Goodbye 2011, hello 2012!

Doesn’t time really fly by? And doesn’t this feeling of time flying by become more pronounced during the end of a year and the beginning of another?

2011 surely flew by me.

The year was eventful, to say the least.

V survived a year of marriage with me!

I was able to make two trips to India this year. And I just realized almost half of this year was spent in India.

But the highlight of this year had to be the birth of my niece, Lahina. Oh how I miss that baby!

2011 was a year of a lot of beginnings, new learnings, of growing- in my personal life as well as in the blogosphere.

Blogwise, I published 106 (107, if you include this one) posts in 2011. And it would not have been possible, had it not been for the support that all the readers of the Novice Housewife give through comments on the blog and appreciation on other social networking sites. For all that love, I want to thank you and hope this common love for food sees us through more delicious times in 2012.

As a goodbye to the year gone, I thought I’ll share with you the list of posts that got you drooling.

Here’s the TOP 11 of 2011 (click on the picture to go to the recipe):

Number 11: Toasted Coconut Ice cream

This ice cream was made without an icecream maker, following David Lebovitz steps. It was creamy and really tasty and those sugar bowls were a pain to make but they made a darn good presentation. For a fancy occasion, you don’t mind slaving that extra bit.

Number 10: Onion tartlets (click on the picture for the link)

The tartlets are very versatile. In fact used the bread tartlets as appetizers the day my friends had come over for my birthday. I will be posting about them soon.

Number 9: Chicken enchiladas (click on the picture for the link)

These enchiladas are not for the calorie conscious. Nope. Not at all. But with all the heavy cream, pepper jack, sour cream….they had to be good! What else can you expect but the best from The Pioneer Woman!

Number 8: Welcoming a Baby Pinterest style! (click on the picture for the link)

This had to be the biggest highlight of the year. My baby niece was born this year. I also found Pinterest this year- which was the main inspiration behind this post.

Number 7:  Carrot Cake truffles (click on the picture for the link)

This was a year of disaster- food wise. What else can you expect from a Novice Housewife. But where there were disasters, there were ways to salvage the damages. These truffles were one such disaster that came out to be sinfully good. I used the same method on my birthday cake this year.

Number 6: Butter Chicken (click on the picture for the link)

This year I started Garam Masala Tuesdays. End of the year, thanks to my India trip I was not so regular with GMT, but when I was, I made butter chicken- anyone familiar with Indian cuisine knows about this dish and in all likelihood loves it as much as I do.

Number 5: Aloo Samosas (click on the picture for the link)

Another one from the GMT collection. These were actually revisited. They have been by most popular dish where I stay and have been a hit with all my foreign friends. They take a little effort to make but the results are always worth it.

Number 4: Maple Mousse in Edible containers (click on the picture for the link)

I joined Daring Bakers’ this year and April was my first proper challenge. I am particularly proud of this post as the vegetable containers turned out absolutely beautiful, just how I planned.

Number 3: Mango Kulfi (click on the picture for the link)

This is probably the most visited dessert in my kitchen. Its one of V’s all time favorite too. Probably that’s why its made so often. Its quick, easy and delectable.

Number 2: Macaron Cake (click on the picture for the link)

Like I said this was a year of disasters. I learnt about macarons this year. And like everyone else, had my shot at them. The first time I tried the first batch was a miss. Being an out and out Indian, wasting just does not run in my blood. Throwing out food is an absolute sin in my dictionary. I am thankful for this quality because of which, I turned up with this moist and scrumptious macaron cake which made to Top 2 in my most popular blog posts this year.

And the number 1 post this year…..drumroll….Pumpkin Pull Apart muffins (click on the picture for the link)

Adorable. Toothsome. Pumpkiney. These are portion size of the yummy pull apart bread idea.

That wraps up the Top 11 of 2011.

Wish you all a very happy and fun-filled New Year and thanks for being a part of the Novice Housewife’s 2011.

See you in 2012!