto

November hosted a long weekend of willpower with a 3-Day Detox Diet

December was a whirlwind of life events where I had no time to make any Christmas sweets (with the exception of posting a friend's homemade eggnog recipe) and enjoyed only the simplest and purest of all foods: How to Poach an Egg {and Eat it with Gouda and Tarragon}

Keep an eye out for the coming Cumin in the Cupboard news!

-- Jo